Tradition from a Jewish Perspective

Abstract

Let me begin by saying what an adequate treatment of any concept (including "tradition") would look like from the perspective of Judaism. First, it would itself be traditional, in the sense that judgments about the concept would be based on a preparatory study that traces the living history of the critical term(s) used to express that concept through the entire course of Jewish intellectual history as recorded in communally authoritative texts. The analysis will have its origin in the Hebrew Scriptures. Then it would move on to classicalrabbinic literature, including the textual tradition of Jewish law and midrash (from the Mishnah and early collections of midrash through the two talmuds and subsequent responsa and commentaries on the Babylonian Talmud) as well as classical Jewish philosophy/theology (medieval rabbinic philosophical treatises and commentaries on the Hebrew Scriptures, from at least the world of Saadia [10th century, Muslim society] through at least the world of Joseph Albo [l5th century, Western Christian society ]). So far the plan of analysis is fairly simple, because the body of surviving, relevant material is relatively continuous and homogeneous.