Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking

Michael Fishbane is Nathan Cummings Professor of Jewish Studies and Chair of the Committee on Jewish Studies at the University of Chicago

In sum, this volume provides close and careful examinations of a rich variety of texts, thoughtful summaries of what may be concludedwith regard to each type of literature, two innovative appendices, and a number of detailed indexes. The author combines a broad knowledge of religious phenomenology, the theory of myth, and the classical and Christian traditions with a specialized, masterly, and detailed understanding of biblical, rabbinic, and kabbalistic texts and traditions. He presents the reader with a vast amount of text to absorb and an extensive number of interpretations and conclusions on which to reflect.

• 1. INTRODUCTION ; 2. Combat Myths and Divine Actions ; 3. Personalization and Historicization of the Combat Motif ; 4. Conclusions and Other Considerations ; 5. INTRODUCTION ; 6. God and the Primordial Waters ; 7. Myths of Participation and Pathos ; 8. Myths of Divinity ; 9. Conclusions and Other Considerations ; 10. INTRODUCTION ; 11. The Primordial Serpent ; 12. Divine Sorrow and the Rupture of Exile ; 13. Conclusions ; 14. Final Conclusions