In this course, we explore the (im)possibility for female conversion to Judaism in biblical literature and the ambiguity around this topic in Second Temple writings. In the first class, we will look at the idea of circumcision in Gen. 17, the story of Ruth, and other biblical examples of women as/not at “converts.” In the second class, we will look at Second Temple discussions of female “converts” in Josephus and in the story of Joseph and Aseneth. In the third class, we will examine the main rabbinic conversion text in BT Yevamot and the procedure for female conversion to Judaism. In so doing, we will trace the development of a practice we might take for granted, and we will emphasize the way in which Judaism’s conception of women itself transforms in the process.
Rachel Slutsky, Ph.D., is the Monsignor John Oesterreicher Visiting Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies and Jewish-Christian Relations in Antiquity at Seton Hall University. She completed her doctorate in ancient Judaism at Harvard University in May 2022. She is currently working on her first monograph, tentatively titled The Gentile Enigma: Divine Law and Identity in Early Judaism, based on her dissertation.
