Comparative Religion and International Studies, UW

Torah in the Mouth:
Oral Tradition and Religious Transformation in Classical Rabbinic Culture

The memorization, recitation, and criticism of orally transmitted traditions of law and lore was one of the central intellectual and religious activities of Rabbinic Judaism during its classical period (ca. 300-600 CE). Such activities transformed young Jewish men from mere Jews into “Sages.” Rabbinic oral tradition transmitted not only a body of technical knowledge, but also essential models of spiritual formation. In his lecture, Dr. Jaffee attempted to place the Rabbinic conceptions and processes of oral tradition into the broader context of rhetorical training and discipleship in late Roman and early Byzantine culture. The particular focus will be on the meaning of third-century efforts to entirely suppress the study of Rabbinic tradition from written texts, the corresponding celebration of the Sage as the sole source of authoritative religious wisdom (Torah), and the understanding of discipleship as a project of personal transformation into an embodiment of Torah.

Martin Jaffee is the Samuel and Althea Stroum Professor of Jewish St udies, Professor of Comparative Religion, and Chair of the Comparative Religion Program at the University of Washington. As a researcher in the field of classical Rabbinic Judaism, he has attempted to interpret the patterns of Rabbinic culture in light of paradigms drawn from the historical and phenomenological study of religions. His seven books include exegetical studies of classical Rabbinic writings, co-edited collections of essays on aspects of religious innovation, and textbooks for the study of Judaism and the comparative study of monotheism