Jewish Paideia: Greek Education in the Letter of Aristeas and 2 Maccabees

2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-202
Author(s):  
Tyler A. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Literacy ◽  
Jewish Literature ◽  
Greek Literature ◽  
Literature And Philosophy ◽  
Literary Forms ◽  
The Difference

The substantial corpus of Jewish literature surviving in Greek shows that some Jews appropriated Greek literature and philosophy in highly sophisticated ways. This article argues that Letter of Aristeas and 2 Maccabees are examples of a Jewish paideia, a Jewish cultural literacy in Greek. This Jewish paideia was indebted to the language, literary forms, and philosophy of Hellas, but was set apart by endorsing the Torah as its foundation text. The difference between Letter of Aristeas and 2 Maccabees is not in their appropriation of Greek paideia but rather in how they endorse the Greek Torah in relation to the ideals of Greek paideia. The Letter of Aristeas invokes the ideals of Greek paideia to substantiate a Jewish paideia while 2 Maccabees places Jewish ideals in competition with those of Athens. Both works, however, articulate a Jewish paideia.

the self in Greek literature

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Gill
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
The Self ◽  
Modern Concept ◽  
Greek Literature ◽  
Literature And Philosophy ◽  
Modern Thought ◽  
Is Development ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Thought Worlds

The notion of “self” is a non-technical one, bridging the areas of psychology and ethics or social relations. Criteria for selfhood include psychological unity or cohesion, agency, responsibility, self-consciousness, reflexivity, and capacity for relationships with others. “Self” is a modern concept with no obvious lexical equivalent in Greek (or Latin); the question therefore arises of the relationship between the modern concept and ancient thinking, as embodied in Greek literature. Three approaches to this question can be identified. One focuses on the idea that there is development within Greek literature towards an understanding of the self or person as a cohesive unit and bearer of agency and responsibility. Another approach sees certain aspects of Greek literature and philosophy as prefiguring some features of the modern concept of self. A third approach underlines the difference between the Greek and modern thought worlds in the formulation of concepts in this area, while also suggesting that Greek ideas and modes of presenting people can be illuminating to moderns, in part because of the challenge posed by their difference. These approaches draw on a range of evidence, including psychological vocabulary, characterization in Greek literature, and Greek philosophical analyses of ethical psychology. There are grounds for maintaining the credibility of all three approaches, and also valid criticisms that can be made of each of them.

scholarly journals Pengembangan media storybook pic-pop berbasis budaya lokal Palembang untuk meningkatkan perilaku prososial anak usia dini

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 91
Author(s):  
Ade Tria Lestari ◽  
Hapidin Hapidin ◽  
Zarina Akbar
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Research And Development ◽  
Cultural Literacy ◽  
Local Culture ◽  
Prosocial Behaviour ◽  
Social Emotional Development ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Addie Model

Important aspects of social-emotional development developed in early childhood, specifically about prosocial habits. This study aims to develop a book about Palembang's local culture to improve understanding of prosocial behaviour in early childhood. Draw local culture through interesting pictures. The research method used is research and development with the ADDIE model. The technique of collecting data is based on the results of expert validation and trial data through pre-trial one group pretest-posttest design and statistical analysis of data using paired sample t-test. This study involved children aged 4 to 6 years in Musi Banyuasin Regency. The product research and development results show: first, the design of storybook media product is feasible to increase children's understanding of Palembang's cultural and prosocial behaviour; second, collecting media that is seen from the results obtained from the pretest-posttest data of children with a value and significance of 0.00 < 0.05, this shows the value of the pretest-posttest supports the difference; and third, the validity of the media that shows the book can be used for children who understand cultural literacy so that children are rich in cultural insights specifically the local culture of Palembang.

scholarly journals Itinerant sages: The evidence of Sirach in its ancient Mediterranean context

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-336
Author(s):  
Elisa Uusimäki
Keyword(s):  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Jewish Literature ◽  
Greek Literature ◽  
Biblical Literature

This article examines passages in Sirach which posit that travel fosters understanding (Sir. 34.9–13) and that the sage knows how to travel in foreign lands (Sir. 39.4). The references are discussed in the context of two ancient Mediterranean corpora, that is, biblical and Greek literature. Although the evidence in Sirach is insufficient for demonstrating the existence of a specific social practice, the text at least attests to an attitude of mental openness, imagining travel as a professional enterprise with positive outcomes. This article argues that the closest parallels to Sir. 34.9–13 and Sir. 39.4 are not to be found in the Hebrew Bible or Hellenistic Jewish literature but in (non-Jewish) Greek writings which refer to travels undertaken by the sages who roam around for the sake of learning. The shared travel motif helps to demonstrate that Sirach belongs to a wider Hellenistic Mediterranean context than just that of biblical literature.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document