Demonic Desires: "Yetzer Hara" and the Problem of Evil in Late Antiquity

Ishay Rosen-Zvi

Published by University of Pennsylvania Press 2012

Demonic Desires

"Yetzer Hara" and the Problem of Evil in Late Antiquity

Ishay Rosen-Zvi

In the series Divinations: Rereading Late Ancient Religion

https://doi.org/10.9783/9780812204209

Overview
Contents

About this book

This study examines the concept of yetzer hara, or evil inclination. Analyzing the some one hundred and fifty appearances of the yetzer in rabbinic literature, Rosen-Zvi contends that the term should not be read under the traditional rubric of sexual desire, but rather in the context of ancient Jewish demonology.

Author / Editor information

Ishay Rosen-Zvi is Associate Professor of Hebrew Culture at Tel Aviv University, where he serves as the head of the Talmud and late antiquity section. He is also a Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute for Advanced Studies.

Reviews

"In addition to comprehensive analysis of the classical rabbinic literature on the evil yetzer, and the changing perceptions of it, Rosen-Zvi traces related developments in early Christian literature, especially within the trajectories of asceticism and monasticism of the Alexandrian tradition"—Jewish Book World

"Rosen-Zvi's learned book opens up new vistas for the discussion of Jewish theological anthropology. His careful philological work traces the numerous connections between rabbinic and early Christian conceptions of human nature and sin. Ultimately, Rosen-Zvi emphatically endorses the view that the rabbinic conception of the human person is fundamentally optimistic."—Jewish Review of Books

"Demonic Desires analyzes a crucial element of late antique Jewish religious thought, the concept of the yetzer hara. Rosen-Zvi aims to correct misplaced assumptions about the yetzer, in terms of both anachronistic readings of the rabbinic tradition and misleading comparisons made between the yetzer and other aspects of late antique religious thought in the Hellenistic world. The book is a valuable contribution to an important area of study."—Columba Stewart, Saint John's School of Theology Seminary

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Introduction. The Riddle, or: How Did the Evil Yetzer Become a Mighty King? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter 1. “The Torah Spoke Regarding the Yetzer”: Tannaitic Literature Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	14
Chapter 2. Yetzer and Other Demons: Patristic Parallels Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	36
Chapter 3. Yetzer at Qumran: Proto-Rabbinic? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	44
Chapter 4. Coming of Age: Amoraic Yetzer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	65
Chapter 5. Refuting the Yetzer: The Limits of Rabbinic Discursive Worlds Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	87
Chapter 6. Sexualizing the Yetzer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	102
Chapter 7. Weak Like a Female, Strong Like a Male: Yetzer and Gender Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	120
Afterword. Toward a Genealogy of the Rabbinic Subject Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	127
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	135
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	215
Subject Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	239
Source Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	243
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	255

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Audience: College/higher education;
Pages
- Main content: 264
Keywords: Religion; History; Religious Studies; Ancient Studies

eBook

Published: November 29, 2011
ISBN: 9780812204209