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Cover von: A Jew and a Gentile in the Mirror of a Rabbinic Conversion Story: From Aquila the Proselyte to Abba Golis
Reuven Kiperwasser

A Jew and a Gentile in the Mirror of a Rabbinic Conversion Story: From Aquila the Proselyte to Abba Golis

Rubrik: Articles
Jahrgang 31 (2024) / Heft 4, S. 323-340 (18)
Publiziert 15.10.2024
DOI 10.1628/jsq-2024-0018
Veröffentlicht auf Englisch.
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Beschreibung
This is a narratological inquiry into stories about the conversion of Gentiles to Judaism. Rabbinic literature relates a relatively small number of such stories, and as a rule, their plots explore the uneasy acceptance of the Other. Two conversion stories from midrashic literature (of Late Antique Mediterranean provenance) analyzed here are about an uneasy conversion, in which the convert is disappointed in his new identity or finds himself in a demanding situation. Both explore rather humoristic situations in which a satirical approach to the institution of conversion is evident. However, by poking fun, the narrator sheds light on some problematic norms and beliefs of the social insiders' group. This paper attempts to show how the image of a convert is helpful in the process of identity formation of the rabbinic narrator and aims to explore how behind the stories of acceptance of converts, the self of the rabbinic narrators is hidden.