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Genres of Rewriting in Second Temple Judaism
Scribal Composition and Transmission

  • Date Published: February 2022
  • availability: Available
  • format: Paperback
  • isbn: 9781108725750

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  • In this book, Molly Zahn investigates how early Jewish scribes rewrote their authoritative traditions in the course of transmitting them, from minor edits in the course of copying to whole new compositions based on prior works. Scholars have detected evidence for rewriting in a wide variety of textual contexts, but Zahn's is the first book to map manuscripts and translations of biblical books, so-called 'parabiblical' compositions, and the sectarian literature from Qumran in relation to one another. She introduces a new, adaptable set of terms for talking about rewriting, using the idea of genre as a tool to compare and contrast different cases. Although rewriting has generally been understood as a vehicle for biblical interpretation, Zahn moves beyond that framework to demonstrate that rewriting was a pervasive textual strategy in the Second Temple period. Her book contributes to a powerful new model of early Jewish textuality, illuminating the rich and diverse culture out of which both rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity eventually emerged.

    • Brings together several bodies of data including biblical texts, 'parabiblical' texts and Qumran Sectarian texts which have generally been discussed separately
    • Introduces a simple, flexible terminology for analyzing rewriting that can be adapted to other texts in addition to those included in the book
    • Takes a programmatic approach that is grounded in detailed case studies, methodological questions, and sound textual analysis
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    Reviews & endorsements

    '… a significant contribution to the study of retelling, biblical hermeneutics, and material philology … This book moves the conversation about genre and rewriting to a new level as it is both theoretically sophisticated and philologically rigorous.' Hindy Najman, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament

    'Leading us expertly through the labyrinth of 'rewriting,' Zahn analyses short texts/study cases as carefully and cleverly as she does broad, over-arching questions. One of her greatest achievements thus lies in allowing readers to see the forest and the trees alike. Adopting a variety of theoretical 'lenses' and discussing a variety of corpora (Dead Sea Scrolls, OG/LXX, Targumim) under 'one umbrella,' she hereby reveals that the “rewriting forest” is a dynamic, fascinating locus in which diverse species thrive.' Atar L. Ivneh, Revue de Qumrân

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    Product details

    • Date Published: February 2022
    • format: Paperback
    • isbn: 9781108725750
    • length: 276 pages
    • dimensions: 227 x 151 x 17 mm
    • weight: 0.425kg
    • contains: 2 b/w illus.
    • availability: Available
  • Table of Contents

    1. Rewriting, revision, and reuse: language and methods
    2. Genre and rewriting
    3. Revision and reuse in the Bible
    4. Beyond 'rewritten Bible': revision and reuse in the Temple Scroll, Jubilees, and Qumran sectarian works
    5. Translation and/as rewriting: the Greek Bible, the Targumim, and the Genesis Apocryphon
    6. Diverse genres of reuse: centripetal, limited, historical résumé, pastiche
    7. Second temple rewriting in context: authority, exegesis, and scribal culture.

  • Author

    Molly M. Zahn, University of Kansas, Lawrence
    Molly M. Zahn is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Kansas. She has published widely on the intersections between composition, transmission, and interpretation in early Jewish texts, especially the Dead Sea Scrolls. She is the author of Rethinking Rewritten Scripture (2011) and co-editor of two essay collections. She currently serves as Executive Editor of the international Qumran journal Dead Sea Discoveries.

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