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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?
List of contents
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.
Summary
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.
