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The Literary Imagination in Jewish Antiquity
Winner of the 2017 Manfred Lautenschlaeger Award for Theological Promise
Winner of the 2017 The George A. and Jean S. DeLong Book History Book Prize
The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls revealed a world of early Jewish writing larger than the Bible, from multiple versions of biblical texts to "revealed" books not found in our canon. Despite this diversity, the way we read Second Temple Jewish literature remains constrained by two anachronistic a theological one, "Bible," and a bibliographic one,"book." The Literary Imagination in Jewish Antiquity suggests ways of thinking about how Jews understood their own literature before these categories had emerged.
In many Jewish texts, there is an awareness of a vast tradition of divine writing found in multiple locations that is only partially revealed in available scribal collections. Ancient heroes such as David are imagined not simply as scriptural authors, but as multidimensional characters who come to be known as great writers who are honored as founders of growing textual traditions. Scribes recognize the divine origin of texts such as Enoch literature and other writings revealed to ancient patriarchs, which present themselves not as derivative of the material that we now call biblical, but prior to it. Sacred writing stretches back to the dawn of time, yet new discoveries are always around the corner.
Using familiar sources such as the Psalms, Ben Sira, and Jubilees , Eva Mroczek tells an unfamiliar story about sacred writing not bound in a Bible. In listening to the way ancient writers describe their own literature-rife with their own metaphors and narratives about writing- The Literary Imagination in Jewish Antiquity also argues for greater suppleness in our own scholarly imagination, no longer bound by modern canonical and bibliographic assumptions.
Winner of the 2017 The George A. and Jean S. DeLong Book History Book Prize
The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls revealed a world of early Jewish writing larger than the Bible, from multiple versions of biblical texts to "revealed" books not found in our canon. Despite this diversity, the way we read Second Temple Jewish literature remains constrained by two anachronistic a theological one, "Bible," and a bibliographic one,"book." The Literary Imagination in Jewish Antiquity suggests ways of thinking about how Jews understood their own literature before these categories had emerged.
In many Jewish texts, there is an awareness of a vast tradition of divine writing found in multiple locations that is only partially revealed in available scribal collections. Ancient heroes such as David are imagined not simply as scriptural authors, but as multidimensional characters who come to be known as great writers who are honored as founders of growing textual traditions. Scribes recognize the divine origin of texts such as Enoch literature and other writings revealed to ancient patriarchs, which present themselves not as derivative of the material that we now call biblical, but prior to it. Sacred writing stretches back to the dawn of time, yet new discoveries are always around the corner.
Using familiar sources such as the Psalms, Ben Sira, and Jubilees , Eva Mroczek tells an unfamiliar story about sacred writing not bound in a Bible. In listening to the way ancient writers describe their own literature-rife with their own metaphors and narratives about writing- The Literary Imagination in Jewish Antiquity also argues for greater suppleness in our own scholarly imagination, no longer bound by modern canonical and bibliographic assumptions.
282 pages, Hardcover
Published May 30, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 26, 2022
An excellent book discussing how ancient peoples understood what we might call 'scripture' or the 'canon'. Eva Mroczek helpfully reminds us how our modern terms, assumptions, and categories are often far removed from the reality of the Second Temple period and that this can influence the way we speak of the role or purpose of texts. Daring us to move away from viewing texts as 'biblical' or 'non-biblical' Mroczek asks how we might understand the purpose of texts like Jubilees, 4 Ezra, or Genesis Apocryphon in a world where the idea of 'Bible' does not exist. Are these texts interpreting other parts of a closed canon (Mroczek would say no!) or are they contributing to the fluid, open, and dynamic nature of the textual story of the ancient Jewish literary world. If the latter, then how we read these texts may change dramatically as we begin to appreciate the beauty to be found in nuanced and vibrant (and what we might instinctively consider contradictory) nature of the literary imagination of antiquity. Mroczek's work offers a compelling insight into the literary story of the ancient world and the relationships between these different texts which brings illumination, not only to scholarly endeavors, but also to contemporary considerations of 'canon' and the faithful observance and reading of it. Thoroughly enjoyed this read!
June 20, 2017
This book is a game changer for the field of Judaism in antiquity. Mroczek rightly proposes that we as scholars allow the canon of"Bible" and our conceptions of books to affect our reading and organization of ancient texts. Mroczek then useshe the ancient evidence itself to explore how writers in antiquity imagined the potential for open access, unlimited revelation.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews