Finding a precious object – a gem, a ring or a coin – inside the belly of a fish is a favorite motif in western literatures that can be traced back to the Greek historian Herodotus. In Herodotus’ account of the rise and fall of the tyrant Polycrates of Samos, the hero cast his beloved ring, his «most precious possession», into the sea in order to appease or fend off the gods’ envy of his unstoppable successes, but was ultimately disappointed to discover that same ring inside a serving of fish that was placed before him to eat, thereby signaling the beginning of his tragic downfall. The Most Precious Possession: The Ring of Polycrates in Ancient Religious Narratives examines variations on this motif as they appear in ancient religious texts, including the Gospel of Matthew, Jewish Midrash and Talmud, and Augustine’s City of God. It explores how the theme functions in relation to the authors’ respective religious outlooks and literary objectives and what we can learn from these examples about the processes of transmission, interaction and cultural adaptation that occurred among the diverse religious communities of the ancient Mediterranean basin.
Erscheinungsdatum: 14.04.2014

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motw/The Most Precious Possession_ T - Eliezer Segal.pdf

motw/The Most Precious Possession_ The Ring of - Eliezer Segal.epub

motw/The Most Precious Possession_ The Ring of - Eliezer Segal.pdf

Segal, Elizer Lorne

Eliezer Segal

Lang Publishing, Incorporated, Peter

Peter Lang Publishing Inc. New York

Peter Lang Publishing, Incorporated

American university studies / 7, Vol. 343, New York, NY, 2014

American University Studies VII: Theology and Religion, 2014

United States, United States of America

New edition, 2014

New, PT, 2014

producers:
Acrobat Distiller 9.5.2 (Windows)

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Cover 1
Preface 7
Table of Contents 11
Introduction 15
The jewel in the fish: literature and folklore 15
Methodologies 19
The investigation 24
SECTION ONE The Texts 27
CHAPTER TWO Herodotus: the Ring of Polycrates 29
The father of history 29
Polycrates’ ring 30
Fatalism and envy 36
Not a tragedy 40
Vindicating divine justice 42
Summary observations 44
CHAPTER THREEThe Gospel of Matthew: St. Peter’s Fish 47
The character of Matthew’s Gospel 47
The coin in the fish’s mouth 48
Peter, Jesus and the Temple tax 49
The purpose of the story 51
What would Jesus do? 53
CHAPTER FOUR Rabbinic Tales 61
The literature of the rabbis 61
1. The Tailor in Rome 62
2. Joseph Who Honored Sabbaths 74
3. The disinherited son 88
CHAPTER FIVE Augustine: City of God 95
The earthly and divine cities 95
The poor tailor of Hippo: 95
Latter-day miracles 98
Telling the tale 101
PART TWO The Textures 105
CHAPTER SIX A Fishing Expedition: The Trail of the Ring 107
Questions of genre 107
Who was reading whom? 111
CHAPTER SEVEN Gods, Fates and Fish 113
Benevolent and envious deities 113
Why a fish? 118
CHAPTER EIGHT Between Polycrates and Joseph 125
A Hebrew Herodotus 129
Addendum:From Hellenic Halicarnassus to Jewish Babylonia 134
CHAPTER NINE Negotiating Canons 153
Narrative, meaning and divine emplotment 154
Works Cited 157
Primary Texts 157
Secondary Works 161
Index 195

The Most Precious Possession: The Ring of Polycrates in Ancient Religious Narratives examines variations on this ring motif as they appear in ancient religious texts, including the Gospel of Matthew, Jewish Midrash and Talmud, and Augustine's City of God.

Eliezer Segal. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.

2025-10-27