4.0236 Responses: Midrash; Transient Knowledge (2/69)
Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Thu, 28 Jun 90 17:48:51 EDT
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 4, No. 0236. Thursday, 28 Jun 1990.
(1) Date: Thu, 28 Jun 1990 12:51 IST (31 lines)
From: Marc Bregman <HPUBM@HUJIVM1>
Subject: Re: 4.0222 ... On Midrash
(2) Date: Thu, 28 Jun 90 07:04:04 CDT (38 lines)
From: "Michael S. Hart" <HART@UIUCVMD>
Subject: Re: 4.0226 Knowledge: Permanent and Transient
(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 1990 12:51 IST
From: Marc Bregman <HPUBM@HUJIVM1>
Subject: Re: 4.0222 ... On Midrash
In reply to the request (from MAL1@PSUVM, 23 June -- RE:4.0121) for a
definition of "Midrash", I would refer those interested to what I
consider the best non-professional introduction to this very "thorny"
question: Barry Holtz, "Midrash" in *Back to the Sources -- Reading the
Classic Jewish Texts*, Summit and Jewish Publication Society, New York,
1984), ed. Barry Holtz, pp. 177-211. On page 178, after clarifying
the problems of defining such a term, Holtz says:
"What, then is Midrash? It is helpful to think of Midrash in two
different, but related ways: first, Midrash (deriving from the Hebrew
root "to search out") is the process of interpreting. The object of
interpretation is the Bible or, on occasion, other sacred texts; second,
Midrash refers to the corpus of work that has collected these
interpretations, works such as Midrash Rabbah"
The discussion about Midrash and Collage (initiated by my query back in
May) was more about the editing and "literatary texture" of the
Midrashic corpora.
At the end of this article, Holtz gives a good short bibliography.
Further bibliography can be found in *Midrash and Literature*, eds.
Geoffrey H. Hartman and Sanford Budick, Yale: New Haven and London,
1986, pp. 369-395.
I hope that helps to clarify matters somewhat.
Marc Bregman, Hebrew Union College Jerusalem (HPUBM@HUJIVM1)
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------45----
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 90 07:04:04 CDT
From: "Michael S. Hart" <HART@UIUCVMD>
Subject: Re: 4.0226 Knowledge: Permanent and Transient
I would have to disagree with skip: not only does the brain get full,
rampant senility set in, etc. for a major portion of the population,
but even if you do not consider this, the following is still fearfully
true and a cause for rampant conservatism as age increases:
When one is ten years old, half one's knowledge is five years old.
When one is 20 years old, half one's knowledge is over 10 years old.
.....
When one attains maximum political power, academic power, etc. one is
likely to be 55 - 65 (or later, in the case of the Gipper, or earlier
in the case of JFK) and then half one's information (or more, in case
of senility) is going to be over 30 years old.
Even in the case of the classics, new information/interpretation arises.
Thank you for your interest,
Michael S. Hart, Director, Project Gutenberg
National Clearinghouse for Machine Readable Texts
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