The Midrashic Process Tradition and Interpretation in Rabbinic Judaism [Paperback]

A fresh approach to Midrash, the oldest known form of Bible interpretation, by a leading Jewish scholar.This book represents a systematic attempt to establish patterns and traditions of interpretation in early rabbinic Bible exegesis. It offers a fresh approach to the perennial problem of the rabbis' awareness of plain meaning, and of the significance which they attached to it, and makes a notable contribution to text analysis.This book represents a systematic attempt to establish patterns and traditions of interpretation in early rabbinic Bible exegesis. It offers a fresh approach to the perennial problem of the rabbis' awareness of plain meaning, and of the significance which they attached to it, and makes a notable contribution to text analysis.Midrash is the oldest known form of Bible interpretation. It was the means by which the early teachers of Judaism made the Bible intelligible to their congregants in the ancient synagogues of the Holy Land, and relevant to their daily lives. To the modern reader, however, their approach to the Bible appears to be haphazard, without any regard for its plain meaning as we understand it today. How then did the rabbis understand the Bible, and what did they perceive it to be? These, as well as other questions, are answered in the book.Preface; 1. What is Midrash?; 2. Traditional motifs in early rabbinic exegesis I: Job and the Generation of the Flood; 3. Traditional motifs in early rabbinic exegesis II: Job and Israel's early history as a nation; 4. Popular legends and traditions I: the archetypal sage; 5. Popular legends and traditions II: the archetypal priest-king; 6. Popular legends and traditions III: the regenerating tree; 7. The midrashic background for James 2: 21-23; 8. Elements of Near-Eastern mythology in Rabbinic Aggadah; 9. Conclusions; Appendixes; Bibliography; Index. In sum, when read for its learning and provocative thesis, Jacob's book opens and reopens topics of research in several areas of midrashic studies.lãI