A Day of Gladness
The Sabbath among Jews and Christians in Antiquity
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7315790 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Margaret Williams (0000-0002-3015-1251, corresponding author), Margaret H Williams (Edinburgh) |
| Year | 2004 |
| Volume | 55 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 372-373 |
| Publication date | 2004-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Jewish Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-2097 • E-ISSN: 2056-6689 |
| Publisher | Liverpool University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.18647/2566/jjs-2004 |
| OpenAlex | W2335363912 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
During the course of the 1990s, a steady stream of articles by Herold Weiss on the treatment of the Sabbath by Jewish and Christian writers entered the public domain.First to appear was a discussion of the Sabbath in the Synoptic Gospels (JSNT 38 (1990), pp.13-27).A year later came 'The Sabbath in the Fourth Gospel' (JBL 110 (1991), pp.311-21), and 'Philo on the Sabbath' (Studia Philonica Annual 3,.Subsequently, Weiss continued his Jewish strand with 'The Sabbath among the Samaritans' (JSJ 25 (1994), pp.252-73) and 'The Sabbath in the Writings of Josephus' (JSJ 29 (1998), pp.363-90).Meanwhile, on the Christian front, he also produced papers entitled 'Sabbatismos in the Epistle to the Hebrews' (Catholic Biblical Quarterly 58 (1996), pp.674-89), and 'The Sabbath in the Pauline Corpus' (Studia Philonica Annual 9 (1997), pp.287-315).These studies, arranged more or less in chronological order, form the basis of the book under review, the only significant addition being the introductory chapter on the Sabbath in early Judaism.In this, Weiss gives brief consideration to material such as the documentary evidence from Elephantine and Qumran and early rabbinical pronouncements on the 'day of gladness'.What emerges with great clarity from this study is how varied Sabbath practice and Sabbath beliefs were among both Jews and Christians.For some Jews, for instance, the biblical injunction to abstain from labour on the seventh day meant staying at home doing absolutely nothing.Others, while ceasing from their workaday activities, saw no objection to limited walking and considerable intellectual exercise-hence the widespread practice of attending the synagogue and spending the Sabbath day in intensive Torah study.Attitudes towards what could be eaten on the day also varied considerably.While many felt that the Sabbath, as a festal day, should be celebrated with special foods, there were those who believed that the biblical injunction to sanctify the Sabbath would best be achieved through fasting.As for the communal psalm-singing that marked observance of the Sabbath at Qumran, that is unattested elsewhere.Jewish beliefs about the Sabbath were equally diverse.For literalists, it was purely a day of rest and sanctification (Exodus 20:8), and the only issue-no small one given the paucity of prescription in the Pentateuch-was how to give practical definition to those matters.Allegorists, by contrast, such as those criticised by Philo at Migr. 91, saw no need for practical observance at all; for them, the significance of the Sabbath lay entirely in its symbolism.Then there were those many Jews who viewed the Sabbath primarily in an eschatological light: through it they believed they were getting a glimpse of the perfect world to come.Early Christian practice and beliefs in respect of the Sabbath were no less varied.At one end of the spectrum you find those who, because they were Jewish, continued to observe the Sabbath in a traditionally Jewish way.Hence the postponement of the anointment of the body of Jesus until the day after the Sabbath in all the Synoptic Gospel accounts.At the other end of the spectrum you have those who advocated abandoning Sabbath observance altogether on the grounds that it was impossible for sinful mortals to sanctify the day.These differences and others are brought out extremely clearly in this well organised and lucidly written book.Inevitably, in a work that makes no claim to be exhaustive, there are areas where Weiss's treatment seems rather skimpy.The discussion of rabbinical material in chapter 1 is very limited, and the pagan evidence which throws considerable light upon Sabbath praxis among Diaspora Jews, especially those settled at Rome, gets no more than a passing mention.Nor is there any discussion of the process by which the Sabbath gave way in to the Lord's Day.Readers will
Ancient history · Art · Late Antiquity · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Historical and Architectural Studies · History · Philosophy · Religious studies
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,32 |
| Citation span | 2007 - 2024 (18) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |