Genres of Rewriting in Second Temple Judaism
Scribal Composition and Transmission

A study of the many different ways ancient Jewish scribes changed, or rewrote, the sacred and authoritative traditions they inherited.

Molly M. Zahn (Author)

9781108725750, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 24 February 2022

278 pages, 2 b/w illus.
22.7 x 15.1 x 1.7 cm, 0.425 kg

'Leading us expertly through the labyrinth of 'rewriting,' Zahn analyses short texts/study cases as carefully and cleverly as she does broad, over-arching questions. One of her greatest achievements thus lies in allowing readers to see the forest and the trees alike. Adopting a variety of theoretical 'lenses' and discussing a variety of corpora (Dead Sea Scrolls, OG/LXX, Targumim) under 'one umbrella,' she hereby reveals that the “rewriting forest” is a dynamic, fascinating locus in which diverse species thrive.' Atar L. Ivneh, Revue de Qumrân

In this book, Molly Zahn investigates how early Jewish scribes rewrote their authoritative traditions in the course of transmitting them, from minor edits in the course of copying to whole new compositions based on prior works. Scholars have detected evidence for rewriting in a wide variety of textual contexts, but Zahn's is the first book to map manuscripts and translations of biblical books, so-called 'parabiblical' compositions, and the sectarian literature from Qumran in relation to one another. She introduces a new, adaptable set of terms for talking about rewriting, using the idea of genre as a tool to compare and contrast different cases. Although rewriting has generally been understood as a vehicle for biblical interpretation, Zahn moves beyond that framework to demonstrate that rewriting was a pervasive textual strategy in the Second Temple period. Her book contributes to a powerful new model of early Jewish textuality, illuminating the rich and diverse culture out of which both rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity eventually emerged.

1. Rewriting, revision, and reuse: language and methods
2. Genre and rewriting
3. Revision and reuse in the Bible
4. Beyond 'rewritten Bible': revision and reuse in the Temple Scroll, Jubilees, and Qumran sectarian works
5. Translation and/as rewriting: the Greek Bible, the Targumim, and the Genesis Apocryphon
6. Diverse genres of reuse: centripetal, limited, historical résumé, pastiche
7. Second temple rewriting in context: authority, exegesis, and scribal culture.

Subject Areas: Jewish studies [JFSR1], Judaism: sacred texts [HRJS], Judaism [HRJ], Old Testaments [HRCF1]