An impressive array of the leading names in the field have together produced a volume that seeks to open a new period in the study of Midrash and its creative role in the formation of culture. With a comprehensive Introduction that situates Midrash in its historical and rhetorical setting and provides the context for the detailed considerations of different genres and applications, it should interest all scholars of Jewish studies as well as a wider readership interested in how a classical genre can inspire new creativity. Midrash is arguably the most ancient and native of Jewish genres, forming a voluminous literature of scriptural exegesis over the course of centuries. There is virtually nothing in the ancient rabbinic universe that was not taught through this medium. This volume presents the diversity and development of that creative profusion in a new light. It covers a broad range of literary texts, from late antiquity to the early modern period and from all the centres of literary creativity, including non-rabbinic and non-Jewish literature, so that the full extent of the modes and transformations of Midrash can be rightly appreciated. A comprehensive Introduction situates Midrash in its full historical and rhetorical setting, pointing to creative adaptations within the tradition and providing a sense of the variety of genres and applications discussed in the body of the work. Bringing together an impressive array of the leading names in the field, the volume is entirely new in scope and content; it seeks to open a new period in the study of Midrash and its creative role in the formation of culture. It should be of interest to all scholars of Jewish studies, both broadly and specifically, as well as to a wider readership interested in the interrelationships between hermeneutics, culture, and creativity, and especially in the afterlife of a classical genre and its ability to inspire new creativity in many forms. Contributors Philip Alexander, Emeritus Professor of Post-Biblical Jewish Studies, University of Manchester Sebastian Brock, Emeritus Reader in Syriac Studies, University of Oxford; Professorial Fellow of Wolfson College, Ocford Jacob Elbaum, Professor Emeritus of Hebrew Literature, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Michael Fishbane, Nathan Cummings Professor of Jewish Studies, University of Chicago Robert Hayward, Professor in the Department of Theology and Religion, University of Durham William Horbury, Emeritus Professor of Jewish and Early Christian Studies, University of Cambridge Sara Japhet, Professor Emeritus, Department of Bible, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Ephraim Kanarfogel, E. Billi Ivry Professor of Jewish History, Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, Yeshiva University Naftali Loewenthal, Lecturer in Jewish Spirituality, University College London Ivan G. Marcus, Frederick P. Rose Professor of Jewish History, Yale University Alison Salvesen, University Research Lecturer, University of Oxford; Polonsky Fellow in Jewish Bible Versions, Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies Marc Saperstein, Professor of Jewish History and Homiletics, Leo Baeck College, London Chava Turniansky, Professor Emerita, Department of Yiddish, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Piet van Boxel, Emeritus Curator of Hebraica, University of Oxford Joanna Weinberg, Reader in Hebrew and Jewish Studies, University of Oxford; Catherine Lewis Fellow in Rabbinics, Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies Benjamin Williams, Oriental Institute, University of Oxford Elliot Wolfson, Abraham Leberman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, New York University Eli Yassif, Zvi Berger Professor of Jewish Folk-Culture, The School of Jewish Studies, Tel-Aviv University

Midrash is arguably the most ancient genre of Jewish literature, forming a voluminous body of scriptural exegesis over the course of centuries. There is hardly anything in the ancient rabbinic universe that was not taught through this medium. The diversity and development of that creative profusion are presented here in a new light. The contributors cover a broad range of texts, from late antiquity to the modern period and from all the centres of literary creativity, including non-rabbinic and non-Jewish literature, so that the full extent of the modes and transformations of Midrash can be fully appreciated. A comprehensive introduction situates Midrash in its historical and cultural setting, pointing to creative adaptations within the tradition and providing a sense of the variety of genres and applications discussed in the body of the book. Bringing together an impressive array of the leading names in the field, the volume is innovative in both its scope and content, seeking to open a new period in the study of Midrash and its creative role in the formation of culture.It should be of interest to all scholars of Jewish studies, as well as to a wider readership interested in the interrelationships between hermeneutics, culture, and creativity, and especially in the afterlife of a classical genre and its ability to inspire new creativity in many forms. Contributors Philip Alexander, Sebastian Brock, Jacob Elbaum, Michael Fishbane, Robert Hayward, William Horbury, Sara Japhet, Ephraim Kanarfogel, Naftali Loewenthal, Ivan G. Marcus, Alison Salvesen, Marc Saperstein, Chava Turniansky, Piet van Boxel, Joanna Weinberg, Benjamin Williams, Elliot Wolfson, Eli Yassif