"Based on an understanding of scholasticism as a cross-cultural phenomenon, this book examines the literary-historical development of rabbinic compilations. The book explores texts such as the Talmud Yerushalmi in the context of late antique scholarly practice, which preserved past knowledge for future generations. Catherine Hezser argues that rabbinic scholarship was an integral part of late antique intellectual life and should be recognized as an Eastern equivalent to Western, paideia-based forms of scholarship in the Roman-Byzantine period and beyond"--

Catherine Hezser is Professor of Jewish Studies at SOAS University of London, UK.

Introduction
Part I: The Generation of Knowledge
1. Rabbis as Intellectuals
2. Disciple Circles
3. Schools
4. Study Sessions
5. Dialogues and Disputes
6. Lived Knowledge
7. Adjudication

Part II: The Transmission of Knowledge
1. Attributions and Chains of Transmission
2. Orality and Writing
3. Tradition
4. Forms of Transmission
5. Pre-Redactional Collections

Part III: The Preservation of Knowledge
1. Collection and Selection
2. Editing Procedures
3. The Structure of the Compilations
4. Scribes versus Editors
5. The Purposes of the Compilations
Conclusions
Bibliography
Indexes