ABSTRACT
The practice of commentary and interpretation in a faith community implies acceptance of writings that have become normative for the life and beliefs of that community even before a final canonization as ‘Holy Scripture’. In ancient Judaism, interpreters were influenced by a variety of factors. These included the need to explain the Scriptures to later generations unfamiliar with the language or outlook of the original works, and to harmonize both apparent inconsistencies within the text and between Scripture and contemporary practice. This chapter surveys examples of a number of different genres: inner-biblical interpretation; ‘Rewritten Bible’; commentary; allegory; pesher; translation; and midrash.
