Michael L. Satlow

Then and Now

Jewish History

Inscriptions of Israel/Palestine Presentation

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This is an exciting time for the “Inscriptions of Israel/Palestine” project.  This online project seeks to collect and make accessible all of the published inscriptions from the region from the Persian period through the early seventh century CE.  We have been spending much time changing our data to make it “EpiDoc conformant” (a data standard used by many projects, especially in the EAGLE consortium), and in the next few weeks we will transition that new data – along with many new inscriptions – to the site.  Having just received a major grant from the Goldhirsh-Yellin Foundation, we have many great things in store.

I will be making an informal presentation on the project on Thursday, December 18, at 7:00 PM at the National Library of Israel at the Giva’at Ram campus of Hebrew University in Jerusalem.  The announcement of the event can be found here.  All are welcome!

Jewish Time in Early Nineteenth Century America

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lopez

A new article of mine just appeared in the American Jewish Archives Journal.

Abstract:

Jewish Time in Early-Nineteenth-Century America: 1–29

In 1806, a clerk in Newport, Rhode Island, by the name of Moses Lopez published the first free-standing Jewish calendar in the Americas. In this article, Satlow investigates both the historical context in which this calendar was produced and how American Jews used it in the nineteenth century. Through the lens of Lopez’s calendar and its use, we can thus catch a glimpse of how the American Jewish community used material objects to form and reinforce its self-identity.

A link to the Journal is here, and a full PDF is here..

The Self and Science

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Several years ago I wrote an article, “‘And on the Earth You Shall Sleep’”: Talmud Torah and Rabbinic Asceticism” (Journal of Religion 83 [2003]: 204-225).  In that article, I compared rabbinic “asceticism” (which I broadly define as a set of self-disciplinary practices and training of the self) to similar techniques employed by contemporary Greco-Roman philosophers (as well as early Christians).  For both rabbis and philosophers, he entire point of these “ascetic” practices was to train or discipline the self.  My own essay builds upon the studies of Pierre Hadot, who argued that the function of the Stoic exercises performed by Marcus Aurelius and others was precisely to cultivate the virtue of self-discipline, which in turn is a prerequisite for knowledge.   The application of this insight to the rabbis was further extended by both Jonathan Schofer and Eliezer Diamond.  Self-discipline, for these ancients, was not a single act but a state of being.

Earlier this week I was pleasantly surprised to hear a story on the radio about the latest scientific research on willpower.  We have, it turns out, a single source of willpower.  Every time we resist a temptation – that is, exercise our willpower – we deplete our store.  And yet, like exercising a muscle, as we fatigue it we also strengthen it.  By engaging in acts of self-discipline we strengthen our willpower.  The piece went on to note that the practice of religion helps to “build up that self-control.”

Marcus Aurelius and the early rabbis may not have had access to controlled studies, but they were clearly onto something!

From Israelite to Jew: 9: Hellenism Arrives

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A discussion of Alexander’s conquest of west Asia and its aftermath (323 – 200 BCE). What is “Hellenism,” and how did the Jews react to it? Particular attention is paid to the Septuagint, Ecclesiastes, and Ecclesiasticus.

The podcast can be heard here; more downloading options are here. You can also use the player below:

The podcast is also accessible on iTunes.