Avot of Rabbi Natan

Avot de - Rabbi Nathan (Hebrew אבות דרבי נתן, abbreviated ARN) is obtained in two main versions of rabbinic commentary work on the Mishna Avot and is one of the non- canonical treatises, which were printed in the notes to the Babylonian Talmud, usually as an adjunct to order Neziqin, be.

• 5.1 Version A
• 5.2 Version B

Content and versions

Avot de - Rabbi Nathan is a commentary on the Mischnatraktat Avot ( " Sayings of the Fathers " ), whom he quotes and interprets the style of a Midrash. It contains no provisions relating to Jewish religious law, halakha, but only Haggadic substances: sapiential sayings of rabbis, stories, embellishing and interpretations of the Bible, Proverbs number and the like.

Avot de - Rabbi Nathan survives in two main versions, which differ considerably in size and structure to part from each other. Version A is divided into 41 chapters, but is considerably longer than the 48 Chapter Version B. After Solomon Schechter, the following rough outline can be made out: ARN 1-18 A / B 1-30 offer a Midrash to Mischnatraktat they comment in detail and provided with multiple interpretations, seasoned with biblical quotations. Chapters 20-30 (A) and 31-35 (B ), however, are more like Avot themselves by simply quoting sayings of the rabbis and waive further interpretations. The final chapter 31-41 (A) and 36-48 (B ) list similar to Avot Chapter 5 a number of numerical sayings on and expand it with your own material. The number Proverbs same in construction usually the following example:

"Four traits, there are in women but not in men: women are greedy, jealous, lazy and eavesdrop. How do we know they are greedy? It is written: "And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and she took of its fruit ... " (Gen 3:6) How do we know ...? Rabbi Yossi [ Similarly, the other properties are discussed. ] Says: Just as there are four traits in women, it is also for men four traits: men are greedy, jealous, lazy and eavesdrop. How do we know they are greedy? It is written: " And they sat to eat bread ... " (Gen 37:25 ) How do we know ...? [ Similarly, the other properties are discussed. ] "

In the text, sound and arrangement of their contents, both ARN versions differ from each other and from the Mishnah Avot. So great deal of material from the Mischnatraktat, especially in Chapter 6, in the ARN is not included. In contrast, ARN brings the sayings of the rabbis in a chronologically correct order. Basically, the structure is but designed in parallel. Common to all versions is - ARN after a brief preface - the entry with a representation of the chain of tradition for the oral and written Torah. It begins with Moses at Sinai and performs on the Men of the Great Assembly at the time of Ezra and the five pairs up to Hillel and Shammai, and finally to the Rabbis in the time after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.

Literary character, writer and age

Avot de - Rabbi Nathan is written in Hebrew, which is similar to the language level of the Mishnah. As a rabbinical authorities almost only teachers of the Mishna ( Tannaim ), but no teacher of the Talmud ( amoraim ) are cited. Based on these observations we characterized ARN as Tosefta to Avot or as Baraita. Goldin and Saldarini speak, however, of a Midrash, while G. Stemberger and HJ. Becker reluctant to deal with such classifications. Thus, the latter speaks of a neutral " rabbinic Work".

Schechter assumed that the different versions of ARN were due to a common original text. J. Goldin, however, suspected in two different manifestations of the oral tradition. In version A, the guiding principle is the study of the Torah, while version B mainly the meritorious works have on the subject. In relation to Mishnah Avot suspected L. Finkelstein that the ARN underlying template is also an older precursor of the text contained in the Mishnah. For Becker the category " Urtext " on rabbinic works is simply not applicable.

The attribution to a Rabbi Nathan contained in the title of the work remains - as with almost all rabbinic works - unclear. Although there is a known Tannaim of that name, but a special relationship between him and the work can not be ascertained. It is also possible that the naming is due to the fact that Rabbi Nathan on version A is the first that applies a research question in the style of Midrash and interpretive answered:

"It said R. Nathan: Which is why Moses remained a full six days ( on Mount Sinai ) on without talking ( God ) dwelt on it? So he could get rid of all food and drink in his gut, up to the hour when he hallowed and the Duty angels is the same. "

Since Avot de - Rabbi Nathan was usually printed along with the other small treatises together, you could see this as a unit and they generally dated in the nachtalmudische time. The comparison with Mishnah Avot however suggests that at least a core of ARN already dates back to the 3rd century. Stemberger argues contrast for a separate consideration of the two versions, one of which version B was undoubtedly the elderly. You could be dated with M. Lerner at the end of the 3rd century, whereas version A is more likely attributable to the late seventh or early eighth century.

Textual witnesses

Version A

The first time was printed by Justinian in Venice as part of the so-called "extra- canonical " tractates of the Babylonian Talmud, Avot de - Rabbi Nathan ( Revision A) of 1550. This pressure has been the division into 41 chapters, only by a mistake double use of chapter number 24 of the treatise ends with Chapter 40 of the handwritten text is available in four complete and five only partially preserved manuscripts. They date from the 15th to 17th century, only handwriting Vatican 44 possibly dates back to the 14th century. There are also a smaller number of fragments from the Cairo Genizah.

Version B

Avot de - Rabbi Nathan (version B) three manuscripts are known, of which the Vatican manuscript 303 of the most complete text offers, wherein the writer to prove many careless mistakes. In contrast, handwriting Parma is 2785 written more carefully, but has a gap in conservation. The third manuscript, Munich 222 differs in comparison, from frequent and offers a greatly abbreviated text, in the back chapters even only a selection. Also to version B exist a few Genizah fragments, most of which, however, are barely legible and contribute to the clarification of the text a little.

Expenditure

• Solomon Schechter (ed.): 'Abot de Rabbi Nathan. Edited from Manuscripts with an Introduction, Notes and Appendices. ( Hebrew), Vienna, 1887 ( reprint Hildesheim 1979 [ ISBN 3-487-06737-4 ] and New York, 1997 [ ISBN 965-456-023-2 ] ).
• Marc Bregman: An Early Fragment of Avot deRabbi Natan from a scroll. In: Tarbiz 52 (1982 /83), pp. 201-222 ( Hebrew with English summary ).
• Hans -Jürgen Becker ( ed.): Genizah fragments Avot de - Rabbi Natan ( Texts and Studies on Ancient Judaism 103). Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, 2004. ISBN 3-16-148325-1
• Hans -Jürgen Becker and Christoph Berner ( ed.): Avot de - Rabbi Nathan / אבות דרבי נתן. Synoptic Edition of both versions. ( Texts and Studies on Ancient Judaism 116). Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, 2006. ISBN 978-3-16-148887-0

Translations

Version A

• Francis Taylor: Tractatus de patribus Rabbi Nathane autore. In linguam Latinam Translatus, una cum notis marginalibus ... opera. London 1654th
• Kaim Pollak: Rabbi Nathan's system of ethics and morality. Budapest 1905.
• Judah Goldin: The Fathers accor ding to Rabbi Nathan. New Haven in 1955.
• Jacob Neusner: The Fathers accor ding to Rabbi Nathan: An Analytical Translation and Explanation. Atlanta 1986.
• Maria Angeles Navarro Peiró: Abot de Rabbi Natan. Valencia 1987. ISBN 84-86067-17-0

Version B

• Anthony J. Saldarini, SJ: The Fathers accor ding to Rabbi Nathan ( Abot de Rabbi Nathan ) Version B. A Translation and Commentary. Brill, Leiden 1975. ISBN 90-04-04294-6