Biblical Interpretation in Ancient Israel

The interpretation of authoritative texts is a characteristic feature of the classical religions. In this regard, the Hebrew Bible is a fundamental source for religious exegesis in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This book investigates, in a comprehensive manner, the origins of such Scriptural interpretation within the Hebrew Bible itself. Of crucial importance is the development of a method, in order to isolate and analyse the exegetical features found (explicitly and implicitly) within this text. The terms traditum (or body of tradition) and traditio (or transmission) are introduced, and the hermeneutical dialectic between a corpus of authoritative materials and its ongoing reception is spelt out.