Judaism and the Interpretation of Scripture : Introduction to the Rabbinic Midrash

In the first six hundred years of the Common Era, Jewish scholars used several different methods to review and commentate on earlier rabbis' understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures. By about 200 CE, these perspectives had been recorded and gathered together to form the Midrash (which is now the first section of the Torah.)Midrash is more than a book, however.Midrash as a process defines the way Judaism reads scripture. Rabbinic Midrash--as set forth in canonical documents from rabbinical sages in the first 600 years CE--mediates scripture to those who, by faith, meet God in the whole Torah of Sinai, oral and written.Judaism and the Interpretation of Scripture introduces the Rabbinic Midrash compilations and their theology, exploring the effects of this written/oral tradition on Judaism's interpretation of Scripture. It also acts as an introduction to Neusner's twelve-volume translation and commentary The Rabbinic Midrash. Judaism and the Interpretation of Scripture draws on sample texts from each of the major works within the large corpus of The Rabbinic Midrash, providing ample illustrations from that work with detailed explanations of the hermeneutics of the rabbis. The book offers beginners as well as more seasoned readers fascinating insights into Jewish scriptural interpretation and understanding.