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  • From: Randall Buth <randallbuth AT gmail.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] proto-MT
  • Date: Sun, 28 Nov 2010 18:43:05 -0800

> From: Yigal Levin <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>
> To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: [b-hebrew] Proto-MT
> Message-ID: <003401cb8f25$f097e740$d1c7b5c0$ AT biu.ac.il>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> I was asked off-list why the biblical quotes in the Talmud (and, I will
> add,
> pre-10th century Jewish liturgy and other literature as well) are not used
> by scholars as evidence of the "proto-MT". With the permission of the
> person
> who asked, I'll post may answer on-list.
>
> Basically, there are two reasons that I can think of. One is the general
> disdain that Christian scholars traditionally have had for all things
> Jewish. This is an old and ingrained tradition in Christianity, that
> precluded many Christian scholars in the past from even being familiar with
> the Talmud, not to mention using it as evidence for anything. By the way,
> the animosity was mutual, and it is very rare to find a "traditional"
> Jewish
> source quoting a Christian scholar. Hopefully lists such as this one are
> doing their bit to clear the air.
>
> The second reason is a more "serious" one. We don't have any significant
> very old mms. of the Talmud either. This means that there will always be
> the
> suspicion, that in cases where the Talmud was quoting what seems to be the
> MT (or "proto-MT"), it did originally have a different text, which was
> "updated" to fit the GRU, as time went on. How would anyone know?
>
> Dr. Yigal Levin
>

Of course, the traditions of sarsehu vedarshehu (politely translated "twist
it and
expound it") inadvertantly supports the proto-MT,
as well as the examples of "don't read A, read B". The "proto-MT"
was the assumed background against which these midrashic types of comments
are made and later textual transmission is not a factor, (unless one wanted
to claim that the whole argumentations were 100% inventions and inserted
into
the rabbinic texts after the fact and with no apparent motive [I don't 'go
there',
into such conspiracies, since I like my water to flow downhill.]).

--
Randall Buth, PhD
www.biblicalulpan.org
randallbuth AT gmail.com
Biblical Language Center
Learn Easily - Progress Further - Remember for Life




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