An introduction to early Jewish interpretation of the Bible

In this seminar, Dr Simon Holloway will guide us through the basic features and principles of Jewish exegesis. He will introduce us to the concept of Oral Law, to its primary witnesses in Jewish literature (Mishna, Tosefta, Talmud), and to midrash as a genre with examples drawn (primarily) from Genesis. This seminar will be an engaging introduction to the many important (and bewildering) terms and texts related to early Rabbinic literature and a chance to think about how these relate to our study of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament.

Time: 10:30am-12pm Wednesday 10^th April

Location: Old Warden’s Lodge, Trinity College. Entry via Gate C.

RSVP to Rachelle Gilmour rgilmour@trinity.edu.au

The presenter:

Dr Simon Holloway is the Manager of Adult Education & Academic Engagement at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, where he oversees the development and delivery of tertiary, professional and corporate programs. He holds a PhD in Classical Hebrew and Biblical Studies, for which he investigated the function of metaphor in the Hebrew Bible, and a Masters in Ancient History. At the museum, Simon lectures on Nazi racial science, Jewish resistance and the history of the Holocaust, but in his private time is an avid student of the Babylonian Talmud. His research at present concerns the identification of allusions to the biblical and rabbinic literature in diaries and letters produced during the Holocaust.