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Review of Biblical Literature Blog

Midrash and Context: Proceedings of the 2004 and 2005 SBL Consultation on Midrash
Ulmer, Rivka and Lieve M. Teugels, editors

Piscataway, N.J.: Gorgias, 2007 pp. viii + 179. $98.00

Series Information
Judaism in Context, 5

Description: Co-editors Rivka Ulmer and Lieve Teugels, leading experts on midrash, here present seven groundbreaking essays on rabbinic midrash by a new generation of erudite scholars of rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity. The contributions reflect a deep understanding of the languages and literatures of the Middle East in Late Antiquity, a thorough grounding in the history of research, a judicious application of textual criticism of rabbinic texts, an empathetic encounter with the abiding values conveyed by these texts, and three distinct forms of interdisciplinary scholarship. Five of the seven essays compare, contrast, and mediate between rabbinic and patristic exegesis and elucidate elements of culture shared by these ancient interpreters of Scripture. Another essay applies orality studies and semiotics to the study of the origin, forms, and content of aggadic midrash, especially the ubiquitous and seldom analyzed “prooftext.” The volume concludes with an exposition of the rabbinic sages' familiarity with and utilization of the Egyptian Osiris myth in their homilies and Scriptural exegesis.

Subjects: Bible, Mishnah, Talmudic and Rabbinic Literature, Literature