Atoning for the Land in Early Biblical Interpretation

This paper considers the biblical theme of atonement for the land and its reception throughout Second Temple and rabbinic Judaism. The paper finds that the relatively limited biblical phenomenon of atoning for the land expands throughout Second Temple literature and is then supplanted in rabbinic li...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Zuckier, Shlomo (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2025
In: Journal of ancient Judaism
Year: 2025, Volume: 16, Issue: 2, Pages: 273-299
Further subjects:B Atonement
B Purification
B holiness of land
B people of Israel
B Land of Israel
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:This paper considers the biblical theme of atonement for the land and its reception throughout Second Temple and rabbinic Judaism. The paper finds that the relatively limited biblical phenomenon of atoning for the land expands throughout Second Temple literature and is then supplanted in rabbinic literature by the inverted concept of the land itself atoning for people. This touches on a variety of central issues across the period: conceptions of Temple – existing or not, legitimate or not; valuation of the Land of Israel and regional loyalty; conceptions of atonement, whether it is primarily achieved through sacrificial means or not. The paper situates the matter of land atonement as a through line that connects these issues and interpretive communities, demonstrates the contrasts between them, and notes the creative interpretations applied in this context.
ISSN:2196-7954
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of ancient Judaism
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.30965/21967954-bja10073