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Article: The religion, Judaism, in America: what has happened in three hundred and fifty years?(Part One: Reflections Upon American Jewish History)
- Article from:
- American Jewish History
- Article date:
- September 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 American Jewish Historical Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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I. How Long Does Eternity Take?
Four cases make the point that even a century is not a long time in which to realize a project of enduring influence in the history of Judaism--not including the fact that Moses could write down the whole Torah of Sinai in forty days!
First, the entire Mishna, deriving from traditions of Sinai to be sure, reached categorical definition in less than 150 years, from 70 CE to 200 CE; only a few tractates sink roots into Temple times, and whole divisions commence scarcely a half-century before the Mishna came to closure. The Yerushalmi, its systematic commentary, required two more centuries of tradition, 200 CE to 400 CE; and ...