Literature and liturgy in times of transition: the Piska "And It Happened at Midnight" from Pesikta de-Rav Kahana

This article examines the development and sources of the passage, “And it happened at midnight” in Pesikta de-Rav Kahana. Literary analysis of this passage decisively refutes the conjecture that the passage was copied from either Pesikta Rabbati or a lost homiletical midrash on the book of Exodus, a...

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Bibliographic Details
Subtitles:Research Article
Main Author: ʿAtsmon, Arnon 1969- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: University of Pennsylvania Press [2016]
In: AJS review
Year: 2016, Volume: 40, Issue: 2, Pages: 241-259
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Pesikta de-Rav Kahana / Midrash / Textual structure / Spring / Authenticity / Literature / Liturgy / Transition period
RelBib Classification:BH Judaism
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Summary:This article examines the development and sources of the passage, “And it happened at midnight” in Pesikta de-Rav Kahana. Literary analysis of this passage decisively refutes the conjecture that the passage was copied from either Pesikta Rabbati or a lost homiletical midrash on the book of Exodus, and supports the contention that it was formulated by the redactor of the Pesikta itself. Nonetheless, the passage does deviate from certain characteristic trademarks of other piska'ot. The article proposes a general theory as to the dating, nature, and literary creation of the entire Pesikta. While the Pesikta is a unified work, it does include piska'ot that exhibit different literary patterns. These variations reflect changes in Torah reading practices that occurred in the period in which the Pesikta's editor operated.
ISSN:1475-4541
Contains:Enthalten in: Association for Jewish Studies, AJS review
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1017/S0364009416000404