A Late Antique Rabbinic Discourse on the Linguistic (In-)determinacy of the Law

Abstract The late antique rabbis of Roman Palestine were seasoned jurists, experts on exegesis and legal interpretation. Yet rabbinic literature does not theorize. A positive account conceptions language therefore remains a desideratum. I choose an alternative approach. Legal reasoning relies to ground the determinacy law. Jurists must thus confront when it threatens undermine latter. Conversely, they may hold safeguard determinacy. Drawing insights from theory, turn unusual rule inference. Its earliest attested version suggests universal possibility inference “from category yes that no, no yes.” show ever-evolving uses this allow us observe shift in linguistic attitude, increasingly acknowledging uncertainty. My findings tie with recent advances study exegesis.