History and Literature of Early Rabbinic Judaism

Call For Papers: The HLERJ unit will be running up to four sessions at the 2019 annual meeting. 1) We are calling for papers submitted by _pairs of scholars_ addressing some aspect of the theme “saints and sages.” Each pair should be composed of a scholar working in rabbinic literature and another working in some other aspect of late antiquity (e.g. early Christianity, Roman culture, early Islam, etc.). 2) We invite proposals for papers on forms of leadership in Jewish and Christian communities that emerged in the centuries following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. We are especially interested in papers that discuss competition surrounding forms and conceptions of leadership and how the dynamics of competition are reflected and refracted in the sources from the era, including early rabbinic literature, writings of early Christian authors, and material culture (co-sponsored with Religious Competition in Antiquity). 3) We are issuing an open call for papers on all topics in rabbinic history and literature, but especially for papers dealing with performance, theatricality, and playfulness in rabbinic literature. 4) Finally, we will be co-sponsoring with the Mysticism, Esotericism, and Gnosticism in Antiquity, and Religion and Philosophy in Late Antiquity units, an invited session inspired by and responding to Michael Swartz's newly published book The Mechanics of Providence: The Workings of Ancient Jewish Magic and Mysticism (Mohr Siebeck, 2018).

Program Unit Chairs

Propose a Paper for this Program Unit

Questions About Membership?

• Call 866-727-9955 Toll Free in the US
• Call 404-727-9498 Outside the US
• Fax us at 404-727-2419
• Email us at sblservices@sbl-site.org