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The Rabbis on Halakha and History:
Pirke Avot in Context

Steven Wasserstrom

Hum 110, Reed College, 4.02.99

I.  Historical Background

	a. chain of transmission, PA 1:1

	b. Hebrew Bible = Torah [Pentateuch], Writings, Prophets

	c. Written Torah vs. Oral Torah

	d. Greek Rule:  332-140 b.c.e

	e. Sanhedrin:  nasi + av bet din = zugot
           (pairs)

	f. Pompey conquers, 63 b.c.e.;  Temple destroyed in 70 c.e.



II.  The Mishna and its authors, the Tannaim

	a. Shana = "to repeat by memory";  Mishna = "that which is
           memorized"

	b. Torah li-Moshe me-Sinai = additional laws given to Moses on Mt.
           Sinai

	c. Hillel's Prozbul (cf. Deut. 15:1-3)



III.  Pirke Avot  

	a.  Political life:  1:10;  1:11;  2:3;  3:2;  3:16

	b.  Economic life:  2:2;  3:21;  4:12

	c.  "Cosmic" life:  1:12;  1:18;  3:1;  3:19;  5:1



IV.  Hillel the Elder (5:20)



V.  The Hillelization of Judaism and its implications

     "The words of both schools are the words of the living God
     but the law follows the rulings of the School of Hillel
     because the Hillelites were gentle and modest, and studied 
     both their own opinions and the opinions of the other 
     schools, and humbly mentioned the words of the other 
     schools before their own."  Babylonian Talmud (Erubin
     13b)



VI.  Conclusions  

	a.  Contrasts with Greco-Roman Wisdom Literature

	b.  The purpose of Pirke Avot?

	c.  The Rabbis on Halakha and History: Halakha replaces history?

 	d.  Rabbinic "Halakhocentricity" and the rise of Christianity

	e.  The baal bayit (householder:  cf. 2:6) as ideal  

Note: Resources for the study of classical Jewish religious literature are available at the Hum 110 Tech page, under Gateways, and on the Religion Department page: click on "Judaica"