Opulence and Oblivion
Talmudic Feasting, Famine, and the Social Politics of Disaster
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12013169 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Julia Watts Belser (0000-0003-0354-4962, University of Washington, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 89-107 |
| Publication date | 2014-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | AJS Review The Journal of the Association for Jewish Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0364-0094 • E-ISSN: 1475-4541 |
| Publisher | Project MUSE (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s036400941400004x |
| OpenAlex | W2127235641 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 19 |
Food and feasting narratives illuminate the social politics of disaster in the Babylonian Talmud's lengthiest account of the destruction of Jerusalem (Bavli Gittin 55b–58a). Key moments in this sugya center around food: the shame of Bar Kamẓa at a feast sparks his eventual betrayal of the Jews, the tale of Marta bat Boethus recounts the starvation of the wealthiest woman in Jerusalem, and Caesar destroys Tur Malka in retaliation for an opulent banquet. This article contextualizes these rabbinic narratives within the social politics of Roman and Sasanian banquet culture, while also parsing the intersections of gender, class, and social status in these disaster tales. Through its critical representation of high-class oblivion, the sugya calls attention to the ethical cost of elite status by highlighting the physical and moral dangers of social privilege. Its stories of luxurious eating emphasize how corrosive concerns about status and shame often lead elites to protect their private interests by sacrificing the well-being of the broader community. Its feasting narratives assert that wealth, luxury, and social privilege distance elites from the awareness of suffering in their midst
Aesthetics · Archaeology · Art · Art history · Banquet · Betrayal · Elite · Famine · Literature · Narrative · Political science · Politics · Privilege (computing · Shame · Sociology · Gender Studies · Halal products and consumer behavior · History · Law
Palestinian Holy Men
Christians and Heretics in Rabbinic Literature of Late Antiquity
The Theological Stratum of the Martha b. Boethus Tradition—An Explication of the Text in Gittin 56a
Most Tender and Fairest of Women
Web of Life
The Gift
Famine and Pestilence in the Late Roman and Early Byzantine Empire
The Formerly Wealthy Poor
Shameful Ambivalences
Wonder-Working and the Rabbinic Tradition
The Two Eyes of the EarthArt and Ritual of Kingship between Rome and Sasanian Iran
Roman Palestine, 200 - 400, Money and Prices
Holy Lives, Holy Deaths
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,25 |
| Citation span | 2014 - 2018 (5) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |