Reviewed Book: Stemberger, Günter . Introduction to the Talmud and Midrash. London: T & T Clark, 1991

Reimer, David J.

English

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 20Issue 1 A Ministry Miscellany Article 155-1-1994Introduction to the Talmud and MidrashDavid J. ReimerFollow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensusThis Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationReimer, David J. (1994) "Introduction to the Talmud and Midrash," Consensus: Vol. 20 : Iss. 1 , Article 15.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol20/iss1/15Book Reviews 12522-24 (in part) to the sixth century. The Numbers text then is influencedby the Deir Alla find on Balaam. One other sample is that of Jerusalem dis-coveries (ch. 5) of the famous Siloam tunnel of Hezekiah and an inscriptionon the wall of that tunnel. In the final chapter (ch. 10), Yahweh is relatedto Asherahjn inscriptions from Khirbet-el-qom, near Hebron and KuntilletAjmd in the Negeb. In the first noted, Asherah appears to be inherent tothe worship of Yahweh. Such texts are at least intriguing when comparedto the ethical monotheism in Isaiah 44:6 and elsewhere. These are examplesof textual information with a bearing on ancient Israelite religion.The book concludes with an extensive bibliography, general and specificto each chapter. Inscription documents listed in foreign languages may offera small obstacle, but sufficient works are listed for the English reader.Writings from Ancient Israel is a concentrated yet lucid handbook, areference for the pastor’s study and students of the Bible in our seminariesand universities.Ragnar C. TeigenProfessor emeritusWaterloo Lutheran SeminaryIntroduction to the Talmud and MidrashH.L. Strack and G. StembergerTranslated by Markus Bockmuehl; Foreword by Jacob NeusnerMinneapolis: Fortress, 1992xxii + 472 pp.Giinter Stemberger’s thorough revision and update of H.L. Strack’sintroduction to rabbinic literature is destined to attain the same status asits illustrious predecessor: that of a classic, and a standard in the field. Forthose unfamiliar with the world of rabbinic scholarship, Stemberger’s workwill provide the ultimate vade mecum. Even for those whose interest inrabbinic writings is more than casual, Stemberger represents the point ofdeparture, the port into which all must soon call.There are several reasons why this is so. The first is the nature ofthe Introduction. It is, in formal terms, simply an extended bibliographicessay. However, the scale on which this task is undertaken is monumental.Second, an ever increasing number of scholars find it necessary to gain someunderstanding of this literature. The talmudic and midrashic literature isever more within the purview of Christian as well as Jewish biblical scholars,for instance. As the divisions of labour traditional in biblical studies forthe past hundred years break down, a thorough understanding of rabbinicliterature will grow in importance. Third, the activity of especially JacobNeusner, but others as well, has contributed to both a radical reorientation126 Consensusin the study of rabbinic literature as well as a fundamental overturning ofpreviously held notions about it. And finally, as Neusner himself pointsout in his Foreword, the study of religions and their foundational texts hasshifted from interest in historical facts to religious structures. This in turnrequires that rabbinic literature not simply be rified for apt quotations ashas so often been done, rather that the various documents be understoodfirst in their own right and with their own integrity.Stemberger’s work falls into three major sections. Part One deals withgeneral introduction. This includes matters of historical context, as well asan introduction to various periods of rabbinic activity, and the rabbis’ modeof carrying out the task of understanding the dual Torah (oral and written).Thus the first part of the book is oriented to biography and underscores thefact that this literature is the product of certain communities, addressingthe needs of their own times and places. It also indicates how problematicthis realization can be, for the biography of any rabbi, even the best known,is beset with historical problems of many kinds.Part Two deals with the talmudic literature. This comprises first ofall the Mishnah which appeared c. 200 CE, and the Tosefta which, asits name indicates, is in some sense a supplement to the Mishnah andis thus a product of early Rabbis (the Tannaim). Mishnah and Toseftathemselves became the basis of study and commentary (called Gemara) bythe Amoraim, and their legacy is found in the two talmuds: the PalestinianTalmud (or “Yerushalmi”), a product of the early fifth century, and theBabylonian Talmud (or “Bavli”) which appeared about a century later andis quite different in character from its counterpart. The Talmuds have theappearance of being commentaries on the Mishnah and Tosefta, but theyincorporate a vast range of material, including sayings of the Tannaiticrabbis that were preserved in neither the Mishnah nor the Tosefta (called“baraita”), as well as much else besides. This is especially true of theBabylonian Talmud, of which Stemberger writes:The overall character of [the Babylonian Talmud] is encyclopaedic.Everything was included which was taught in the rabbinic schoolsand considered worth preserving; many kinds of legends (e.g. aboutappearances of the dead), anecdotes about the rabbis, historicalreminiscences, knowledge about medicine, biology, mathematics, as-tronomy, astrology, etc [It] is less a thematically closed book thana national library of Babylonian Judaism. ..