Description
In Genesis Rabbah, as well as in Philo and several church fathers, one encounters an account of the creation of the world featuring a craftsman or architect with his plans. This myth goes back to Plato’s Timaeus. It sometimes takes the form of a parable and is combined with an exegesis of Gen 1 and Prov 8:22-31. My contribution to the study of these topics is a meticulous attention to the formal aspects of the versions of this story that are presented as parables—or not. By close-reading the parable in Gen. Rab. 1:1, in its midrashic context, as well as the similar stories in other Jewish and Christian contexts, I investigate if and how the message has changed when the account takes the literary form of a parable. I will argue that the choice for the parable form, as well as subtle differences in its form and content—its actors, the relation between parable and application etc.—served as a vehicle of theological messages in early Jewish and early Christian literature.Period | 7 Jun 2024 |
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Event title | Form, Function, and Fables: : Genre in Early Christian, Jewish, and Graeco-Roman Traditions |
Event type | Conference |
Location | Mainz, GermanyShow on map |
Degree of Recognition | International |
Keywords
- genre
- parables
- Rabbinic literature
- Patristic Studies
- Bible
- Plato
Documents & Links
Related content
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Projects
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Parables and the Partings of the Ways
Project: Research
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Personified Wisdom (Sophia) in Jewish and Christian Interpretation
Project: Research
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Activities
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The sexual attraction of Wisdom and Torah in Bible and Rabbinic Literature
Activity: Talk or presentation › Talk (lezing)
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The Jewish and Christian Reception of Timaeus' Demiurge Myth
Activity: Talk or presentation › Talk (lezing)
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Research output
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Origines en de rabbijnen: twee werelden, één parabel?
Research output: Online publication or non-textual form › Online publication or website › Popular