Chronicles and intertextuality in early rabbinic literature

The call to read Chronicles 'midrashically' in Leviticus Rabbah 1.3 and Ruth Rabbah 2.1 challenges the contemporary understanding of intertextuality in the early Rabbis' interpretation of Scripture. David Stern, James Kugel, and others claim that the sages considered each word of the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal for the study of the Old Testament
Main Author: French, Blaire A (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Sage [2019]
In: Journal for the study of the Old Testament
Further subjects:B Jabez
B Leviticus Rabbah
B Judah's genealogy
B Intertextuality
B Ruth Rabbah
B Chronicles
B Collective Memory
B Midrash
B rabbinic interpretation
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Description
Summary:The call to read Chronicles 'midrashically' in Leviticus Rabbah 1.3 and Ruth Rabbah 2.1 challenges the contemporary understanding of intertextuality in the early Rabbis' interpretation of Scripture. David Stern, James Kugel, and others claim that the sages considered each word of the Bible to be equal, regardless of who wrote it or when. The Rabbis' insistence, however, that Chronicles receive special treatment contradicts this assertion. This article argues that Chronicles' late date of composition had a dual effect. On the one hand, Chronicles' lateness reduced its authority and led the Rabbis to give greater weight to the words of the Primary History in their intertextual readings. On the other hand, Chronicles' retelling of the past provided a biblical warrant for the Rabbis' own reshaping of tradition.
ISSN:1476-6728
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the Old Testament
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/0309089218786099