PETER OCHS and NANCY LEVENE, eds. Textual Reasonings: Jewish Philosophy and Text Study at End of Twentieth Century. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2003. Pp. x + 310.This book is a collection of essays whose roots lie in a conference (Textualities: An International Conference on Postmodern Jewish Reasoning) held at Drew University in June 1997. conference itself was first major public gathering sponsored by Society for Textual Reasoning (formerly Postmodern .Jewish Philosophy Bitnetwork), *which publishes Journal of Textual Reasoning. (Its history and publications, both old and new series, can be found on website of same name. Society for Scriptural Reasoning and Journal of Scriptural Reasoning seem to reflect interests and activities of many of same scholars.)As might be expected from a collection of conference papers, book reflects a mixed bag of agendas and methodologies. This situation is further compounded by fact that many of essays included in book *were not presented at conference but were written subsequently by persons not in attendance. Moreover, not all participants identify with Society's agenda with same degree of passion. Two different editors each contributed an introductory essay and an epilogue to book. Those written by Nancy Levene display an element of critical distance and perspective, putting forward modest claim that there are significant affinities between Jewish forms of reading and and postmodern thought (p. 15). Given -wide range of possibilities open in contemporary philosophy and criticism and *widespread renewed interest in Jewish texts as a concrete source for theoretical reflection, one can freely admit credibility of claim that textual in limited sense is currently being pursued by scholars throughout Jewish studies, in fields such as Bible, Talmud, midrash . (p. 15). Two of three textual studies included in book (Michael Fishbane's study of Songs Rabba and Tikva Frymer-Kensky's Revelation Revealed: Doubt of Torah) represent general trend and -wholly justify Levene 's assertions.Ochs's introductory essay, however, sets out a more ideological platform, as one might expect from founding editor of aforementioned journal. OcKs hopes to found a of .Jewish philosophy or theology (p. 2). members of movement *wish to engage in study of *Jewish sources, and they are clear about *what they would not do. They *would not adhere to canons of study framed by the reigning paradigms of Jewish academic enquiry nor to methods of various yeshivot. In Ochs's *words, The community of textual reasoners does not discount or privilege readings drawn from any traditional schools of rabbinic learning or influences by any method of modern academy. It judges them all by their fruits in furthering goals of textual reasoning (p. 6).At same time Ochs feels strongly that this discipline should appear, for one, as a discipline within university, secondly, as a method of Torah study outside academy, within …