Order as Meaning: Chronology, Sequence, and Juxtaposition in the Bible

With an Essay by Daniel Frank

Isaac Gottlieb

Published by De Gruyter 2024

Order as Meaning

Chronology, Sequence, and Juxtaposition in the Bible With an Essay by Daniel Frank

Isaac Gottlieb

Volume 109 in the series Studia Judaica

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110585155

Overview
Contents

About this book

Jewish Bible commentary in the Middle Ages took on two aspects, the Sephardic and the Ashkenazic. The first, Spanish interpretation, developed in a Muslim surrounding, which appreciated secular studies, the sciences, and Arabic literature, much of which it had translated from Greek. These studies made their mark on Bible exegesis, which sought the simple straightforward sense (peshat) of a verse and its grammatical meaning. The Ashkenazic school, however, situated in France and Germany, was firmly anchored in the rabbinic study hall and its exegesis was a continuation of the methods of Midrash and Aggadah as practiced in Mishnah and Talmud.
In the beginning of the twelfth century, Ashkenazic commentary in northern France took on a new face. Contact with the outside world, including Christian scholarship, and partial knowledge of general studies, brought the Ashkenazi Jewish commentators to the realization that the Bible, besides being a religious text, was also literature. As literature, many features including the order of biblical pericopes or units attracted attention. The classic commentators, Rashi in France, Ibn Ezra in Toledo and Ramban (Nahmanides) in northern Spain all dealt with biblical order. Order as Meaning cites many cases of sequential arrangement and juxtaposition taken from the rabbinic period as well as from the above three commentators, explaining what there was to learn from such a study.

Author / Editor information

Isaac Gottlieb, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Preface. The Question of Order Publicly Available Download PDF	VII
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	XIII
Chapter 1: Introduction. Making Sense out of Sequence Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter 2: Rabbinic Literature. “There is no ‘earlier’ or ‘later’ in the Torah” Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	20
Chapter 3: Rashi. The Plain Sense of Scripture Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	50
Chapter 4: Ibn Ezra. Juxtaposition: From Derash to Peshat Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	72
Chapter 5: Nahmanides The Entire Torah is in Order Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	93
Chapter 6: Modern Approaches Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	133
Epilogue Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	150
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	159
Excursus: Narrative Sequence in Early Karaite Exegesis Daniel Frank Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	164
Index of Biblical Verses Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	187
Index of Rabbinic Sources Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	193
Index of Sages Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	195
Index of Names Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	196

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter
Original publisher: Magnes Press
Audience: Scholars in Jewish Studies and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies.
Pages
- Front matter: 13
- Main content: 198
Keywords: Bible commentary; Rashi; biblical order; chronology.

eBook

Published: December 31, 2023
ISBN: 9783110585155

Hardcover

Published: December 31, 2023
ISBN: 9783110584509