The Early Boundaries of Jewish Studies

Marc Zvi Brettler examines the way the Bible is taught in Introduction to Judaism courses, and suggests that presenting the Bible in its final form as background for the development of Judaism is insufficient. Many aspects of modern Judaism are not scripturally based; moreover, Jewish scripture developed and evolved over time: canon formation was a process. Thus, teaching Judaism as if today's Bible always existed, was always authoritative, and was the only canon that existed is historically inaccurate. Among other advantages, a historical-critical approach assists students in understanding rabbinic texts, which become easier if students realize that the Torah is not a single, unified text, but a polyphonic one. The academic teaching of religion involves, or at least includes, teaching texts in their historical contexts, and each text should be open to all questions. Brettler also argues for the place of the New Testament in Introduction courses.