Hebrew Bible Old Testament. The History of Its Interpretation. I: From the Beginnings to the Middle Ages (Until 1300). Part 1: Antiquity

846 Pages·1996·106.23 MB·English

by  Magne Saebo

Hebrew Bible / Old Testament
The History of Its Interpretation
Edited by
Magne Ssebo
V O L U ME I
From the Beginnings to the Middle Ages
(Until 1300)
Gottingen • Vandenhoeck 8c Ruprecht • 1996
Hebrew Bible / Old Testament
The History of Its Interpretation
V O L U ME I
From the Beginnings to the Middle Ages
(Until 1300)
In Co-operation with
Chris Brekelmans and Menahem Haran
Edited by
Magne Saebo
P A RT 1
Antiquity
Gottingen * Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht • 1996
Die Deutsche Bibliothek - CIP-Einheitsaufnahme
Hebrew Bible, Old Testament:
the history of its interpretation /
ed. by Magne Saebo. -
Gottingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht
N E: Saebo, Magne [Hrsg.]
VoL 1. From the beginnings to the Middle Ages (until 1300) /
in co-operation with Chris Brekelmans and Menahem Haran,
P t . l. A n t i q u i t y . - 1 9 96
ISBN 3-525-53636-4
Financially supported by the
Fdrderungs- und Beihilfefond Wissenschaft der VG Wort, Munich
and by the Norwegian Research Council, Oslo
© 1996 Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Gottingen
Printed in Germany - All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording
or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
Manufactured by Hubert &c Co., Gottingen
Johann Ernst Ludwig Diestel
( 1 8 2 5 - 1 8 7 9)
in memoriam

Contents
Preface 17
Historiographical Problems and Challenges: A Prolegomenon
By Oslo .
M A G NE SJEBG, 19
A. Beginnings of Scriptural Interpretation
1. Inner-Biblical Exegesis
By Chicago
33
M I C H A EL F I S H B A N E,
1. Introduction . 34
2. Scribal Interpretation 35
3. Legal Exegesis 38
5. Mantological Exegesis , . . . 46
2. The Interpretative Significance of a Fixed Text and Canon
of the Hebrew and the Greek Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 49
2.1. T he History and Significance
of a Standard Text of the Hebrew Bible
By Jerusalem
T O V, 49
E M A N U EL
1. The Prehistory and History of a Standard Text 50
1.1. The History of Research 50
1.2. A New Description . 55
2. The Nature and Significance of a Standard Text . . . . . .. 62
2.2. The Significance of a Fixed Canon of the Hebrew Bible
By Oxford
67
J O HN B A R T O N,
1. The Concept of Canon and the Question of Date . . . . . .. 68
2. Implications of the Growth of Scripture' 72
3. Implications of the Closing of the Canon . . 78
2.3. The Interpretative Character and Significance
of the Septuagint Version
By T o r o n to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
J O HN W . W E V E R S, 84
0. Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. 86
1. The Question of'Interpretative Character* 86
2. Dillerences in Length ot Some Hebrew and Greek lexts . . .. 87
3. Different Translators and Recensions 89
Contents
8
4. Different Groups of Renderings 91
5. The General Interpretative Character of Greek Pentateuch . „ . 95
6. The Specific Character of Genesis in the Septuagint . . . . .. 95
3. Early Jewish Biblical Interpretation in the Qumran Literature
By Cologne .
