Cover

Preface and Acknowledgments

Table of Contents

Notes to the Reader

Abbreviations

Non-Hebrew Journals and Series

Rabbinic Texts

Other Abbreviations

Introduction

A. A Kingdom without Sources

I. Recovering a Lost Kingdom

II. Satrap, Feudal Prince, Tyrant, Hakham Bashi: Former Models of Exilarchal Leadership

B. The Central Concerns

I. Defining the Question

II. Comparison and Contextualization

III. The Sources and their Interpretation

Chapter 1: The Sasanian Empire and the Exilarch

A. Administration and Geography

I. The Limits of the Empire

II. Administrative Geography

III. Babylonia and its Environs

B. Political History

I. Uprising

II. Wars and Conquest

III. The Fourth Century: Šabuhr II

IV. The Fifth Century

V. From Xusrō I to the Last Sasanian Kings

C. Government and Rule

I. Continuity and Innovation

II. Court Hierarchy

D. Religion and State

I. Heirs to the Parthians

II. Tolerance and Intolerance

III. Religious Hierarchies

Chapter 2: The Origin of the Exilarchate I

A. The Myth of Davidic Descent

I. Scholars on Davidic origins

II. Theories of Beginnings

B. Sources for a Parthian Exilarchate

I. An “Exilarch” in Nisibis

II. Aḥiya will build an altar

III. Close to the Kingdom

1. Yerushalmi and Bavli: a comparison

2. The Bavliʼs Story – inner-Babylonian polemic

3. Intertextuality in the Bavliʼs story

4. Historical Conclusions

IV. Your Fatherʼs Belt

Chapter 3: The Origin of the Exilarchate II

A. R. Ḥiyya the Great and the Parthian Exilarchate

I. Exilarch and Hargbed

1. The hargbed in non-Jewish sources

2. The hargbed in rabbinic sources

II. So May his Seed Never Cease

1. The Sources

2. A Bavli Parallel

3. Two Yerushalmi Traditions

4. The Exilarch in Palestine as Anti-patriarchal Polemic

III. The Sons of R. Ḥiyya

1. Review of the Sugya

2. This Sugya and other Rabbinic Sources

3. R. Ḥiyyaʼs Sons and Judah I

4. Dating the Story

IV. Behold! Your Rival is in Babylonia

1. Taxonomy of People and Places

2. Scripture in the Service of Polemics

B. The Sasanian / Amoraic Period

I. Talmudic Sources

1. The absence of the Exilarchs in Tannaitic Compositions

2. The Yerushalmi

3. The Bavli

II. Beginnings of the Persian Catholicate

1. Legends and Sources

2. The Fourth Century and Aphrahatʼs 14th Demonstration

III. Beginnings of the Exilarchate: Summary

Chapter 4: Locating the Exilarchal Court

A. Questionable Exilarchal Locations

I. Dasqarta de-Resh Galuta

II. Pumbedita

III. Hinei and Shilei

IV. Sura

B. Neharde‘a and Meḥoza

I. Neharde‘a

II. Meḥoza

1. Seleucia and Persian Christianity

2. The Later Sasanian Era

III. Between Neharde‘a and Meḥoza

C. Regional Authority and Reshuyot

D. Babylonia and Ḥuzestan

Chapter 5: Economic Power and the Exilarchate

A. Trade supervision and the Appointment of agoranomoi

I. The Bavli and its relationship to the Yerushalmi

II. Measures in Palestine versus measures and prices in Babylonia

III. Was there an agoranomos in Babylonia?

B. The Exilarch and Seizure of the market for the Sages

C. Tax Collection

Chapter 6: The Exilarch and the Rabbis

A. Rabbis, Academies and the Exilarchate

I. Rabbis, Exilarchs, and rabbis for Exilarchs

1. Tannaim

2. Amoraim

B. The Judicial System and the Exilarchate

I. Exilarchal Courts

II. “Thus said Samuel: the Law of the Kingdom is the Law”?

1. ‘Uqba b. Nehemiah the Exilarch or R. Nehemiah b. Mar ‘Uqban?

2. The Period of Samuel or the Period of Rava?

III. Persian Law

Chapter 7: Pride and Criticism

A. Prince, Nasi, Davidic Dynasty

B. Persian Noble Practices and the Exilarchate

I. Persian language

II. Gahwārag – A Golden Chair

C. Tyranny and Rule

I. A Tradition of Opposition to Authority

II. Fear and Intimidation

III. Rabbi Eleazar’s Cow: An Anti-exilarchal Aggadic Sugya

D. Rav Ḥisda and the Exilarchate

I. Ruth Rabba and the Yerushalmi

II. The Bavli

III. Rav Huna and Rav Ḥisda on the Exilarchate

Chapter 8: Dining with the Exilarch

A. Responding to a Dinner Invitation

B. Persian Table Etiquette

I. Textual Variants

II. Parallels: ‘Persian custom’, the Baraita, and the Tosefta

III. Interpretation: Between Persia and Israel

Conclusion

Appendix I: Geonic Readings on the Talmudic Exilarchate I: SOZ

A. The Exilarchate and the Geonim

B. Seder ‘Olam Zuṭa

I. Editions

II. Date of SOZ

III. The Book of Chronicles section

IV. The Parthian-Sasanian Section

V. The Exilarchs’ Rabbis in the Amoraic Era

VI. The Exilarchs until the Story of Mar Zuṭra

VII. The Near Annihilation of the Seed of David

VIII. The Rabbis in the Mar Zuṭra Story

C. The Mar Zuṭra Revolt

I. Historians and the Mar Zuṭra Revolt

II. Problems and Solutions

Appendix II: Geonic Readings on the Talmudic Exilarchate II: IRSG

A. Data and Concerns

I. Sheriraʼs Exilarchate – a Schematic Portrayal

II. Sherira’s sources

1. SOZ

2. STWA

3. Sifrei Zikhronot Divrei Hayamim

B. People

I. Rabbah bar Avuha

II. Mar Yuḥana (Yoḥanan?)

III. Mar Judah

IV. Mar ʻUqba

1. Scholarship on Mar ʻUqba

2. Samuel and Mar ʻUqba

3. Circumstantial Evidence

4. An Evolving Personality

V. Amemar

VI. Huna bar Nathan

1. Representation before the ruler and the qamra

2. Torah and Greatness

3. Huna bar Nathan and Rav Ashi

VII. Marimar

VIII. Mar Zuṭra

C. Transfer of the Riglei

D. Geonic Testimony: Concluding Remarks

Appendix III: Sherira Gaon on the Exilarchate

The ʼArukh lexicon

Appendix IV: Lists of Exilarchs

Appendix V: Sasanian Kings

Appendix VI: Bishops of Seleucia-Ctesiphon (Catholicoi)

Bibliography

Select Hebrew Sources and Editions

Syriac and Arabic Primary Sources (Selection)

Classical and Patristic Sources (a selection)

Scholarship

Index of Sources

Hebrew Bible

Talmudic Literature

Greek and Latin Literature

New Testament

Oriental Christian Sources (Syriac and Arabic)

Arabic Sources

Index of Toponyms

Middle-Persian Terms

Index of Names

Index of Subjects