Jewish Concepts of Scripture: A Comparative Introduction

by Benjamin D. Sommer

What do Jews think scripture is? How do the People of the Book conceive of the Book of Books? In what ways is it authoritative? Who has the right to interpret it? Is it divinely or humanly written? And have Jews always thought about the Bible in the same way? In seventeen cohesive and rigorously researched essays, this volume traces the way some of the most important Jewish thinkers throughout history have addressed these questions from the rabbinic era through the medieval Islamic world to modern Jewish scholarship. They address why different Jewish thinkers, writers, and communities have turned to the Bible--and what they expect to get from it. Ultimately, argues editor Benjamin D. Sommer, in understanding the ways Jews construct scripture, we begin to understand the ways Jews construct themselves.

Genres: Jewish, Theology

347 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Benjamin D. Sommer is professor of Bible at the Jewish Theological Seminary. He lives in Teaneck, NJ.

Reviews

[Yehuda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this collection of essays to be a fantastic overview of the way different people and movements throughout Judaism read the Torah. I especially loved the first chapter about haftorah, and Sommer's chapter about how the Rabbis read Torah.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very briefly...

Again with a sudden urge—this time to know more about Judaism—Jewish Concepts of Scripture (Sommer, 2012) was one of the handful of books that I checked out of the local university library. An excellent choice and I'm really glad that this has been my point of entry. Upon completing it, and on picking up the next book to look into, I was immediately able to identify implicit perspectives of the authors from the way that they referred to specific concepts.

Am I suddenly an expert on Judaism simply after reading one book? By no means, but the essays in Jewish Concepts of Scripture have been carefully edited together and are all careful to explain essential terms to ensure accessiblity for, well, probably for anyone outside of contact with the Jewish religion. I love reading the bible, but have only ever done so from within a Christian context. To gain insight into Jewish approaches to scripture has been an eye-opener—a healthy and timely undertaking.

I chomped my way through this and have further texts in sight to read—as already indicated, I'm glad to have something of a guide under my belt to help navigate the way ahead.