What is Commentary?

Session Submission Type: Panel Session

Abstract

Our assumption is that Jewish ancient hermeneutics cannot be read in isolation but must be done in comparison with contemporaneous Hellenistic and Roman practices. We therefore gathered scholars who work on similar questions in different cultural contexts. Each paper will concentrate on one specific set of texts and one month prior to the session we will pre-circulate our papers to all members of the session and to the chair/respondent. This will enable us to consider points of contact, influence, and cross-cultural influence.

Sub Unit

• Jewish History and Culture in Antiquity

Chair

• Moulie Vidas, Princeton University

Individual Presentations

• Poetic processes and Practices of Reading: Hodayot as Collection - Hindy Najman, University of Oxford

• Reading a text objectively– yet through (subjective) lenses: Aristarchus on Homer - Francesca Schironi, University of Michigan

• Midrashic Techniques Between Halakha and Aggada: A New Approach - Ishay Rosen-Zvi, Tel Aviv University

• Servius in context: reading late antique commentaries on Virgil - irene peirano garrison, Yale

Respondent

• Moulie Vidas, Princeton University