New Approaches to the Study of Biblical Interpretation in Judaism of the Second Temple Period and in Early Christianity: Proceedings of the Eleventh International Symposium of the Orion Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Associated Literature, Jointly Sponsored by the Hebrew University Center for the Study of Christianity, 9–11 January, 2007

New Approaches to the Study
of Biblical Interpretation in Judaism
of the Second Temple Period and
in Early Christianity......Page 4
Contents......Page 6
Preface......Page 8
Abbreviations......Page 12
Michael E. Stone: Some Considerations on the Categories “Bible” and “Apocrypha”......Page 16
Preliminary Conclusion......Page 21
Some Reservations......Page 22
The Privileged Position of the Torah......Page 23
The Idea of Canon......Page 24
The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Canon......Page 25
The Date of the Greek Translation of the Torah......Page 27
“Rewritten Bibles” and the Torah......Page 29
Conclusions......Page 33
Part I: Interpretation in Context......Page 34
Isaiah 2:1–4......Page 36
Isaiah 51:3–5......Page 39
Y. Sanhedrin 1:2 (18d–19a)......Page 41
Susanna......Page 45
Contrastive Elements......Page 51
Gregory E. Sterling: Different Traditions or Emphases? The Image of God in Philo’s De Opificio Mundi......Page 56
The Logos......Page 58
The Mind of a Human Being......Page 62
The Idea of a Human Being......Page 65
Conclusion......Page 70
Maren R. Niehoff: The Implied Audience of the Letter of James......Page 72
Abraham and Rahab......Page 76
The Decalogue......Page 84
The Prophets, Job, and Elijah......Page 88
Proverbs 3:34......Page 90
Conclusion......Page 91
Introduction......Page 94
“All the Torah” in the “Love Your Neighbor” Precept......Page 97
The Perfect Royal Torah......Page 101
Torah as the Law of Freedom......Page 106
Abraham as Model of the Observant Believer......Page 111
Abraham as the Beloved of God (φίλος θεοῦ) and the Akedah......Page 116
Conclusion......Page 118
Part II: Comparative Studies......Page 120
Gary A. Anderson: You Will Have Treasure in Heaven......Page 122
Prudential Almsgiving......Page 123
Almsgiving and Sacrifice......Page 124
The Rich Young Man and Jesus......Page 127
Mishnah Peah: There is no Limit to Alms......Page 131
Jerusalem Talmud: A Limit to the Giving of Alms?......Page 134
Almsgiving as the Commandment......Page 137
To Charity Belongs both Principal and Interest......Page 138
The Gospel of Mark in Light of Tractate Peah......Page 141
Heroic Almsgiving in Judaism and Christianity......Page 143
Conclusions......Page 146
Menahem Kister: Allegorical Interpretations of Biblical Narratives in Rabinic Literature, Philo, and Origen: Some Case Studies......Page 148
Introduction......Page 149
I. The Well in the Wilderness......Page 160
II. Sweetening the Water at Marah......Page 169
III. The Manna......Page 177
IV. Abraham’s Circumcision......Page 187
V. “A Horse and his Rider”......Page 191
Conclusion......Page 195
Appendix (to Section III)......Page 197
Naomi Koltun-Fromm: Hermeneutics of Holiness: Syriac-Christian and Rabbinic Constructs of Holy Community and Sexuality......Page 200
The Biblical Texts......Page 202
Late Biblical and Postbiblical Texts......Page 204
Pauline Literature......Page 207
Acts of Judas Thomas......Page 209
Aphrahat......Page 213
The Rabbis......Page 216
Ruth A. Clements: The Parallel Lives of Early Jewish and Christian Texts and Art: The Case of Isaac the Martyr......Page 222
1. Isaac in Early Jewish and Christian Texts......Page 224
2. Text and Image—Continuities and Discontinuities......Page 233
3. Iconographic Isaacs......Page 238
Conclusions......Page 253
Part III: Interpretive Trajectories......Page 256
Richard A. Layton: Didymus the Blind and the Philistores: A Contest over Historia in Early Christian Exegetical Argument......Page 258
Allegoresis, Myth, and Origenism......Page 260
Job’s Curse and Consistency of Character......Page 268
Skin Tunics were not Skin Tunics: Meaning and Reference in Biblical Terminology......Page 272
Conclusion......Page 281
Sergio La Porta: Exegeting the Eschaton: Dionysius the Areopagite and the Apocalypse......Page 284
Index of Modern Authors......Page 298
Index of Ancient Sources......Page 302