Resumen de Jewish Law and Early Christian Identity: Betrothal, Marriage, and Infidelity in the Writings of Ephrem the Syrian by Yifat Monnickendam (review)
Arguing that Ephrem sits uniquely between Greco-Latin, Christian traditions, on the one hand, and rabbinic, especially Palestinian, halakhic traditions, on the other, the book proceeds in four primary content chapters, prefaced by a substantial introduction and a conclusion that summarizes the book’s findings and argues for their significance. Monnickendam argues further that Ephrem demands “the death penalty in the case of adultery of a married woman,” and that he “demands divorce and a full legal procedure in the case of fornication during betrothal” (154)—both positions that connect him to rejected Palestinian halakhic traditions. In the chapter’s introduction, she says that she will “show Ephrem’s demand for the death penalty in the case of adultery of a married woman,” and in the conclusion that “Ephrem claims that an adulterous wife should be beheaded” (154, 200).
