The Tosefta
Overview
The importance of the Tosefta for literary, historical, and religious scholarship has long been known, and this two-volume set makes it accessible to many more readers. The work is a vital supplement to the early rabbinic oral tradition first set to writing in the Mishnah at the end of the second century of the Common Era. Dating to about 220 CE and also set in the Tannaic period, the Tosefta has the same six orders and essentially the same tractates as the Mishnah, often agreeing with it, but sometimes differing significantly in its understanding of the oral tradition. This English translation of the Mishnaic Hebrew (with some Aramaic) is not merely a paraphrase, but aims at a literal rendition into English of the formulary patterns and syntactical traits of the original text. It contains complete references to the passages in the Tosefta that cite verbatim the corresponding unit in the Mishnah, which is printed in italics. The Tosefta is crucial to the study of formative rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity.
Key Features
- Crucial to the study of formative rabbinic Judaism and Christianity
- Provides a literal English rendition of the mishnaic Hebrew (with some Aramaic)
- Explains the laws of the Mishnah
Top Highlights
“The normative writings of Rabbinic Judaism are classified by that Judaism as components of the Torah of Sinai. These are the Mishnah (ca. 200 C.E.), the Tosefta (ca. 300), the Talmud of the Land of Israel (ca. 400), and the Talmud of Babylonia (ca. 600), along with the exegetical compilations (‘Midrashim’) devoted to the scriptural books of lectionary status.” (Page ix)
“When the latter prophets died, that is, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, then the Holy Spirit came to an end in Israel.” (Page 885)
“The Tosefta is one of Judaism’s definitive writings, because the Tosefta forms the bridge between the Mishnah and the two Talmuds, both temporally and in substance.” (Page xii)
“E. ‘Now when it is rebuilt,—quickly in our times!—matters will return to their original state’ [cf.” (Page 613)
“Tosefta, meaning ‘supplement,’ is a corpus of materials correlative to the Mishnah.” (Page xii)
- Title: The Tosefta: Translated from the Hebrew with a New Introduction, Volumes 1 & 2
- Author: Jacob Neusner
- Volume: 1 & 2
- Publisher: Hendrickson
- Print Publication Date: 2002
- Logos Release Date: 2017
- Pages: 1984
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Rabbinical literature
- ISBNs: 9781619702622, 1565636422, 1619702622, 9781565636422
- Resource ID: LLS:TOSEFTA
- Resource Type: Commentary
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T03:26:56Z
Jacob Neusner (1932–2016) was a preeminent scholar of ancient Judaism and one of the most published authors ever, with more than 900 original volumes to his name. He was educated at Harvard University, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, the University of Oxford, and Yale University. He was research professor of theology and senior fellow of the Institute of Advanced Theology at Bard College. Neusner’s work has been highly influential, if sometimes controversial. He pioneered applying “form criticism” to Rabbinic texts, and aimed at a humanistic and academic reading of ancient Jewish literature.
Neusner’s works include the Jacob Neusner Jewish Studies Bundle (99 vols.).
Reviews
1 rating
Mendel Itkin
11/12/2019
If you have the Mishna by Neusner, this Tosefta is a good study help. You can jump directly from the Mishna to the Tosefta to the place where the Tosefta quotes the Mishna. Where the Tosefta and Mishna have the same text, the text is shown in italics with the reference to the Mishna. This is very helpful since parts of the Mishna are scattered in different chapters of the Tosefta.
