Pirkei, meaning “chapters,” refers to organized divisions within a written work, most commonly in rabbinic and instructional texts. These divisions group related teachings, sayings, or discussions into manageable units that support memorization, teaching, and reference. The use of pirkei reflects an emphasis on orderly arrangement and repeatable study rather than continuous narrative. By structuring material into chapters, texts could circulate more easily in teaching settings and allow specific sections to be cited, compared, or expanded over time.
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References
- Moore, George Foot, Judaism in the First Centuries of the Christian Era
- Keener, Craig S., "A Comparison of the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22–23 with Ancient Thought on Ethics and Emotion" in Porter, Stanley E., and Lois K. Fuller Dow (eds.) The Language and Literature of the New Testament: Essays in Honor of Stanley E. Porter’s 60th Birthday
- Mermelstein, Ari, "Wisdom and the Rabbis" in Adams, Samuel L., and Matthew J. Goff (eds.) Wiley Blackwell Companion to Wisdom Literature
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