R. Yehoshua’s conquest of the sages of Athens: An adventure in Aggadatah

A seemingly bizarre narrative in the Talmud describes an intriguing encounter between Rabbi Yehoshua and the sages of the school of Athens. While a superficial reading leaves us baffled, a deeper reading opens up worlds of perspectives on a clash of world views, methodologies and value systems.

Part 1. A preliminary reading of the Talmudic text.

Part 2. An analysis of the deeper meanings of this text- part 1.

Part 3. An analysis of the deeper meanings of this text – part 2.