The fresh new dominating story from marital ‘refuse,’ and this assumes a past fantastic age of matrimony, is simply incorrect” (pp
Remark from the
Michael L. Satlow , Jewish marriage from inside the antiquity. Princeton: Princeton College or university Force, 2001. xii, 431 profiles ; twenty-five cm. ISBN 069100255X $.
Tawny Holm , Indiana College or university regarding Pennsylvania.
This lighting up and you may complete guide by the Satlow goes much to demonstrate one conversation about ong Jews, and you will amongst their Christian, Roman, and you may Greek neighbors, because it’s now inside modern American and you can progressive Jewish neighborhood. Satlow, which sees relationship while the a beneficial socially constructed, culturally built institution, brings a great refreshingly historic position on the alarmist discourse of today. “The fact the commentary out-of societal relationship ‘crisis’ is so dated at least is aware me to the latest options we was speaing frankly about a question of rhetoric even more than simply reality. xvi-xvii). When it comes to evaluating upbeat belief one to progressive wedding is actually alternatively an upgrade with the crappy old days of one’s patriarchal prior, Satlow means that ancient Judaism is far more challenging than simply of many suppose, and contains “a minumum of one rabbinic articulation of marital ideals . . . so you’re able to rival our personal egalitarian impression” (p. xvii).
Perhaps the “you to definitely rabbinic articulation” of close-egalitarianism impresses every audience, Satlow’s case having great range between the some other Jewish teams was well-made (the fresh new Palestinian rabbis consistently can be found in a far greater light versus Babylonian), with his guide have a tendency to thus be enticing not only to scholars out of Near East antiquity and you will Judaism, however, toward read public. …
