Table of Contents

Note on Abbreviations, Citations, and Terminology
Introduction
Chapter 1. The Sea of Talmud and Its Shore: The Talmud and Other Sasanian Remains
Chapter 2. In the Temple and Synagogue: Locating Jewish-Zoroastrian Encounters in Sasanian Mesopotamia
Chapter 3. Constructing "Them": Rabbinic and Zoroastrian Discourses of the "Other"
Chapter 4. Closer Than "They" May Appear: Alternative Descriptions of Sasanians and Zoroastrian Priests in the Bavli
Chapter 5. In Iran: Reading the Talmud in Its Iranian Context
In Lieu of a Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Promotional Information

The Iranian Talmud reexamines the Babylonian Talmud—one of Judaism's most central texts—in the light of Persian literature and culture, providing an unprecedented and accessible overview to the vibrant world of pre-Islamic Iran that shaped the Bavli.

About the Author

Shai Secunda is Jacob Neusner Associate Professor in the History and Theology of Judaism at Bard College.

Reviews

"An extraordinary contribution to the field of Irano-Talmudic studies, which provides an important theoretical framework and point of reference for any future attempt to read the Babylonian Talmud in context. . . . The Iranian Talmud provides a fresh, exciting and nuanced introduction to the emerging field of Irano-Talmudic studies, which attempts to situate the Babylonian Talmud in its ambient Sasanian context." (Journal of Jewish Studies) "Rich in fascinating texts, awareness of cutting-edge research and cultural allusions, this book is well-written and crucially important. Taking on the most important and elusive book in the rabbinic canon with an array of historical, literary and philological tools, The Iranian Talmud represents today's Jewish studies at its best." (Association of Jewish Libraries) "Shai Secunda not only persuades his readers of the need for contextual study of the Bavli but also facilitates such study by educating them about the religious and ethnic communities of the Sasanian empire, the forms of literary and nonliterary evidence available, and appropriate methodological and theoretical approaches to the comparative study of Talmudic and Middle Persian literature. The Iranian Talmud will be the first sustained attempt both to demystify the project of Irano-Talmudic research and to provide a basic orientation to it." (Christine Hayes, Yale University)