Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!usc!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: mls@cbnewsm.att.com Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Talmud. Summary: mishnah Message-ID: Date: 17 Dec 89 07:14:13 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 28 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article , temple@mcnc.org (Dorota Temple) writes: re: the Jacob Neusner translation of the Mishnah > which, if I understand correctly, is a part of Talmud. Actually, the Mishnah is the basic "code" or "kernel" of Jewish oral law. It was promulgated by a circle of rabbis in Galilee in the 2nd century C.E. The Talmud is essentially an exegesis and commentary on the Mishnah, and there are two Talmuds, the Palestinian (or Yerushalemi) and the slightly later (and substantially larger) Babylonian Talmud. These grew up in the 20 years or so following the promulgation of the Mishnah. The Mishnah is quite elliptical and often very cryptic and condensed; it would not be a good idea for a Christian to read it without substantial aid from Jewish sources. Neusner has a number of books that are a good introduction to this literature. In particular, his book _Midrash in Context_ deals with the relations between Mishnah and Talmud and uses that as an analogue for the still later development of Jewish scriptural exegesis in the age after the Talmud was produced. Neuesner is a respected scholar and a prolific writer. I doubt that Orthodox Jews think highly of him, but I would recommend his works as a sympathetic and easy entry into the world of Jewish religious thought. -- Michael L. Siemon In so far as people think they can see the cucard!dasys1!mls "limits of human understanding", they think att!sfbat!mls of course that they can see beyond these. standard disclaimer -- Ludwig Wittgenstein