Exodus 1-2 in Patristic and Rabbinic Interpretation

The book presents important patristic and rabbinic interpretations of a central biblical text: the narrative about the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt and Moses birth, salvation, youth and his time in Midian in Exodus 1-2. The main Christian (patristic) sources presented are the first two homilies on Exodus by Origen (3rd century) and the Exodus commentary of Ephrem the Syrian (4th century). Origens interpretation is influenced by Philo of Alexandrias allegorical interpretation of the Bible. Ephrem belongs to an interpretive tradition that is reflected in later Jewish interpretations. However, he also uses Philos Life of Moses. So, both Christian authors knew Jewish interpretations and adapted them for their Christian context. Origens interpretation was the basis for many later Christian interpretations. The most important Jewish (rabbinic) sources were a passage in the Babylonian Talmud (bSota 11a-13a; 6th century, with earlier material), the Midrash Tanhuma (5th-7th century) and the Mechilta (3rd century). Although there are traditions common to several Jewish interpretations, there are also varieties within the rabbinical tradition. The Talmud, for example, adds traditions about women and thus increases their importance. The Midrash Tanhuma, on the other hand, ignores the women in Exodus 1-2 almost entirely, but concentrates on the patriarchs and the tribes of Israel. Direct polemic against Christians is largely absent from rabbinic texts. Nevertheless, there are some aspects that can be interpreted as reactions to Christian developments: the increasing emphasis on circumcision, the reduced role of the Holy Spirit and the tradition about the painless birth of Moses by Jochebed in the Talmud (in response to the Christian traditions about Mary, the mother of Jesus). Additional Jewish and Christian sources are presented to complete the picture of the interpretation of Exodus 1-2. The texts are first analyzed individually and then the results are compared to look for possible contacts between Jewish and Christian interpreters, be they personal, literary dependence or oral tradition. This comparison reveals the parallels and differences between the texts as well as lines of development over time. Jewish and Christian biblical commentators were part of the late antique Mediterranean culture. They share with it the same techniques of interpretation, certain aspects of hermeneutics and a number of ideas about their view of the world and human society. In addition, there are similarities between Jewish and Christian interpreters, especially with regard to religion and the Bible. However, there were specifically Jewish or Christian ideas. All these elements contributed to the diversity of patristic and rabbinic interpretations of Exodus 1-2.