Midrash is arguably the most ancient genre of Jewish literature, forming a voluminous body of scriptural exegesis over the course of centuries. There is hardly anything in the ancient rabbinic universe that was not taught through this medium. The diversity and development of that creative profusion are presented here in a new light. The contributors cover a broad range of texts, from late antiquity to the modern period and from all the centres of literary creativity, including non-rabbinic and non-Jewish literature, so that the full extent of the modes and transformations of Midrash can be fully appreciated. A comprehensive introduction situates Midrash in its historical and cultural setting, pointing to creative adaptations within the tradition and providing a sense of the variety of genres and applications discussed in the body of the book.

Bringing together an impressive array of the leading names in the field, the volume is innovative in both its scope and content, seeking to open a new period in the study of Midrash and its creative role in the formation of culture. It should be of interest to all scholars of Jewish studies, as well as to a wider readership interested in the interrelationships between hermeneutics, culture, and creativity, and especially in the afterlife of a classical genre and its ability to inspire new creativity in many forms.

Contributors: Philip Alexander, Sebastian Brock, Jacob Elbaum, Michael Fishbane, Robert Hayward, William Horbury, Sara Japhet, Ephraim Kanarfogel, Naftali Loewenthal, Ivan G. Marcus, Alison Salvesen, Marc Saperstein, Chava Turniansky, Piet van Boxel, Joanna Weinberg, Benjamin Williams, Elliot Wolfson, Eli Yassif.


About the Author
Michael Fishbane is Professor of Jewish Studies in the Divinity School of the University of Chicago, an elected fellow of the American Academy for Jewish Research and holder of a Lifetime Award for Textual Studies from the National Foundation for Jewish Culture in America. Joanna Weinberg is Professor of Early Modern Jewish History and Rabbinics at the University of Oxford.

Reviews

'[Midrash Unbound] is, both in the field of Judaism but also in the various historical disciplines of religious studies and theology, indispensable.'
Goerge K. Hasselhoff, Brill Review

'Midrash Unbound is a significant and substantial contribution to the study of midrashic literature, method and process as manifested in diverse Jewish sources and select non-Jewish writings, from Late Antiquity to the Modern age. Fishbane and Weinberg have brought together an impressive array of scholars to explore the nature of Midrash in varied historical and geographical contexts, pointing out, as the aptly chosen title suggests, transformations and innovations in the development of the genre. [...] It is a volume that enriches and meaningfully extends discussion on how we can understand Midrash and its development in diverse literary forms and historical contexts.' Dr Helen Spurling, BAJS Review

Book Information
ISBN 9781906764913
Author Michael Fishbane
Format Paperback
Page Count 480
Imprint The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization
Publisher Liverpool University Press
Weight(grams) 367g