Seeking out the Land: Land of Israel Traditions in Ancient Jewish, Christian and Samaritan Literature (200 BCE - 400 CE)

Ze'ev Safrai (1948) is a professor in the Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology, Bar Ilan University, Israel. He specializes in the Roman and Byzantine periods. Prof. Safrai has published many books and articles, including The Economy of Roman Palestine and a commentary on the Mishna (23 volumes to date).

• ContentsEditorial StatementAcknowledgementsList of illustrationsAbbreviationsIntroductionThe Aim of the BookThe Approach of the Ancients to the Bible1 The Geography of the Land in Second Temple Literature1.1 Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha1.2 Greek Jewish Writers from Egypt1.3 The Septuagint1.4 The Essene Writings2 The Description of the Land of Israel in Josephus’ Works2.1 The Description of the Land of Israel (War 3:35–58)2.1.1 The Description of Samaria2.1.2 Idumaea2.1.3 Coastal Region2.1.4 Administrative Division2.1.5 Agrippa’s Kingdom2.2 Jericho and Gennesar (War 3:506–521, 4:451–476)2.3 Jerusalem, Jotapata, Gamala, Machaerus, and Masada2.4 Biblical Geography in Josephus2.5 The Portions of the Tribes2.6 Scattered Descriptions2.7 Conclusions3 The Land in Rabbinic Literature3.1 The Land-Dependent Commandments3.1.1 The ‘Canonical’ Halakhic Rule3.1.2 The Land-Dependent Commandments in Second Temple Literature3.1.3 Josephus3.1.4 Sectarian Literature3.1.5 Rabbinic Sources – First Century3.1.6 Land-Dependent Commandments in Rabbinic Literature – The Basic Explanation3.1.7 Heave Offerings and Tithes Outside the Land3.1.8 Syria3.1.9 Main Conclusions3.1.10 The Reasons for the Creation of the Various Halakhot3.2 Geographical Implications of the Halakhot Relating to the Land3.2.1 Classification of Settlements3.2.2 Definition of Settlement Boundaries3.2.3 Definition of Roads3.2.1 The Law of Foodstuffs3.2.2 Personal Lineage3.2.3 The Priestly Courses3.3 Praises of the Land3.4 Biblical Geography3.5 Forms of Representation of the Land3.5.1 Literal Exegesis3.5.2 Homiletic Interpretation3.5.3 Interpretation from Actual Reality3.5.4 Interpretation Reflective of Geographical Traditions3.5.1 Realistic Etymology3.5.2 Homiletic Etymology3.5.1 Realistic Identification3.5.2 Homiletic Identification3.5.3 Allegorical Identifications3.5.4 Identification from the Speaker’s Present3.5.5 Identification Based on Tradition3.6 The Land of Israel in the Aramaic Targumim3.7 The Attitude toward the Land in the Babylonian Talmud4 The Evolution of the Concept of the Sanctity of the Land4.1 Concern for the Land per se4.2 Jerusalem as a Model4.3 The Origins of the Explicit Concept4.4 Organizational Frameworks4.5 After the Destruction of the Temple4.6 The Expansion of the Concept after the Bar Kokhba War5 The Land in Early Christian Literature5.1 Introduction5.2 Theological Interest: The Sanctity of the Land5.3 Factual Attitudes toward Jerusalem and the Temple5.4 The Downgrading of Jerusalem and the Land5.4.1 The Socio-Political Background5.4.2 ‘Second’ or ‘Other’ Jerusalems5.4.3 The Restored Sanctity of Jerusalem5.5 Actual Concern with the Land5.5.1 Chronological Analysis of the Geographical References5.5.2 Composition History5.5.3 The Entries from the Gospels5.5.4 A Jewish Vorlage?5.5.5 Familiarity with the Land5.5.6 The Identifications5.5.7 Summary5.5.8 Other Works by Eusebius5.5.1 Epiphanius5.5.2 Jerome5.5.3 Pilgrims’ Literature5.5.4 The Vulgate5.5.5 Cyril of Jerusalem5.5.6 The Syrian Fathers5.5.7 The Peshitta5.6 Forms of Preoccupation with the Land6 The Land in Samaritan Literature6.1 Samaritan Literature6.2 The Centrality of Mount Gerizim6.3 Baba Rabba’s Division of the Land6.4 The Description of the Tribal Portions6.5 Indifference to the Land6.6 The Samaritan Targum7 Jewish and Christian Sacred Sites in the Holy Land7.1 Introduction7.2 Jewish Sacred Tombs and Holy Sites7.2.1 Hebron7.2.2 The Tomb of Joshua7.2.3 The Tombs of David and Solomon7.2.4 Rachel’s Tomb7.2.5 The Tomb of Eleazar and Phinehas7.2.6 The Tomb of Moses7.2.1 Shechem7.2.2 Mount Hermon7.2.3 The Mount of Olives7.2.4 Mizpah7.2.5 Mount Tabor7.2.6 Mount Carmel7.2.7 Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee7.2.8 Mount Sinai7.2.9 Bethel7.2.10 Additional Sites7.3 Christian Sacred Sites in the Holy Land7.3.1 Popular Tradition and Religious Establishment7.3.2 The Institutionalization Process7.3.1 The Current Scholarly Proposals7.3.2 The Development of the Cult of Saints7.3.3 The Development of Pilgrimage7.3.4 The Development of Sacred Sites and Their Identification and Rediscovery7.4 Holy Places in Judaism and Christianity: Similarities and Differences8 Concern with the Land in the Roman-Byzantine Period: An Overview8.1 The Basic Attitude toward the Land and Jerusalem8.2 The Sanctity of Jerusalem8.3 Jewish and Christian Sacred Sites8.4 Actual Concern with the Land8.5 Forms of Information about the LandLiteratureSource EditionsSecundary LiteratureSubject IndexSource Index