Hebraic Literature: Translations from the Talmud, Midrashim and Kabbala

Biography & Memoir
Cover of the book Hebraic Literature: Translations from the Talmud, Midrashim and Kabbala by M. H. Harris, Books on Demand
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: M. H. Harris ISBN: 9783738629644
Publisher: Books on Demand Publication: May 27, 2019
Imprint: Language: English
Author: M. H. Harris
ISBN: 9783738629644
Publisher: Books on Demand
Publication: May 27, 2019
Imprint:
Language: English

Among the absurd notions as to what the Talmud was, given credence in the Middle Ages, one was that it was a man! The mediaeval priest or peasant was perhaps wiser than he knew. Almost, might we say, the Talmud was Man, for it is a record of the doings, the beliefs, the usages, the hopes, the sufferings, the patience, the humor, the mentality, and the morality of the Jewish people for half a millennium. What is the Talmud? There is more than one answer. Ostensibly it is the corpus juris of the Jews from about the first century before the Christian era to about the fourth after it. But we shall see as we proceed that the Talmud was much more than this. The very word "Law" in Hebrew-"Torah"-means more than its translation would imply. The Jew interpreted his whole religion in terms of law. It is his name in fact for the Bible's first five books-the Pentateuch. To explain what the Talmud is we must first explain the theory of its growth more remarkable perhaps than the work itself. What was that theory? The Divine Law was revealed to Moses, not only through the Commands that were found written in the Bible, but also through all the later rules and regulations of post-exilic days. These additional laws it was presumed were handed down orally from Moses to Joshua, thence to the Prophets, and later still transmitted to the Scribes, and eventually to the Rabbis. The reason why the Rabbis ascribed to Moses the laws that they later evolved, was due to their intense reverence for Scripture, and their modest sense of their own authority and qualification. "If the men of old were giants then we are pigmies," said they.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Among the absurd notions as to what the Talmud was, given credence in the Middle Ages, one was that it was a man! The mediaeval priest or peasant was perhaps wiser than he knew. Almost, might we say, the Talmud was Man, for it is a record of the doings, the beliefs, the usages, the hopes, the sufferings, the patience, the humor, the mentality, and the morality of the Jewish people for half a millennium. What is the Talmud? There is more than one answer. Ostensibly it is the corpus juris of the Jews from about the first century before the Christian era to about the fourth after it. But we shall see as we proceed that the Talmud was much more than this. The very word "Law" in Hebrew-"Torah"-means more than its translation would imply. The Jew interpreted his whole religion in terms of law. It is his name in fact for the Bible's first five books-the Pentateuch. To explain what the Talmud is we must first explain the theory of its growth more remarkable perhaps than the work itself. What was that theory? The Divine Law was revealed to Moses, not only through the Commands that were found written in the Bible, but also through all the later rules and regulations of post-exilic days. These additional laws it was presumed were handed down orally from Moses to Joshua, thence to the Prophets, and later still transmitted to the Scribes, and eventually to the Rabbis. The reason why the Rabbis ascribed to Moses the laws that they later evolved, was due to their intense reverence for Scripture, and their modest sense of their own authority and qualification. "If the men of old were giants then we are pigmies," said they.

More books from Books on Demand

Cover of the book Es waren zwei Königskinder by M. H. Harris
Cover of the book Couchons ensemble - Histoires de sexe by M. H. Harris
Cover of the book Ferien auf Sylt mit Schweinchen Klecks und Fitus, dem Sylter Strandkobold by M. H. Harris
Cover of the book A Frog he would a-Wooing go by M. H. Harris
Cover of the book Symposium: Soziale Nachhaltigkeit by M. H. Harris
Cover of the book The Dilemma of an Angel by M. H. Harris
Cover of the book Beziehungen sanft klären by M. H. Harris
Cover of the book Der Schlüssel zum MPU-Erfolg Band 2 by M. H. Harris
Cover of the book Jenseits des Äquators by M. H. Harris
Cover of the book Tiere und Menschen by M. H. Harris
Cover of the book Landser in den Trümmern von Budapest by M. H. Harris
Cover of the book For a Fistful of Stories by M. H. Harris
Cover of the book An odessey to the south by M. H. Harris
Cover of the book Be happy...means letting go to live freely and happily by M. H. Harris
Cover of the book Mitsi by M. H. Harris
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy