Main Page
From relstudengl
Contents |
The Students' Seminar of the Department of Comparative Religion [עברית]
The Seminar
1. Aims
The Graduate Students' Seminar of the Department of Comparative Religion is a venue for presenting and discussing ongoing research in a friendly atmosphere. In each meeting a graduate student presents his or her research, another student serves as a respondent, and then an open ended discussion ensues. The lecturer is required to try and present his or her research in a way that would be accessible to all the participants, so as to allow a fruitful and pleasant discussion. The respondent should aim at bringing an additional viewpoint on the subject from a different tradition, culture, religion or time period and so enable the discussion to be as comparatively oriented as possible. The seminar's meetings are open to the faculty and graduate students of the Department of Comparative Religion.
2. Organizers
Jonathan Cahana
Sharon Weisser
Yitzhak (Tzakhi) Freedman
Schedule of 2009-2010
- Sharon Weisser - “The Polemic Between the Stoic and the Platonic Ethics: A Deaf Dialogue?” (23.11.2009) Respondent: Tzakhi Freedman
Is there a contradiction between the ideal of eradication of the passions (apatheia) and the concept of the “good-passion” (eupatheia) in Stoic thought? How is it possible to combine these two concepts? It is by means of this question, which was formulated in a critical manner by the opponents of Stoicism, that we should examine Cicero’s valuable testimony concerning the Stoic doctrine of the passions. We should analyze the way in which the Stoics articulated a new definition of passion which is closely related to their formulation of the end of moral life.
- Andre Villeneuve - "Nuptial Symbolism at Four Key Moments of Salvation History according to Second Temple Writings, the New Testament and Rabbinical Literature" (4.12.2009) Respondent: Sharon Weisser
- Sergey Minov - "Exegetical Background of the Cave of Treasures: Antiochean or Alexandrian?" (18.01.2010)
In this presentation I deal with the Syriac work known as the Cave of Treasures. There is a considerable difficulty in figuring out cultural milieu behind this composition, written in the sixth century, namely - was it written by West-Syrian or East-Syrian Christians. I believe that examination of exegetical traditions used by its author in his reworking of Old and New Testament narratives allows us to resolve this problem. As I am trying to demonstrate, exegetical background of the author of the Cave betrays his indebtedness and closeness rather to the Alexandrian than to the Antiochene school.
- Moshe Blidstein - "Vegetable Offerings in the Roman Empire" (22.02.2010)
The lecture discussed the system of sacrifice in the Roman religions, attempting to understand the place of vegetable offerings in this system. While literary sources from the period focus on the “main model” of animal sacrifice accompanied by vegetable offerings, there are also many other models of sacrifice which had an important place in the ritual system – domestic, magical, and funerary sacrifice, for example. Beyond the functional and structural aspects of the vegetable-animal distinction, it also had significance according to Late Antique philosophy. All of these dimensions should be taken into consideration when analyzing the shift to Christianity in the Roman Empire.
Schedule of 2008-2009
- Jonathan Cahana - "Gnosticism and Radical Feminism: Can Two Walk Together Except they be Agreed?" (23.03.2009) Respondent: Tzakhi Freedman
In this lecture I presented a comparison between ideas and notions evinced in Gnosticism, an ancient Christian "heresy" which existed in the first centuries CE, and those developed by radical feminists during the later decades of the 20th century. Three major issues were dealt with: rape, childbirth and motherhood, and patriarchal images of the feminine. In concluding, I inquired how these similarities can be best explained, and what implications this comparison entails for the study of ancient Gnosticism.
- Yitzhak (Tzakhi) Freedman - "Building-blocks of the Self: On "Knowledge" and Text in the Upaniṣads" (20.04.2009) Respondent: Jonathan Cahana
The second chapter of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad exhibits structural aspects that parallel those of the brick altar constructed during the Vedic ritual of agnicayana, "piling of the fire-altar." The lecture presented a study of this chapter in light of the interpretations of this ritual in the Brāhmaṇas, suggesting a new understanding of the notion of "knowledge"(vidyā) in it, and of the nature and purport of Upaniṣadic text.
- Tamar Sabo - "Jews and Gentiles in the Early Jesus Movement" (18.05.2009)
The lecture discussed the tensions within the Early Jesus Movement following the inclusion of the Gentiles, as described in the Acts of the Apostles. It surveyed the rhetorical strategies employed by the author of Acts in treating this topic, as he attempts to balance between Jewish and Gentile sensibilities. Possible conclusions were suggested regarding the social situation in the author's own community at the time of writing, as well as in the Jesus Movement as a whole.
External Links
The Department of Comparative Religion at the Hebrew University
Contact us
Jonathan Cahana, Tzakhi Freedman, or Sharon Weisser.
MediaWiki has been successfully installed.
- Wiki huji help site: [1]
- Consult the User's Guide for information on using the wiki software.
Getting started
