International Summer School "Heteronomous Texts in (Early) Judaism"

The interdisciplinary Research Training Group 2792 „Autonomy of Heteronomous Texts in Antiquity and the Middle Ages“ at the Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena invites applications for the International Summer School   "Heteronomous Texts in (Early) Judaism"  taking place from 2 to 5 September 2025 at the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität in Jena/Germany.

The phenomenon of heteronomous texts becomes particularly visible not least where a text is regarded as authoritative or divinely inspired. If this is the case, it can - at least theoretically - no longer be edited or re-worked or amended itself. Interpretation, which over a long time used to take place in the text itself through the process of Fortschreibung, now takes place outside, either in marginalia or in a new literary genre: the commentary. The Dead Sea Scrolls offer a unique source for this evolutionary step: in this extensive library, both commentary and updating of the tradition can be found in different forms of Fortschreibung and Biblical Rewriting as well as in separate commentaries.

Another form of heteronomous text, albeit related to the commentary, is found in the form of the “collectio” in rabbinic literature. Opinions on questions of halakha, which in themselves are commentaries or interpretations of scripture relating to specific cases, are compiled and in turn commented on and interpreted.

The Summer School will explore the underlying hermeneutics and the methods used by working with selected textual examples. Texts from Qumran such as the famous Pesharim, but also Reworked Pentateuch Texts and pieces from 11QPsa as well as pieces from the Mishnah (e.g. Tractate Nedarim) and the Babylonian Talmud (e.g. Ketubot; Baba Metzia) will be dealt with.

We are particularly looking forward to the discussion of research projects or relevant textual examples that can be presented by the participants..

The general language of the summer school will be English. Single workshops can be conducted in English or German, depending on the language skills of the participants.