J O H A NN M A I E R, 1 08
1. Introduction 1 08
1 . 1. 'The Bible and Qumran 1 08
1.2. Research on the Subject 1 10
2. Torah I ll
2 . 1. Torah and Pentateuch . .. I ll
2 . 2. The Verb drs and the Midrash 1 13
2 . 3. Priestly Authority 1 20
3. The Teacher of Righteousness and the Qumranic Claims to Authority . 1 21
3 . 1. "Enactor of Justice" and "Prophet like Moses5' 1 21
3 . 2. Torah and Prophets 1 22
4. Questions Regarding the Chronological Relationship of
Torah Traditions 1 23
5. Interpretation of Non Legal Texts 1 25
6. Pesher 1 26
4. Early Jewish Interpretation in a Hellenistic Style
By Mtinster
F O L K ER S I E G E R T, 1 30
1. Homer and Moses. Hellenistic Art of Interpretation
and the Jewish Bible 1 30
1.1. Classical Texts Outdated 1 30
1.2. Plato's Ban of Homer and the Uses of Allegorical Interpretation 1 31
1.3. The Theological Basis of the Stoic Interpretation of Homer . . 1 33
1.4. A Note on Alexandrian Homeric Philology 1 35
1.5. Homer at School. Greek Handbooks of Interpretation
and Their Terminology 1 37
1.6. Alternatives to Allegorisrn:
A Note on Platonic Symbolism and on Vergilian Typology . .. 1 40
1.7. The Jews' Situation in a Greek World.
Their Apologetic Interests « 1 41
2. The Epistle of Aristaeus: A Hermeneutic Programme 1 44
2 . 1. Author, Place, Date, and Nature of the Epistle 1 45
2 . 2. The Contents. Hellenistic and Jewish Components 1 45
2 . 3. The Epistle's Theological Basis
for the Interpretation of Scripture 1 48
2 . 4. The Authors Bible and the Texts Referred to 1 49
2 . 5. The High Priest Eleazar's Hermeneutical Rules 1 50
2 . 6. The Reception of the Epistle of Aristaeus 1 53
2 . 7. Results and Questions 1 53
3. Aristobuius 1 54
3 . 1. Place, Date, and Character of Aristobuius' Work 1 55
3 . 2. The Contents of Aristobuius' Fragments 1 56
3 . 3. Aristobuius' Theological Basis for the Interpretation of Scripture 1 58
Contents 9
3.4. Aristobuius' Bible and the Texts Referred to 1 59
3.5. Aristobuius'Hermeneutical Rules 160
3.6. The Reception of the Fragments 161
3.7. Results 1 62
4. Philo of Alexandria 162
4.0. Introductory 163
4.1. Place. Date, and Classification of Philo's Writings 1 66
4.2. Philo's Theological Basis for the Interpretation of Scripture . .. 168
4.3. Philo's Bible and the Texts Referred to 1 72
4.4. The Questions on Genesis and Questions on Exodus (QG, QE) . 1 77
4.5. The 'Allegorical Commentary' on Genesis (G) 178
4.6. The 'Exposition of the Law' (L) 179
4.7. Other Treatises 181
4.8. Philo's Rules of Literal and Allegorical Interpretation 1 82
4.9. The Reception of Philo's Works 187
4.10. Results 188
5. Alexandrian Jewish Non-Allegorists 1 89
5.1. The Fragments of Demetrius, Aristeas, Artapanus, and Others . 1 90
5.2. The Sermons On Jonah and On Samson 191
5.3. The Theological Basis for the Interpretation of
Scripture in the Sermons 1 92
5.4. The Preacher's Bible and the Texts Referred to 193
5.5. Literal Methods 1 94
5.6. Hellenistic Jewish midrash . 1 95
5.7. Typology 1 96
5.8. Epilogue: Hellenistic Jewish Hermeneutic and the Church.
An Art Exchanges Its Masters 1 97
5. Scripture and Canon in the Commonly Called Apocrypha
and Pseudepigrapha and in the Writings of Josephus 1 99
5.1. Scripture and Canon in Jewish Apocrypha
and Pseudepigrapha
By Philadelphia
R O B E RT A . K R A F T, 199
1. Introduction 2 00
2. Categorizing the Evidence 2 04
3. A Starting Point; Scripture before Moses' Scriptures (Or, In the
Beginning God Inscribed the Heavenly Tablets) 2 05
3 . 1. The Situation in Jubilees 2 05
3.2. Production and/or Transmission of Earthbound Books:
Other Scriptures before 'the Scriptures' 2 07
3.3. Conclusions Regarding Pre-Scriptural 'Scriptures' 2 08
4. Works Showing Explicit Knowledge of what Comes to Be
Canonical Scriptural Literature 2 09
