Rosen, Michael Samuel; (1995) An anonymous commentary on job - Jewish theological seminary NY: an analysis of its authorship and an assessment of its contents. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

MS L778 is an anonymous commentary on Job emanating from the 12th-century Northern French school of Peshat exegesis. This commentary has been attributed to Rashbam (Rashi's grandson), one of the major representatives of this school. We contend however that MS L778 is not by Rashbam. This is proven by comparing MS L778 with Rashbam's Commentary on the Torah and with citations of his exegesis on the Book of Job by other mediaeval sources. Furthermore, there are a number of characteristics exhibited by Rashbam in his Commentary on the Torah which are absent in MS L778. For example, Rashbam often refers to himself; he is strong in his language of rebuttal; sometimes he accepts, sometimes rejects his grandfather's exegesis. Rashbam applies a clear and consistent differentiation between the two areas of "Peshat" and "Derash." Our author in contrast is completely anonymous, giving no hint as to his identity; he does not relate to Talmudic material even to reject it; he refers to Rashi only by the impersonal name of []. In addition, we are in a position to trace the sources from which our author drew much of his material, one of which is indeed Rashbam but another is R'Joseph Kara, from both of whom he took notes (albeit in a discriminating way). The purpose of this thesis is thus to analyse the evidence as to the author and to prove that indeed he was not Rashbam. We will compare this commentary on Job with those of Rashi and Kara as well as with the known works attributed to Rashbam. We will also evaluate MS L778 within the context of the 12th-century Northern French school of Peshat exegesis.

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