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The Canonization of Hebrew Scripture: The Talmudic and Midrashic Evidence (Transactions / the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences)

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One of the great problems in studies of the Old Testament is knowing when a particular book was accepted as canonical. Indeed, there is disagreement about the meaning of the word "canonical"; I take it to mean divinely inspired and fitted to be treated as part of scripture. A related problem is when the canon was closed, so that no further books could be added and, equally, none could be removed. There is a vast store of evidence on these questions in the Rabbinic writings from 1300 to 1900 years ago. However, the information is very difficult for the non-initiated reader to understand. Sid Leiman, a master in his field, has extracted all the relevant evidence and provides a thorough explanation. The book is not easy going, and may require two or three readings before you can grasp all of its rich store of information, but do persevere if you are interested in this subject.

The first edition was published in 1976 by the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, New Haven Connecticut. This second edition is a reprint of the original text with a new foreword and an expanded bibliography.
A brief overview of the contents of this scholarly work is presented here. A short background about the author follows the overview.

What were the criteria for the inclusion of a book among the select group of writings called the Hebrew Bible? On what grounds was it decided that certain books are divinely inspired and others are not? Why were the apocryphal books excluded from the Hebrew Bible? Did Philo, Josephus, the Dead Sea sect, and early Christianity share the same biblical canon? These are among the many issues explored in this book, which traces the course of the closing of the biblical canon.

The study opens with a critical investigation of the extra-Talmudic materials, such as the Hebrew Bible, Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Philo, Josephus, and the Dead Sea scrolls. Christian sources such as the Septuagint, New Testament, and Church Fathers are examined for any light they may shed on the history of the biblical canon. The study then proceeds to its major focus: the talmudic and midrashic evidence bearing on the closing of the biblical canon. For the first time, all the relevant talmudic materials are gathered together and presented in the original Hebrew (and Aramaic) as well as in English translation.

By analyzing the terms "canonical," "inspired," and "biblical" as they were used and understood in the talmudic period, Dr. Leiman concludes that the modern biblical handbooks and introductions have misunderstood the older terminology. The modern scholarly consensus, which places the closing of the biblical canon at Jamnia, ca. 90 C.E., is rejected. Instead, Dr. Leiman points to a series of stages in the closing of the biblical canon, noting that the initial, most significant stage preceded Jamnia by some 200 years, while the final stage post-dates Jamnia by a similar number of years.

Sid Z. Leiman, Professor of Jewish History and Literature in the Department of Judaic Studies at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, and Visiting Professor at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Yeshiva University, earned his doctorate from the Department of Oriental Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.