Difference between revisions of "Two Powers in Heaven: Early Rabbinic Reports about Christianity and Gnosticism (1977 Segal), book"
| Line 12: | Line 12: | ||
Table of Contents | Table of Contents | ||
Preface | Preface | ||
List of Abbreviations | List of Abbreviations | ||
Part One: Introduction | Part One: Introduction | ||
*1- Two Powers in Heaven: The History and Importance of the Problem | *1- Two Powers in Heaven: The History and Importance of the Problem | ||
Part Two: The Early Rabbinic Evidence | Part Two: The Early Rabbinic Evidence | ||
*2 - Conflicting Appearances of God | *2 - Conflicting Appearances of God | ||
| Line 30: | Line 26: | ||
*9 - Divine Powers and Angels | *9 - Divine Powers and Angels | ||
*10 - Summary of Rabbinic Findings | *10 - Summary of Rabbinic Findings | ||
Part Tree: The Extra Rabbinic Evidence and Conclusions | Part Tree: The Extra Rabbinic Evidence and Conclusions | ||
*11 - Philo | *11 - Philo | ||
| Line 41: | Line 35: | ||
*15 - Gnosticism | *15 - Gnosticism | ||
*16 - Conclusions | *16 - Conclusions | ||
Bibliography | Bibliography | ||
Indices | Indices | ||
Revision as of 12:32, 22 August 2012
Two Powers in Heaven: Early Rabbinic Reports about Christianity and Gnosticism (1977) is a book by Alan F. Segal.
Abstract
As the title suggests, Segal here explores the rabbinic heretics who believed in “two powers in heavens.” Using rabbinic and extra-rabbinic sources, he argues that the heresy originated in early biblical theophanies that pictured God as a man, such as Daniel 7:9, or confused YHWH with an angel. Later, he highlights how this heresy and the polemics leveled against it informed later rabbinic understandings of Christianity. Christians, like the rabbinic heretics who believed in “two powers in heaven,” also believed in two deities, God the Father and Christ the Logos. Consequently, the Rabbis deemed Christians not to be monotheists, leading to the split between the religions. An intriguing exploration in the history of religious developments, Segal's work also highlights the relationship between this belief system and later Jewish-Christian-Gnostic polemic. – Deborah Forger, University of Michigan
Editions and translations
Published in Leiden: Brill, 1977.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents Preface List of Abbreviations Part One: Introduction
- 1- Two Powers in Heaven: The History and Importance of the Problem
Part Two: The Early Rabbinic Evidence
- 2 - Conflicting Appearances of God
- 3 - Aher, Metatron, Merkabah, and the Angel of YHWH
- 4 - A Controversy between Ishmael and Akiba
- 5 - Midrashic Warnings Against "Two Powers
- 6 - Mishnaic Prohibitions against Unorthdox Prayer
- 7 - "Many Powers in Heaven" and Miscellaneous Repots
- 8 - How Many Powers Created the World?
- 9 - Divine Powers and Angels
- 10 - Summary of Rabbinic Findings
Part Tree: The Extra Rabbinic Evidence and Conclusions
- 11 - Philo
- 12 - Jewish Sectarian Texts
- a. Apocalypticism and Mysticism
- b. New Testament Christianity
- 13 - The Church Fathers
- 14 - Marcion
- 15 - Gnosticism
- 16 - Conclusions
Bibliography Indices