׳כדמפרש בספרו של אדם הראשון - תולדות ההלכה והתפיסה המיתית של ההיסטוריה אצל אחרוני גאוני פומבדיתא

תקציר

Our picture of the intellectual world of the tenth century Babylonian academies is far from being complete. However, due to the large quantity of Halachic writings and their ambivalence approach toward non-legal aspects of the Talmud we tend to describe the Geonic world as anti-mythic. The article focuses on counter examples of such estimation and offers a refreshing view on the Geonic mythical consciousness and attitude toward Aggadic narratives. Our investigation starts by tracing back the apocalyptic theme mentioned in R. Sherira Gaon's famous epistle and the meaning and uses of this theme in the construction of historical picture of the Halacha. Our survey also exposes the theological connections of Geonic world with early gnostic and apocalyptical traditions on the one hand and Islamic theological principles on the other. Our claim that R. Sherira Gaon and his son R. Haya did elevate Adam's figure to be the Father also draws their theological effort to reconstruct an entirely new concept of patriarchy.