Rabbinische texte als gegenstand der auslegung: gesammelte studien, vol. 2.

• Author: Kern Ulmer, Rivka B.
• Position: Review

Rabbinische Texte als Gegenstand der Auslegung: Gesammelte Studien, vol. 2. By ARNOLD GOLDBERG. Texte und Studien zum antiken Judentum, vol. 73. Tubingen: MOHR SIBEECK, 1999. Pp. viii + 463. DM 278.

This volume containing nineteen essays is the second of Arnold Goldberg's collected studies that focuses upon rabbinic hermeneutics. It is unfortunate that Goldberg's brilliant theories have found only a small readership beyond scholars of Judaic studies conversant with German (the English-speaking reader is referred to essay no. 4: "Form-Analysis of Midrashic Literature as a Method of Description" [1985]). All of the essays included here have been previously published. Invariably, in collected studies, certain essays are omitted; e.g., Goldberg's definitive study "Formen und Funktionen von Schriftauslegung in der fruhrabbinischen Literatur (I. Jh. v. Chr. bis 8. Jh. n. Chr.)," Linguistica Biblica 64(1990): 5-21.

In this new volume the essays have been arranged according to methodology rather than chronology. The reader is first introduced to the nature of rabbinic literature and the text (scripture) that the rabbis interpreted. In this article (no. I., "Der verschriftete Sprechakt als rabbinische Literatur" [1983]) it is apparent that Goldberg was profoundly influenced by linguistic theories concerning "speech acts." These theories explain how acts are performed by utilizing speech. Scripture, according to Goldberg, contains encoded "speech acts:" the context of which have been lost. Consequently, the rabbis had only the "written Torah" for their interpretations and the "oral Torah" is a fiction. The book next presents several essays detailing Goldberg's radically new approach to formalizing and decoding midrash. According to Goldberg (nos. 1 and 2, "Form and Function des Ma'ase in der Mischna" [1974]), the rabbinic exegesis of scripture presupposes a specific understanding of the interpreted text: revealed scripture is to be understood both as a text in "natural" language (Hebrew) and as a written communication without context. As a rule, exegesis says: "This lemma means..." and since this lemma is part of divine scripture, its meaning must be true--if it has been correctly interpreted. The interpretation of scripture is carried out through midrashic sentences which are understood to possess a specific "deep structure" (in opposition to the "surface structure" of a text that we find in midrash).

Goldberg devised the following linguistic...