“Method and History in the Study of the Jews of Sasanian Babylonia,” organized by Geoffrey Herman and Meir Ben Shahar, will be held on 12–13 October 2026 at Campus Condorcet in Aubervilliers, France.

The event will focus on the history and society of the Jews of Babylonia during the Sasanian period, with particular attention to historical methods, sources, and approaches to the study of Babylonian Judaism. The programme will address a range of topics, including the Babylonian Talmud, historiography, comparative law and legal cases, scientific knowledge, historical sources, and methodological questions.

The first day will feature sessions on shaping the past in the Babylonian Talmud, comparative law and legal cases, and science and style in the Bavli. Presentations will address subjects such as historiography and ideology in the Babylonian Talmud, comparisons between rabbinic and Sasanian law, knowledge of astronomy, and the relationship between clothing and social tensions.

The second day will focus on sources and methodology, magic and society in Sasanian Babylonia, and methodological approaches to the history of the Jews of Babylonia. Topics will include challenges in current historical methodology, the position of the Talmud between the Sasanian and Abbasid periods, the reliability of Talmudic statements for studying Babylonian Judaism during the Sasanian period, Jewish Aramaic magic bowls, and the identification of religious affiliations in Aramaic incantation bowls.

The colloquium will conclude with remarks by Meir Ben Shahar, followed by a general discussion with Meir Ben Shahar and Geoffrey Herman.

The event will take place at Salle 5.001, Building Nord, 5th floor, Campus Condorcet, 14 Cours des Humanités, 93322 Aubervilliers, France.

Here is the complete list of all presentations and sessions:

Day 1: Monday, October 12 (Lundi, 12 octobre)

• Opening
  1. Welcome Address (Mot d’accueil): TBA
  2. Introduction: Geoffrey Herman
• 1st Session: Shaping the Past in the Bavli

• Monika Amsler: From Genre to Usage: Bibliography as Historiography

•       4. Meir Ben Shahar: The Babylonian Historian: Historiography and Ideology in the Bavli
• 2nd Session: Comparative Law and Legal Cases
•       5. Ayelet Hoffmann Libson: Comparison or Context? Rabbinic and Sassanian Laws of the Rebellious Wife
•       6. Aharon Shweka: Ma ‘ase listor? – Legal Cases in the Babylonian Talmud and their halachic Interpretation
• 3rd Session: Science and Style in the Bavli
•      7. Sacha Stern: Knowledge of Astronomy in the Babylonian Talmud
•      8. Reuven Kiperwasser: Clothes Make the Man: Rabbis, Silk Garments and Social Tensions

Day 2: Tuesday, October 13 (Mardi 13 octobre)

• 4th Session: Sources and Methodology  
•      9. Geoffrey Herman: Between Sources and History: Challenges in the Current Historical Methodology
•     10. Moulie Vidas: “The Talmud Between the Sasanians and the Abbasids”?
•     11. Adiel Schremer: “It was Not Stated Explicitly, but Rather Inferred from the Context”: On the Reliability of Talmudic Statements and its Implication for the Study of Babylonian Judaism during the Sasanian Period
• 5th Session: Magic and Society in Sasanian Babylonia
•     12. Siam Bhayro: The Jewish Aramaic Magic Bowls: How the Magic worked
•     13. Jason Mokhtarian: Identifying Religious Affiliations in the Aramaic Incantation Bowls: The Names of Beneficiaries and the Limits of Scribal Customization
• 6th Session: Method, History and the Jews of Babylonia
•    14. Conclusion: Meir Ben Shahar
•    15. General Discussion: Meir Ben Shahar and Geoffrey Herman