"Foreword" to Moshe Greenberg, Understanding Exodus: A Holistic Commentary on Exodus 1-11. 2d ed. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2013. Pp. vii-xv. (original) (raw)
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This foreword highlights the significant contributions of Moshe Greenberg, a seminal figure in biblical scholarship, particularly in how he bridged Jewish and Christian understandings of the Old Testament. It outlines his innovative holistic method of biblical interpretation, his commitment to making scholarship accessible beyond the academic realm, and his teachings that harmonize critical examination with religious faith. Greenberg's educational influence and numerous accolades illustrate his profound impact on both Jewish thought and biblical exegesis.
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Moshe Greenberg's Understanding of Exodus.
Pp. 75-82 in Oriental Studies and Interfaith Dialogue. Essays in Honour of József Szécsi. Ed. Máté Hidvégi. Jewish Theological Seminary–University of Jewish Studies, Budapest. L’harmattan. Budapest, 2018
was one of the most profound and infl uential biblical scholars of the second half of the twentieth century. Th e fi rst Jewish biblical scholar appointed to a position in a secular university in post-war America, Greenberg had an important infl uence on the development of biblical scholarship. Previously, in America the teaching of what Christians call the Old Testament was largely in the hands of Protestant scholars who taught it as something separate from the Jewish tradition. Greenberg brought to the fi eld a thorough mastery of both Jewish and ancient Near Eastern sources as well as rigorous philology, literarycritical insight, and theological sensitivity.
This essay compares and synthesizes the theological and interpretive trends found in the teachings of three late Biblical scholars ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary: Moshe Greenberg, Yochanan Muffs and Jacob Milgrom. Seeking common ground amidst the work of this triad, Sommer proposes a system of conserving and seeking meaning and Jewish identity in the likeness of these teachers’ scholarship. Sommer argues that these three scholars use the philological and historical tools of modern biblical criticism to demonstrate deep continuities between biblical religion and rabbinic religion, continuities that, ironically, many biblical critics have categorically denied. Thus these scholars employ untraditional methods to support traditionalism. Their path -- less a middle way than a technique for holding onto oppostite sides of a polarity at once and without tension -- is an ideal example of the approach of Conservative Judaism or Positive Historical Judaism.
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