Thesiss

This dissertation examines the ancient Iranian context of the Babylonian Talmud, the vast compendium of Jewish law and lore that the rabbis produced while living under the Persian Sasanian Empire (224–651 C.E. ) whose official religion was Zoroastrianism. While for decades schol…

This dissertation provides the first full-scale literary and theological treatment of the motif of humans confronting God in rabbinic literature. The sages do not challenge God directly, but indirectly by placing moral critiques of God into the mouths of various biblical heroes.…

This dissertation examines the treatment of Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, in Jewish biblical interpretation up to the 10th century CE. The particular focus of this examination is Jewish identity, and how Jethro's non-Israelite identity in the Bible is addressed by rabbinic exege…