Babel's Tower Translated: Genesis 11 and Ancient Jewish Interpretation

379 Pages·2013·2.307 MB·English

by  Phillip Michael Sherman

Babel’s Tower Translated
Biblical Interpretation Series
EditorsinChief
PaulAnderson
YvonneSherwood
EditorialAdvisoryBoard
AkmaAdam–RolandBoer–MusaDube
JenniferL.Koosed–VernonRobbins
AnnetteSchellenberg–CarolynJ.Sharp
JohannaStiebert–DuaneWatson
RubenZimmermann
VOLUME117
Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.com/bins
Babel’s Tower Translated
Genesis 11 and Ancient Jewish Interpretation
By
PhillipMichaelSherman
LEIDEN•BOSTON
2013
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Sherman,PhillipMichael.
Babel'sTowertranslated:Genesis11andancientJewishinterpretation/byPhillipMichael
Sherman.
pagescm.–(Biblicalinterpretationseries;volume117)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-90-04-20509-3(hardback:alk.paper)–ISBN978-90-04-24861-8(e-book)1.Babel,
Towerof.2.Bible.O.T.GenesisXI–Criticism,interpretation,etc.3.Rabbinicalliterature–History
andcriticism.I.Title.
BS1238.B2S542013
222'.110609–dc23
2012048655
Thispublicationhasbeentypesetinthemultilingual“Brill”typeface.Withover5,100characters
coveringLatin,IPA,Greek,andCyrillic,thistypefaceisespeciallysuitableforuseinthehumanities.
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ISSN0928-0731
ISBN978-90-04-20509-3(hardback)
ISBN978-90-04-24861-8(e-book)
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םדאשרבדלכשאצומהתאןכ
ומשלעארקנוילעושפנןתונ
Mekhilta,Shirta35
ForSuzanne,Kitely,andEmory
Whohumblemeinbeingcalledbymyname.

CONTENTS
Acknowledgements..................................................... ix
Abbreviations........................................................... xi
Introduction:InterpretationasTranslationorExegesisandHistorical
Hermeneutics ...................................................... 1
PARTI
UNEARTHINGTHETOWER
IntroductiontoPartI ................................................... 11
1 ReturntoBabel:ReadingwithouttheCanon....................... 17
2 ReadingBabelBackwards.CanonicalFoundationsforExegetical
Expansion .......................................................... 43
PARTII
REWRITTENBABEL
IntroductiontoPartII .................................................. 87
3 TheHolyLanguageintheBookofJubilees:TheTowerofBabel
andtheEclipseofSacredTradition................................. 97
4 Pseudo-Philo’sBiblicalAntiquities:EchoesoftheTower............ 121
5 JosephusandtheInfluenceofAnxiety:ColonizingtheTowerand
thePoliticsofDispersion........................................... 153
6 TranslatedtoHeaven:TheTowerofBabelandThird(Greek)
Baruch.............................................................. 195
7 TheInnerTower:PhiloandtheTranslationofCultures............ 217
viii contents
PARTIII
THERABBINICBABEL:MIDRASHASTRANSLATION
IntroductiontoPartIII ................................................. 277
8 AJustTranslation:ReadingtheRabbinicBabelinGenesisRabbah 289
Conclusion ............................................................. 333
Bibliography ............................................................ 337
IndexofAncientSources ............................................... 355
IndexofModernAuthors............................................... 361
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The following work is a slightly revised version of my Emory University
dissertation.WritingadissertationisnotdissimilarfrombuildingtheTower
ofBabel.Thevoicesofamultitudeofpersons(bothscholarsandteachers)
mustbebentintosomeformofaunifiedvoiceiftheprojectisevertoreach
completion.Theworkitselfoftenseemsdauntingandoverlyambitiouson
manydays.Whilethefinalpurposeistoproduceanewpieceofscholarship
which(hopefully)sayssomethinginteresting,anequallyimportantgoalis
the production of a ‘name’ for the student. There is also the ever present
possibilitythatsomehigherpower(deityorcommitteemember)willfind
fault with the project and send the bricks crashing down on your head! I
havebeenfortunatethatthelaterdidnotoccur.
Therearetoomanypeopletothankfortheirgeneroussupport.During
graduateschoolIbenefitedfromthecuriosityandwisdomofanumberof
friends. I am especially grateful to Jordan Rosenblum, who taught me an
enormousamountaboutwhyandhowtherabbisdowhattheydo.Beatrice
Wallinshastaughtmemanyimportantthings.Iwillnotforgetasummer
spentdrinkingcoffee,translatingMishnahandTargum,andworryingabout
theadventofparenthood.
IamthankfulforWilliamK.Gilderswhopushedmetotranslatemore
closely, think more clearly, and write more economically—even when I
pushed back. I am also grateful that Walter Wilson and Carol Newsom
agreedtobeonmydissertationcommittee.Theircarefulreadingandfrank
criticismshavemadethisworkstrongerthanitcouldhavebeenotherwise.
Myparentshavebeenaconstantsourceofkindnessinmylife.Theyhave
always been supportive of my career plans, even when I am certain they
didn’tquitebelievesuchacareerwaspossibleoradvisable.Imustalsothank
myfriendsattheSocietyofBiblicalLiteratureforofferinggreatfriendship
andencouragement(nottomentionbabysittingservices)duringmytime
onstaff.
Icompletedthewritingofmydissertationduringmyfirsttwoyearsat
Maryville College. It is no exaggeration to say that Maryville College has
beenessentialinthesuccessfulcompletionofthework.ThanksgotoKaren
BealeandAndrewIrvineforalwaysbeingpresentandkeepingmesane.My
mentorandfriend,PeggyCowan,hasdonetoomanythingstobeadequately
thanked.Sheistheverydefinitionofanרזעןבא.