New Testament Scriptural Interpretation in its Early Jewish Context: Reflections on the Status Quaestionis and Future Directions

This paper places New Testament scriptural interpretation within its early Jewish context, highlighting the most significant ways in which understanding of this subject is enhanced by comparison with texts such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Pseudepigrapha and the rabbinic midrashim. Four critical issues are addressed: text form; exegetical genres; interpretative traditions; and exegetical techniques. The applicability to the New Testament of some innovative current research in the field of Jewish Studies is demonstrated. Consideration is then given to the major challenges which a close engagement with the Jewish exegetical literature poses for the methodology of future New Testament scholarship.