Jewish women not qualified for testimony in court?

NichtnurBibelleser · 2025-01-15T12:17:44+00:00

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It seems a commonplace in commentaries on the empty tomb (e.g. Mk 16,1-9), that Jewish women were excluded from giving testimony as a witness in official trials.

But I cannot find any precise OT passage for this, even employing Smart Search.

Could someone give me a hint?

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Graham Criddle

A Smart Search provided some useful pointers for me - including a link to Josephus

DMB

Mishnah - Tractate Shevuot 4:1 and derived Sifre 17

And an interesting discussion: https://www.sefaria.org/Rereading_the_Rabbis%3B_A_Woman's_Voice%2C_9_Testimony?lang=bi

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DMB

The Sifra appears to be the earliest indirect mention.

Graham Criddle

A Smart Search provided some useful pointers for me - including a link to Josephus

NichtnurBibelleser

Thanks, @Graham Criddle! I didn't phrase the search with "give testimony". Even if I enter exactly your search query, I see some different results, pointing to Josephus, though.

Still, if this (A.J. 4.219) is the only or primary reference, it seems a bit thin against the way how the non-testimony is treated.

DMB

Depends on how far back you view the Mishnah.

NichtnurBibelleser

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1353585#Comment_1353585

Would you be so kind to be a bit more precise? I own a printed german version of the Babylonic Talmud (which actually is in pre-pub in Logos, so I can't add it to my Print Books), and in Strack/Billerbeck I don't find a talmudic reference.

DMB

Mishnah - Tractate Shevuot 4:1 and derived Sifre 17

And an interesting discussion: https://www.sefaria.org/Rereading_the_Rabbis%3B_A_Woman's_Voice%2C_9_Testimony?lang=bi

Jack Caviness

If you put a space after an internet link, it will become an active link. https://www.sefaria.org/Rereading_the_Rabbis%3B_A_Woman%27s_Voice%2C_9_Testimony?lang=bi