The midrashic process: tradition and interpretation in rabbinic Judaism
The purpose of this book is to re-examine those basic issues in the study of Midrash which to some extent have been marginalised by trends in scholarship and research. Irving Jacobs asks, for example, whether the early rabbinic exegetes had a concept of peshat, plain meaning, and, if so, what signif...
| Summary: | The purpose of this book is to re-examine those basic issues in the study of Midrash which to some extent have been marginalised by trends in scholarship and research. Irving Jacobs asks, for example, whether the early rabbinic exegetes had a concept of peshat, plain meaning, and, if so, what significance they attached to it in their exposition of the biblical text. He enquires if the selection of proemial and proof-texts was a random one, dependent purely upon the art or whim of the preacher, or rather if exegetical traditions linked certain pentateuchal themes with specific sections of the Prophets (and particularly the Hagiographa), which were acknowledged by preachers and audiences alike. As Midrash in its original, pre-literary form, was a living process involving both live preachers and live audiences in the ancient synagogues of the Holy Land, to what extent, he asks, did the latter influence the former in the development of their art and skills? 1. What is Midrash? -- 2. Traditional motifs in early rabbinic exegesis in Job and the Generation of the Flood -- 3. Traditional motifs in early rabbinic exegesis in Job and Israel's early history as a nation -- 4. Popular legends and traditions in the archetypal sage -- 5. Popular legends and traditions in the archetypal priest-king -- 6. Popular legends and traditions in the regenerating tree -- 7. The midrashic background for James 2:21-23 -- 8. Elements of Near-Eastern mythology in rabbinic Aggadah -- Appendix 1. Job and the Generation of the Flood -- Appendix 2. Job in Israel's early history as a nation -- Appendix 3. The archetypal sage -- Appendix 4. The archetypal priest-king |
|---|---|
| Item Description: | Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015) |
| ISBN: | 0511896247 |
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511896248 |