Bibliography
| Title: Mikra. Text, Translation, Reading, and Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible in Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity Secondary Title: CRI 2.1 Type: Edited Book Year: 1988 Abstract: "Following an introduction by M., the first chapter addresses writing in ancient Israel and early Judaism beginning with the origins of alphabetic writing. The first part of this chapter, written by A. Demsky, treats alphabetic writing and scripts in the Levant, the spread of literacy in ancient Israel and finally the centrality of the book in Israelite religion and early Judaism. The second part of chapter one, authored by M. Bar-Ilan, presents background on scribes and the writing of books in the Second Temple period. Chapter two by R. T. Beckwith discusses the formation of the Hebrew Bible, emphasizing the three-fold structure of the canon and its origin, the date of the closing of the canon and the status of particular groups of books. M. J. Mulder's study in chapter three divides the trasmission of the biblical text into three periods: (1) the pre-masoretic period, with evidence from the Samaritan Pentateuch, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the versions; (2) the masoretic period, with discussion of the term "masora", the background of the masoretes, the masoretic system of vocalization and accentuation, the masora parva and masora magna and finale, and the closing of the masora and the beginnings of grammatical research; and (3) the period of the stabilization of the masoretic text, with comments on the oldest printed texts of the Bible, the rabbinic Bible of Ben-Hayyim, the study of the masora, scholarly editions, progress of scientific research in the nineteenth century, and editions of the biblical text in the twentieth century. Chapter four by C. Perrot deals with the reading of the Bible in the ancient synagogue, especially the annual and triennial cycles, the establishment of reading cycles, and the evidence for biblical readings prior to 70 C.E. In chapter five E. Tov discusses the LXX under the rubrics of its general background, origin, character of its translation, the intellectual and cultural background of the translators, the language of the LXX and its revisions. Chapter six by A. Tal treats the general history and manuscript evidence for the Samaritan Targum of the Pentateuch and then surveys some of its special characteristics. Chapter seven by P. S. Alexander deals with the character, Sitz im Leben and history of the Jewish Aramaic translations of the Hebrew Bible. P. B. Dirksen's study of the OT Peshitta in chapter eight covers the text evidence and its importance, as well as the issue of its Jewish or Christian background. The Latin translations, specifically the OL versions, Jerome and the Vg, are addressed by B. Kedar in chapter nine. Chapter ten by M. Fishbane surveys Scripture at Qumran, specifically citations and reuse of biblical texts; the varied uses made of its authority, and four types of exegesis of Scripture ("scribal", "legal", "homiletical", and "prophetic"). D. Dimant studies, in chapter eleven, the use and interpretation of the Hebrew Bible in the apocrypha and pseudepigrapha. After some methodological remarks, she addresses the explicit use of Scripture in quotations and in mentions of biblical personages and circumstances, as well as the implicit use of Scripture in implicit citations, allusions and "models and motifs". The authority and exegesis of Scripture in the writings of Philo of Alexandria is the subject of chapter twelve by Y. Amir. Chapter thirteen by L. H. Feldman provides a comparable treatment of Scripture in the works of Josephus. Chapter fourteen, written by P. W. van der Horst, studies Scripture in the works of various minor Jewish Hellenistic authors, i.e., the poets Ezekiel the Dramatist, Philo the Epic Poet and Theodotus, as well as the historians Demestrius, Artapanus, Eupolemus, Pseudo-Eupolemus, Cleodemus-Malchus and Aristeas. Chapter fifteen covers the interpretation of Scripture in rabbinic literature. In this piece R. Kasher examines rabbinic views of Scripture, the authority of the oral Torah and the systems of interpretation applied to Scripture. Chapter sixteen by R. Bólid (M. N. Saraf) deals with the use of Torah in Samaritan tradition. B. A. Pearson provid
es a survey of Scripture in Gnostic literature in chapter seventeen. The next two chapters by E. E. Ellis study the OT canon and biblical interpretation in the early Church. The final chapter by W. Horbury surveys the interpretation of the OT by the "Church Fathers". Almost all of the articles close with a bibliography". - Mark S. Smith Keywords: Interpretation of the Bible in Ancient Judaism |