5. Other Materials Reflecting Traditions that Come to Be
Scriptural, without Focusing Explicitly on 'Scripture' 2 13
6. Writings in which the Scriptural Traditions Play no
Obvious Role 2 15
7. Conclusions and Prospects 2 15
10
Contents
5.2. Josephus on Canon and Scriptures
By Toronto
S T E VE M A S O N,
with A. Philadelphia
217
R O B E RT K R A F T,
1. Introduction 2 18
Context and Purpose of Against Apion
2. 1 . 3 7 - 43 2 19
3. Key Terms 2 22
4. The Integrity of Josephus' Biblical 'Record' . 2 26
5. Scope and Arrangement of Josephus'Scripture . . . . . . .. 2 28
6. The Bible in the fudean War 2 31
7. Conclusions and Implications 2 32
B. Parting of the Ways:
Jewish and Christian Scriptural Interpretation in Antiquity
6. Social and Institutional Conditions for Early Jewish and Christian
Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible,
with Special Regard to Religious Groups and Sects
By Ann Arbor
2 39
J A RL F O S S U M,
1. The Origination of Sects 2 39
2. The Proliferation of Jewish and Christian Sects 2 40
3. The Samaritan Connection . 2 42
4. The Samaritans and Their Interpretation of Scripture 2 43
5. Samaritan Sects 2 45
6. Jewish and Jewish Christian Baptismal Sects 248
7. Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Christians, and Gnostics 2 51
7. From Inner-Biblical Interpretation to Early Rabbinic Exegesis
By M. Cambridge, MA
256
J AY H A R R I S,
1. Introductory . . 2 56
2. The Legal Mandates of the Torah 2 58
3. Aggadic Exegesis 2 64
4. How the Rabbis Saw All This 2 66
8. Formative Growth of the Tradition of Rabbinic Interpretation . . 2 70
8 . 1. Local Conditions for a Developing Rabbinic Tradition
By N ew Y o rk
270
D A V ID K R A E M E R,
8 . 2. Scriptural Interpretation in the Mishnah
By New Y o rk
278
D A V ID K R A E M E R,
8 . 3. Patterns and Developments
in Rabbinic Midrash of Late Antiquity
By New Y o rk
285
R I C H A RD K A L M I N,
Contents 1 1
8 . 4. The Hermeneutics of the Law in Rabbinic J u d a i s m:
Mishnah. Midrash, Talmuds
By T a m p a, FL
303
J A C OB N E U S N E R,
1. What Do We Mean bv Hermeneutics? 3 04
2. The Hermeneutics of the Mishnah . . , 3 05
3. Sifra's Hermeneutics of the Mishnah 3 09
4. The First Talmud's Hermeneutics of the Mishnah 3 12
5. The Second Talmud's Hermeneutics of the Mishnah . . . . .. 3 17
8 . 5. T he T a r g u m s: Their Interpretative Character
and Their Place in Jewish Text Tradition
By Haifa
323
E T AN L E V I N E,
1. The Background of Targum 3 23
2. Public Declamation of Targum . 3 24
3. Exegesis in the Targum 3 26
4. The Dating of Texts 3 27
5. The'Official'Targum . . . . 3 28
6. The 'Palestinian' Targum Texts 3 28
7. The Afterlife of the Targum 3 30
9. New Testament Interpretation of the Old Testament
By Gottingen
H A NS H O B N E R, 3 32
0. Introduction . 3 34
1. Quotations—Allusions— the Language of the Septuagint 3 34
2. Jewish and Christian Hermeneutics of the Old Testament . . . . .. 3 36
3. The Septuagint as (the) Holy Scripture of the New Testament Authors . 3 38
4. Theological Treatment of the Old Testament by Individual
New Testament Authors 3 39
4 . 1. Paul 3 40
4.2. The Synoptic Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles 3 47
4.3. The Gospel of John 3 58
4.4. The Epistle to the Hebrews 3 62
4.5. The Remaining Epistles of the New Testament 3 67
4.6. The Revelation of John 3 67
5. Final Remarks 3 71
1 0. The Development of Scriptural Interpretation
in the Second and Third Centuries
— except Clement and Origen
By Oslo
373
O S K AR S K A R S A U N E,
1. The Apostolic Fathers and Their Time 3 77
1.1. First Clement 3 81
1.2. Barnabas 3 84
2. The Apologists 3 87
2 . 1. Justin Martyr 3 89
2.2. Melito of Sardis . . . . . . .. 4 10
2.3. Theophilus of Antioch 4 14
i lie i i d u i u uu
J. LOLi/nunta