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Hezser, Catherine (2021) 'Did Palestinian Rabbis Know Roman Law? Methodological Considerations and Case Studies.' In: Berthelot, Katell, Dohrmann, Natalie and Nemo-Pekelman, Capucine, (eds.), Legal Engagement. The Reception of Roman Law and Tribunals by Jews and Other Inhabitants of the Empire. Rome: École française de Rome, pp. 303-322. (Collection de l'École Française de Rome 579)

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Abstract

Palestinian rabbis of the first four centuries lived in an environment in which Roman law was practiced and Roman law schools existed. They would have been aware of Roman legal practices through hearsay, observation, and everyday life experiences. Palestinian rabbinic texts from the Mishnah to the Talmud Yerushalmi show striking similarities between rabbinic halakhah and Roman law in many legal areas. On the basis of theoretical considerations and case studies from shipping law, slavery law, and family law this paper investigates whether and to what extent rabbis can be expected to have known Roman law. In which areas of law are similarities most likely and how can the relationship between rabbinic and Roman law be explained?

Item Type: Book Chapters
Keywords: Roman Palestine, rabbis, jurists, business, shipping, slaves/slavery, marriage, family, property, document, jettison, Romanisation, court, archive, ownership, peculium, mancipatio, women, fraud, ketubbah.
SOAS Departments & Centres: Departments and Subunits > School of History, Religions & Philosophies > Department of Religions & Philosophies
ISBN: 9782728314645
Copyright Statement: © Publications de l’École française de Rome, 2021
DOI (Digital Object Identifier): https://doi.org/10.4000/books.efr.9843
Date Deposited: 03 Sep 2021 14:48
URI: https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/id/eprint/35486

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