Moses wrote the Torah: Rashbam's perspective

Perhaps more than any other medieval Jewish exegete, Samuel ben Meir (Rashbam) often made reference to Moses's role as the author of the Torah. A number of scholars have interpreted Rashbam's treatment of the subject as reflecting a belief that Moses wrote only certain parts of the Torah....

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Lockshin, Martin I. (Author)
Format: Print Article
Language:English
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Published: College [2015]
In: Hebrew Union College annual / Jewish Institute of Religion
Year: 2013, Volume: 84/85, Pages: 109-125
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Shemuʾel ben Meʾir 1080-1158 / Moses / Author / Torah / Dichotomy / Narrative (Grammar) / Reported Speech
IxTheo Classification:HB Old Testament
HD Early Judaism
Parallel Edition:Electronic
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Summary:Perhaps more than any other medieval Jewish exegete, Samuel ben Meir (Rashbam) often made reference to Moses's role as the author of the Torah. A number of scholars have interpreted Rashbam's treatment of the subject as reflecting a belief that Moses wrote only certain parts of the Torah. This article analyzes Rashbam's statements on the subject and concludes that they reveal a dichotomy related to Torah texts that was central in Rashbam's mind: the dichotomy between narrative and reported speech. Rashbam ultimately sees Moses as “writer” of both of those parts of the Torah. But his comments about Moses the author show the extent to which this dichotomy was central to his understanding. For Rashbam, Moses's role in “writing” the Torah is somewhat comparable to that of a modern-day documentary writer, who uses his or her own narration to join together “clips” of recorded dialogue that cannot be changed.
ISSN:0360-9049
Contains:Enthalten in: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Hebrew Union College annual / Jewish Institute of Religion