Early Rabbinic Interpretation of the Bible (BA3321T)

Content

In this unit, students will consider early Jewish biblical interpretation, with a focus on rabbinic literature. By considering passages from Mishna (the text) and Midrash (the genre), we will be able to explore how various biblical passages were re-contextualised, disambiguated and elaborated upon, how narratives were expanded to provide greater clarity and nuance, how subtle eccentricities of the text were exploited for their semantic potential and how the biblical corpus as a whole was mined for material of an ethical or legal nature. While there will be appropriate sensitivity to the particularities of Hebrew language, all passages will be looked at in English translation, through which students will gain a deeper understanding as to the role of the Hebrew Bible in early rabbinic Judaism.

Learning outcomes

Unit sequence

Prerequisite: Introduction to the Old Testament or equivalent.

Pedagogy

Lectures, tutorials

Indicative Bibliography

• Shmuel Safrai (ed.), The Literature of the Sages, Vol. I. Fortress Press, 1987.
• Shmuel Safrai, et al (eds.), The Literature of the Sages, Vol. II. Fortress Press, 2006.
• Gedaliah Alon, The Jews in Their Land in the Talmudic Age. Translated by Gershon Levi. Harvard University Press, 1984.
• H.L. Strack and Guenter Stemberger, Introduction to the Talmud and Midrash. Translated by Markus Bockmuehl. Fortress Press, 1992.
• Jacob Neusner and Bruce D. Chilton (eds.), In Quest of the Historical Pharisees. Baylor University Press, 2007.
• Charlotte Elisheva Fonrobert and Martin S. Jaffee (eds.), The Cambridge Companion to the Talmud and Rabbinic Literature. Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Assessment