A Roadmap To The Heavens Book

Foreword. Acknowledgments. CHAPTER ONE. Introduction and methodological considerations. The purpose and significance of this research. Mapping the social identity: “Priests,” “Sages,” and “ ‘Am ha’aretz”, Research methods and their contribution. Qualitative textual research: The dialectic between diachronic and synchronic approach. Anthropological perspective. Anthropological processes and concepts. Selection of sources. CHAPTER TWO. Mapping the social identity “Priests”. The composition of the group of the Priests. The uniqueness of the social identity “Priests” compared to the Sages and ‘Am ha’aretz. The socio-economic background of the Priests after the destruction of the Temple. The historical construction of the group of the Priests. Primordial identities in micro-macro contexts. The cultural identity of the Priests as a social group. Social boundary versus cultural content. The usage of diacritical features in a micro-macro context. Cultural symbols: Ideology, commitment and specific practices. Norms and obligations relating to the functions of the Priests. The organization of the group of the Priests. The organization of the Priests inside the Temple realm. The organization of the Priests outside the Temple realm. The geographic settlements of the Priests according to the division of the priestly courses. Sociology of ignorance and protected knowledge. Introduction. The praxis of protected knowledge by the group of the Priests. The group of the Priests as constituting the cultural hegemony in Jewish society. Ideological hegemony according to Gramsci. Discourse and its praxis as a source of power and knowledge. The Priests as a superior group in Jewish society. CHAPTER THREE. Mapping the social identity “Sages”. Introduction. The relationship between the Sages and the Pharisees. The composition of the Tannaitic Sages. Was the group of the Sages an open group? Did the Sages constitute an opposition to the class of the Priests? The politics of historical construction of the Tannaitic Sages. The construction of collective memory by the group of the Sages. The self-image of the Sages as those who controlled the institutions during the Second Temple period. The politics of the text in the making of social identity. The generation of counter-collective memory as an act of resistance within the cultural hegemony. The cultural identity of the group of the Sages: Diacritical features and a basic value system. Group consciousness and common identity. Appearance and lifestyle. Symbols of status as an expression of symbolic identity. The usage of language as a social marker in a micro-macro context. Basic value system. Interdependency of the group of the Tannaitic Sages. The social network of the group of the Sages. Network of reciprocal help with respect to the practice of groomsmen. Network of reciprocal help with respect to funeral and mourning rites. Network of kinship and marriage ties. The organization of the group of the Sages. The chronological framework of the Tannaitic Sages. Honorific titles within the ranks of the Sages. Network of cooperation in the formal institutions. The intimate circle of the Havura and beit ha’midrash. The relationship between the Master and his Disciple. Inner tension between the Patriarch and the Sanhedrin. Were the Sages an elite group during the Tannaitic period? The politics of elite culture: The particular and universal culture. The particular culture of the Tannaitic Sages. The universal culture of the Tannaitic Sages. The art of perpetuating political power by privileged groups. “History is a graveyard of aristocracies.” The relationship between a privileged united minority and a diverse majority. The politics of the Sages. CHAPTER FOUR. The relationship between the Haverim and ‘Am ha’aretz. Mapping the social identity “Haverim”. The identity of the social category Haver in relation to the group of the Sages. Mapping the social identity “ ‘Am ha’aretz”. ‘Am ha’aretz: A social stratum, a social group, or a social category? ‘Am ha’aretz as a stigmatized social category. The relationship between the Sages and ‘Am ha’aretz according to the Babylonian Talmud. The portrayal of ‘Am ha’aretz according to the Jerusalem Talmud. The relationship between the Jews known as ‘Am ha’aretz and the Haverim. as described in the Tannaitic literature. CHAPTER FIVE. The self-awareness of the Sages as constituters of the counter-hegemony. Theoretical consideration. Hegemony versus counter-hegemony. Postcolonialism — the phenomenon of mimicry. “The art of resistance” — open and hidden transcripts. Sages’ skins, Priests’ masks: The desire of the slave to be like his Master. Open rebellion: Confrontation with the Priestly hegemonic discourse. Open and hidden transcripts — the practice of separating tithes. Sages’ skins, Priests’ masks — resistance as an act of imitation. Sages’ skins, Priests’ masks — the desire to occupy the Master’s place. Imitation as an act of resistance: Eating unconsecrated food in ritual purity. CHAPTER SIX. Exchange of ruling elites or the constitution of counter-hegemony? Sages versus Priests — a new social order or a mimicry of existing priestly hegemonic representation? New social reform: Personal achievement. Dialectical tension between imitation and resistance. Social hierarchy and symbolic order according to genealogical attribution. The weight of family attribution. Inheritance or personal achievement? The role of Torah study in relation to social stratification. Cultural capital and nepotism as a means of centralizing power by the privileged group. Summary and conclusions. Afterword. Glossary of Hebrew terms. Translation of primary sources. Bibliography. Index of References. Index of Concepts. Index of Names.