tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post8744987438713110915..comments2024-03-05T21:22:43.426-05:00Comments on parshablog: When did the Sodomites turn evil?joshwaxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03516171362038454070noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-9585714645499314052010-10-21T22:16:13.928-04:002010-10-21T22:16:13.928-04:001. Josephus says that "...the Sodomites grew ...1. Josephus says that "...the Sodomites grew proud, on account of their riches and great wealth; they became unjust towards men, and impious towards God..." and indicates that this happened AFTER Lot settled in Sdom.<br />2. Between Lot's settlement in Sodom and its destruction, only one event is mentioned in the Torah that would have given them great riches and wealth: Avrahams giving the booty from his defeat of the armies of the 4 kings to the king of Sdom.<br />3. Avraham is perhaps consulted, or at least informed, of Sdom's destruction before it is destroyed. This indicates a strong connection between Avraham and Sdom and/or its destruction. (It is improbable that Lot's residence in Sdom is the connection, as apparently Lot would have been save regardless of what Avraham did.)<br /><br />Conclusion: Avraham may have inadvertently precipitated the destruction of Sdom by giving them the spoils of war.<br /><br />Does this sound logical? What would its implications be?Mavericknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-64642729318514940082010-10-14T23:54:25.084-04:002010-10-14T23:54:25.084-04:00indeed. i would consider this evidence that althou...indeed. i would consider this evidence that although we don't have extant texts from Chazal at that point, people were still engaged not only in midrash in the sense of traditions, but in midrashic derivations in the sense of hyperliteral readings of text. my plan, now that I've added Josephus to the source list, is to occasionally track midrashic aspects in his writings.<br /><br />kt,<br />joshjoshwaxmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05149022516101476797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-66724978660975141652010-10-14T23:50:08.224-04:002010-10-14T23:50:08.224-04:00It is interesting to note that Josephus was writin...It is interesting to note that Josephus was writing well before any Midrashim came into being, yet he still had the same traditions that were written in the Midrashim and Gemorah. His books read like those Rabbi Deutsch books that ar emixed with midrashim to tell stories (let my people go, let my people serve me and so on). At least, Jewish antiquities does.E-Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06327848648278849664noreply@blogger.com