Resolving Disputes in Second Century BCE Herakleopolis

A Study in Jewish Legal Reasoning in Hellenistic Egypt

Series: 

Resolving Disputes challenges the consensus that the petitions to the leaders of “the πολίτευμα of the Jews in Herakleopolis” (P.Polit.Iud. 8.4-5) prove that while the Ptolemies granted Jews limited self-governance according to their ancestral traditions, the petitioners nonetheless relied almost exclusively on Ptolemaic Greek law to make their agreements and settle their arguments. Reading the appeals in their proper juridical context, this study shows how these Jewish petitioners in fact made sophisticated use of their ancestral norms, drawing from them principles that complemented and contradicted prevailing Greek law. The Jews appealing to the leaders of the πολίτευμα in Herakleopolis embraced Torah.
Copyright Year:
2022
E-Book (PDF)
Availability:
Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-50828-6
Publication:
28 Feb 2022
Hardback
Availability:
Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-50563-6
Publication:
13 Apr 2022
Cover Resolving Disputes in Second Century BCE Herakleopolis

Prices from (excl. shipping):

€135.04€128.00 excl. VAT
Add to Cart
Robert A. Kugler, Ph.D. (1994), University of Notre Dame, is the Paul S. Wright Professor of Christian Studies at Lewis & Clark College. He has published on the Dead Sea Scrolls and Jewish documentary papyri, including Leviticus at Qumran (Brill, 2017).
Contents
Preface and Acknowledgements

1 Introduction
 1.1 The Aim of the Study
 1.2 The πολίτευμα Papyri as an Archive
 1.3 The Contents of the Archive
 1.4 The Date and Provenance of the Archive
 1.5 The People of the Archive
 1.6 The Jewish πολίτευμα in Herakleopolis as the Context for the Petitions
 1.7 “Hellenized” Legal Reasoning in the Petitions?

2 Reading Petitions, Recovering Legal Reasoning
 2.1 The Dynamics of Making a Petition
 2.2 P.Tebt. 3.1.800 (CPJ 1.133). Sabbataios Seeks the Detention of Joanna
 2.3 P.Enteux. 23 (CPJ 1.128): Helladote Complains That She Is Deprived of Her Property
 2.4 A Framework for Analyzing the πολίτευμα Petitions

3 Delicts against the Person
 3.1 P.Polit.Iud. 1: Andronikos Seeks to Restore His Honor
 3.2 P.Polit.Iud. 2: Petaus Seeks Release from Prison
 3.3 P.Polit.Iud. 6: Theodotos Seeks Justice for the Death of a παιδίον
 3.4 Summary

4 On Marriage and Family
 4.1 P.Polit.Iud. 3: Protomachos Complains about a Failed Promise of Land Related to a Dowry
 4.2 P.Polit.Iud. 4: Philotas Complains about a Betrothal Violated
 4.3 P.Polit.Iud. 5: Polyktor Alienates a Dowry-Related Gift of a House from Its Seller
 4.4 P.Polit.Iud. 7: Dorotheos Seeks the Return of His Niece to His Care
 4.5 Summary

5 On Loans, Leases, Sales, and Labor Agreements
 5.1 P.Polit.Iud. 8: Theodotos Seeks Repayment of a Loan
 5.2 P.Polit.Iud. 9: Berenike Seeks Satisfaction for the Sale of a Slave and Wet Nurse Contract
 5.3 P.Polit.Iud. 10: Ptolemaia Appeals to Obtain a Work Product from Tetous
 5.4 P.Polit.Iud. 11: Ptolemaios Seeks to Recover the Cost of a Shipment of Wine from Arsame
 5.5 P.Polit.Iud. 12: Nikanor Seeks Payment for a Land Lease
 5.6 Pap.Graec.Mon. 287 + 293: Straton Petitions to Complete His Tenancy of Farmland
 5.7 Summary

6 Concluding Reflections
Bibliography
Index of Ancient Primary Sources
Index of Modern Authors
All readers interested in: Jews in Hellenistic Egypt; Pentateuchal and Jewish law; the Septuagint in Hellenistic Egypt; juristic papyrology; the history of legal thought; legal pluralism in the ancient world.
  • Collapse
  • Expand
Publisher:
Brill
Language:
English
Pages:
xii, 274 pp.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004508286

Manufacturer information:
Koninklijke Brill B.V. 
Plantijnstraat 2
2321 JC
Leiden / The Netherlands
productsafety@degruyterbrill.com