Several people asked me to post the responses to my query: A parent
has asked for the direct quote referring to the fact that
> Jews are People of the Book. She is also looking for any other
> Biblical, Talmudic or Midrashic reference to Jews and the importance
> of books and reading.
These responses are:
1. It's from the Koran, however it refers to Christians as well as
Jews. that is: both Jews and Christians have a "book" of Scripture
revealed to them.
The term has stuck with us, and not with Christians, for some reason.
It's also worth knowing that Islam believes that what was
originally revealed to Jews and Christians was....Islam. Abraham,
all the biblical figures, including Jesus were Muslims. Over time,
according to the doctrine of tahrif, Jews and Christians changed
their scriptures--falsified them, and that's why Muhammad came, as
the final prophet, to correct/restore the revelations previously
given to Jews and Christians, and to give the one true "Book" of Scripture.
2. This term is actually from the Quran, and does not refer to Jews
only. See more at
http://oxfordbibliographiesonline.com/display/id/obo-9780195390155-0059
Wikipedia has also an entry about the origins of it.
3. It is from the Koran
http://www.cyberistan.org/islamic/peopleq.htm
4. I believe that the quote People of the Book actually comes, from
all places, the Quran (Koran). Below is one quote, but apparently
there are others.
"And there are, certainly, among the people of the Book [the Quran is
referring to Jews and Christians], those who believe in God and in
that which has been revealed to you, and in that which has been
revealed to them, humbling themselves before God. They do not sell
the Verses of God for a little price, for them is a reward with their
Lord. Surely, God is Swift in account." (3:199)
Just as an FYI, "books" as we know them were not "invented" until
after the Biblical and Talmudic eras. Although there were scrolls
written on parchment, papyrus, etc., -- and toward the end of the
Roman Empire, codex books - these would have been expensive items
that not everyone could afford. (I.e. a synagogue would have a sefer
Torah, but the average Jew wouldn't have had a Chumash in his home; a
Jewish King was commanded by the Torah to write his own sefer Torah, etc.)
So the main way that knowledge was exchanged, both in Hebrew culture
and other ancient cultures, was orally - i.e. students would come to
a yeshivah (in Jewish culture) and listen to the rebbe (teacher).
This is why the Mishnah and Talmud is called the "Oral Torah" - the
knowledge was originally passed down orally until Rabbi Yehudah
HaNasi (born 135 CE) decided that the knowledge needed to be written down.
Therefore the Tanach and the Talmud will have lots of quotes praising
the value of wisdom and the importance of transmitting that wisdom
from one generation to the next(The Prophet Isaiah speaks of the
importance of learning, such as 59:21. Proverbs is full of quotes,
see 24:3-4; 4:5; 18:15, etc. Pirkei Avos also has quotes, such as
1:4. ). But I would surprised if will find many quotes from that
period that speak specifically about reading books.
I could be wrong, of course, so if you do receive quotes I hope you
will pass them on to the list.
Lori M. Kahn
School Librarian
Aaron Kushner Library
lori.k...@ssdsboston.org
617-964-7765 x4618
---
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