We think of the Hebrew Bible as the Book--and yet it was produced by a largely nonliterate culture in which writing; editing; copying; interpretation; and public reading were the work of a professional elite. The scribes of ancient Israel are indeed the main figures behind the Hebrew Bible; and in this book Karel van der Toorn tells their story for the first time. His book considers the Bible in very specific historical terms; as the output of the scribal workshop of the Second Temple active in the period 500-200 BCE. Drawing comparisons with the scribal practices of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia; van der Toorn clearly details the methods; the assumptions; and the material means of production that gave rise to biblical texts; then he brings his observations to bear on two important texts; Deuteronomy and Jeremiah.Traditionally seen as the copycats of antiquity; the scribes emerge here as the literate elite who held the key to the production as well as the transmission of texts. Van der Toorn's account of scribal culture opens a new perspective on the origins of the Hebrew Bible; revealing how the individual books of the Bible and the authors associated with them were products of the social and intellectual world of the scribes. By taking us inside that world; this book yields a new and arresting appreciation of the Hebrew Scriptures.
#3704987 in Books Harvard University Asia Center 2006-10-15 2006-11-14Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.20 x 1.20 x 6.40l; .0 #File Name: 0674022653364 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy S Greceive it in good condition.10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. A Memorable Look at a Love/Hate RelationshipBy Crazy FoxThis book is a model work of fine scholarship. Halperin has taken up some overlooked and understudied sources and explored them in depth and at length for what they tell us about the relationship between literati and Buddhist temples during the Sung dynasty; complicating previous assumptions about that relationship in the process. Instead of falling into the common pitfall of much academic writing today (grand sweeping theoretical generalizations and endless methodological mullings); he builds his case carefully and gradually from these primary sources; commemorations for temple renovation projects written by literati at the request of Buddhist monks. Confining his study to this one genre gives the book focus; but also proves intriguing in that by considering these scattered and various commemorations; a genre one might assume to be generic and dull with little to tell us; he uncovers patterns and paradoxes while unearthing large swaths of social history and significant shifts in religious attitudes and institutional development--and by the end of it; you'll never be able to blithely characterize the dynasty simplistically as one of Confucian rise and Buddhist fall ever again.There are a lot of little things about the book too that stand out. The one chapter on T'ang dynasty commemorations serves its purpose of contrasting with the Sung dynasty commemorations so as to highlight the latter's unusual characteristics; but it's also interesting in and of itself in showing the educated layman's grasp of Buddhist doctrine and devotion to Buddhist deities. The mutual interpenetration of Buddhism and the Imperial cult; the degree to which Sung Emperors were divinized; and the role of Buddhist temples throughout the empire in establishing commoner consciousness of the political/religious center were all new and fascinating topics (for me; at least). And it was nice to get a glimpse of the lives and ideas of literati not on the "top ten list"--educated and politically active men of some distinction other than Chu Hsi; Chou Tun-i; or the Ch'eng brothers--not that these latter guys aren't interesting or important; but with this book I got a more concrete sense of how their ideas were affecting their peers and society at large.Prospective readers of this fine book should keep in mind that it is a pretty specialized study in some ways. As someone with some familiarity with East Asian history and religion; I still found that Halperin was assuming knowledge on his reader's part that I didn't have (or did have but in a fuzzy; vague state). Most of this had to do with the ups and downs of Sung history; and if you're rusty on this you might want to give yourself a quick review. Also; he keeps referring to what I would identify as "Neo-Confucianism" with the term "Tao-hsueh"--I'm not sure what is at stake in not using the standard English term; but perhaps there are good reasons (why not then be consistent and render "Buddhism" in Chinese as well?)--if so; a quick explanation of the reasoning behind this terminological choice may have been in order; at least in a footnote; for the sake of those of us not "in the know". None of this detracts from the book; of course; and the author's overall argument is still quite clear if you have a reasonable level of background knowledge.In short; this is a valuable and well-written study grounded in extensive and careful work with primary texts all substantiating an important; overarching point. Anyone curious about how Buddhism actually functions in society should find it indispensable.
