Standards of (in)coherence in ancient Jewish literature

Scholarly analysis of ancient Jewish texts is an extreme case of non-participant research. It is “extreme” because the original participants in the literature, its producers and receivers, are separated from modern academics by several barriers. The texts were produced in languages and cultures that are dead or have changed in profound ways. Many of the communities that produced them no longer exist. Those that do have evolved so dramatically that they are, for all intents and purposes, different communities. In many cases, even the identities of those communities are disputed. Their authors, almost without exception, are unknown. Even their original performative functions are elusive. This little volume addresses one of these barriers. Put as a question: What constitutes literary (in)coherence for ancient Jewish writers and readers?