Introduction to Talmudic Law
The Talmud, a Late Antique repository of Rabbinic legal traditions, legal reasoning, narratives and biblical exegesis, has long been an object of religious and scholarly study and fascination. This course will serve as an introduction to the study of the Talmud and Talmudic law. Close readings of actual sections of the Talmud, together with exposure to the methods and approaches of historical-critical scholarship of the Talmud, will familiarize the student with the idiosyncrasies of Talmudic rhetoric and reasoning, and will provide a sampling of Talmudic legal principles. This course will be of interest to those are intrigued by the historical study of law, comparative law, ancient law and religious law. All primary sources will be provided in English translation.