Jewish Martyrdom in Antiquity: From the Books of Maccabees to the Babylonian Talmud Yair Furstenberg

1 Introduction
1 The Problem of Jewish Martyrdom
2 ‘Martyrdom’ and ‘Noble Death’: Definitions, Motifs and Technical Vocabulary
3 History and Memory
4 Book Plan

2 Between History and Memory
1 Introduction
2 Martyrdom and Persecution in the Maccabean Books
3 ‘The Time of Persecution’ in Rabbinic Memory
4 Conclusion

3 The Sanctification of God’s Name in Rabbinic Traditions
1 ‘Sanctification of the Name’ in Early Martyrological Texts
2 Early Non-Martyrological Material
3 Shifts of Emphasis in the Amoraic Period

4 Martyrdom in Second and Fourth Maccabees
1 Introduction
2 2 Maccabees
3 4 Maccabees
4 Conclusion

5 Jewish Noble Death in Second Temple Literature
1 Introduction
2 The Book of Daniel
3 1 Maccabees
4 Philo
5 Assumption of Moses
6 New Testament
7 Josephus
8 Lives of the Prophets
9 Conclusion

6 The Development of Rabbinic Martyr Traditions
1 R. Akiva
2 R. Hanina ben Teradion
3 R. Yishmael and R. Shimon
4 R. Yehuda ben Bava
5 Other Rabbis Whose Death Is Not Reported in Talmudic Sources
6 Conclusion

7 Non-Rabbinic Martyrs in Rabbinic Literature
1 Pappus and Lulianus
2 The Mother and the Seven Sons
3 Anonymous Victims of the ‘Time of Persecution’
4 Apostate and Gentile Martyrs: Those Who Acquire Their World in One Hour

8 Religion and Politics: The Martyrs as Heroes of the Jewish People
1 Introduction
2 The Martyrs’ Motivations: Religion and Politics
3 The Martyrs and Razis as Model Citizens of the Jewish State
4 The Martyrs as Exemplary Figures Characterizing the Jewish People
5 Defeating the King: The Triumph of the Jewish Way of Life
6 Conclusion

9 Beneficial Death and Posthumous Reward in Second Temple Literature
1 Beneficial Death
2 Vindication
3 Conclusion

10 The Justification of Violent Death in Rabbinic Literature: From Theodicy to Salvific Death
1 The Problem of Theodicy
2 Death as Atonement for One’s Own Sins
3 Soteriological Perspectives in Early Martyr Legends
4 The Atoning Effect of the Death of the Righteous
5 Conclusion: Salvific Death in a Comparative Perspective

11 Rabbinic and Early Christian Perspectives on Martyrdom: Differences and Similarities
1 Narratives
2 Martyrdom as Testimony
3 Theodicy and Eternal Reward
4 Motivations
5 An End to Itself?
6 Social Ties
7 Conclusion

Conclusion: The Transformation of Jewish Martyrdom within Changing Contexts
Bibliography
Index