(210).The third major section addresses the midrashic literature. “Midrash”is the rabbinic interpretation of biblical texts and is, for modern scholars,an unfortunately elastic term. It has been pressed so often into service indiscussions of the New Testament that it is in danger of becoming vacuous.True, “midrash” does not refer to a particular technique of exegesis, still“the particular character of rabbinic midrash has not always been properlyrecognized as a point of departure” (258). Stemberger reviews scholarshipon not only the best known midrashic works, but also a whole bevy of bookswhich are quite obscure. His reflections on the fluid boundary betweenBook Reviews 127legal and homiletical exegesis (halakha and haggadah respectively) will beespecially helpful for those who have been trained to think of them as verydifferent entities.Indices of subjects, passages (biblical and rabbinic literature), andnames (ancient and modern) conclude the volume and enhance its easeof use.As noted above, this is a magisterial work. Still, at the risk of seem-ing churlish, some quibbles may be noted. Much of the book’s importancestems from its authoritative review of secondary literature. It is unfortu-nate, then, that the presentation of the bibliographies is difficult to read.They are listed in paragraphs running item-to-item which makes pickingout entries awkward. It would have been an easy matter to present au-thors’ names in bold type, thus facilitating the use of these (sometimesquite large) lists. The huge number of citations is handled adroitly, andthere was only one reference (to “Green, Names’’'') that I had difficulty intracking down. I noticed only a couple places where secondary literature inthe English language could have supplemented that given by Stemberger:Peter Schaefer’s article on Rabbi Aqiva and Bar Kokhba appeared in En-glish in W.S. Green (ed.). Approaches to Ancient Judaism II (Brown JudaicStudies 9; Chico: Scholars Press, 1980) cf. p. 80; and Renee Bloch’s semi-nal contributions to the study of Midrash have appeared in English in W.S.Green (ed.). Approaches to Ancient Judaism I (Brown Judaic Studies 1;Missoula: Scholars Press, 1978) cf. p. 254.Another difficulty will be encountered by those new to rabbinic liter-ature: although all the terms are identified eventually, an understandingof them is assumed throughout. For example, the generational notationfor rabbis (e.g. “T3” refers to a tannaitic rabbi of the third generation) isused on p. 37, but is not explained until p. 63. Similarly, the baraitot arereferred to many times before being defined on p. 195. This will not botherspecialists, but impedes use of the volume as an “introduction” withoutsome other more basic supplementary reading.Finally, the Targumic literature (expanded translations of the Hebrewscriptures into Aramaic) are not dealt with. This omission is understand-able from several vantage points, but I find it regrettable none-the-less.(On this topic see still J. Bowker, The Targums and Rabbinic Literature[Cambridge, 1969].)But these are only quibbles. The importance of this work for thoseworking the field can hardly be overestimated. It demonstrates inexorablyboth how much we have, and how little we know about it. Longstandingassumptions will have to be revised. Out of many examples, one mightnote the following: (1) It is often claimed that anonymous sayings in theMishnah must be old; that this is not necessarily so is demonstrated on p.65. (2) Christians in particular are interested in the divisions between Hilleland Shammai, the former “lenient” interpreter of the law being tradition-ally associated with Jesus. Stemberger (71-73) shows that we know nextto nothing about these two traditional figures, and certainly not enough to128 Consensusmake historical pronouncements about them or their schools. (3) The Mish-nah is the foundation document of rabbinic Judaism par excellence. Yet thenature of this document (or collection of documents) remains frustratinglyobscure. Stemberger reviews the options and obstacles on pp. 151-154. (4)Generalizations are often made about the relation of the Palestinian andBabylonian Talmuds. Again Stemberger’s survey shows that these gener-alizations cannot stand, and that much work is needed on both talmudsbefore the comparative work can proceed afresh.This all suggests the impact that this volume should have. It stillmight not suggest what is at stake here for biblical scholars or other read-ers of Consensus. There can be no return to use of isolated quotes orhaphazard knowledge of rabbinic texts in the study of early Judaism, or itsrelations to early Christianity. Two recent exchanges in the pages of themajor Journal of Biblical Literature illustrate. The infamous and tetchyexchange between Ben Meyer and E.P. Sanders {JBL 110 [1991] 451-477)over Joachim Jeremias’ knowledge of rabbinic literature shows how even ascholar of the highest stature is prone to error without firsthand knowledgeof the literature. More recently, the article of Craig Evans and response byJacob Neusner (JBL 112 [1993] 267-304) indicate how important it is tokeep up with the rapidly changing contours of rabbinic scholarship. Evans’easy assertions about what “everybody knows” (267) or about the relation-ship between Mishnah and Tosefta (269 and passim) could not have beenmade had Stemberger’s work been consulted. More ominous than either ofthese is Stemberger’s own account (243-244) of the work of Andreas Eisen-menger (Entdecktes Judentum [= “Judaism Revealed”], 2 vols., Frankfurt,1700). Eisenmenger posed for 30 years as a potential convert to Judaismin order to study rabbinic literature with Jewish teachers. His work wasa collection of anti-Jewish arguments taking its sources from Hebrew orig-inals. These “quotations without context” found their way into the workof August Rohling (Der Talmudjude., Munster, 1871). This proved to bean immensely popular work, and fueled the antisemitism of late nineteenthcentury Austria. Such examples bring us back to Neusner’s observationconcerning the importance of understanding this literature within its ownreligious structures and with its own literary integrity.For Christians who lack a sense of the importance or place of this litera-ture, the novels of Chaim Potok provide one point of entry (especially TheChosen and In the Beginning. To the translator, Markus Bockmuehl (aCanadian NT scholar in Cambridge), thanks must be extended for makingthis work available in English. Stemberger’s Introduction is an essentialwork for scholars of rabbinic Judaism and related fields, not only for “in-troduction”, but much more for revealing the state of the art.David J. ReimerRegent’s Park College, Oxford

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