عنوان

Patrilineal or Matrilineal Genealogy in Israel after Ezra

Number

LA118772

.Language of Text, Soundtrack etc

انگلیسی

Title Proper

Patrilineal or Matrilineal Genealogy in Israel after Ezra

General Material Designation

[Article]

First Statement of Responsibility

Paul Heger

Place of Publication, Distribution, etc.

Leiden

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

Brill

Text of Note

In this exploration of rabbinic attitudes toward the patrilineal or matrilineal determination of ethnic identity, the author affirms that Ezra did not introduce the idea of matrilineal identity and that he did not expel non-Israelite women in an effort to ensure racial purity, as some scholars argue. Ezra's goal in expelling these women and their children, despite the latter's Jewish identity as the offspring of Jewish fathers, was to reduce pagan influences on the Israelite community by avoiding social contacts with surrounding peoples. While maintaining the patrilineal system, the rabbis determined that in a mixed marriage, children inherit their mother's ethnicity, irrespective of her faith. This modification of the existing practice was effected in the frame of the rabbinic transition from a general "common-sense" approach to halakic decisions to a "legal sense" conceptualization. Examples from various rules support this thesis; conflicting scholarly opinions on both ethnicity and conversion issues are disputed. In this exploration of rabbinic attitudes toward the patrilineal or matrilineal determination of ethnic identity, the author affirms that Ezra did not introduce the idea of matrilineal identity and that he did not expel non-Israelite women in an effort to ensure racial purity, as some scholars argue. Ezra's goal in expelling these women and their children, despite the latter's Jewish identity as the offspring of Jewish fathers, was to reduce pagan influences on the Israelite community by avoiding social contacts with surrounding peoples. While maintaining the patrilineal system, the rabbis determined that in a mixed marriage, children inherit their mother's ethnicity, irrespective of her faith. This modification of the existing practice was effected in the frame of the rabbinic transition from a general "common-sense" approach to halakic decisions to a "legal sense" conceptualization. Examples from various rules support this thesis; conflicting scholarly opinions on both ethnicity and conversion issues are disputed.

Date of Publication

2012

Physical description

215-248

Title

Journal for the Study of Judaism

Volume Number

43/2

International Standard Serial Number

1570-0631

Subject Term

Ezra

Subject Term

mixed marriages

Subject Term

patrilineality

Subject Term

Qumran

Subject Term

rabbis

Paul Heger

Call Number

10.1163/157006312X637865

Electronic name

p

[Article]

275578

a

Y