Is Scripture the origin of the Halakhic system, which defines the norms of Judaism? At stake is not the starting point of discrete bits of legal data, but the origin of the comprehensive structure comprised by the Halakhic category-formations. As scripture serves as the natural starting point for inquiries into the origins of Judaism it is quite natural to treat Scripture as the base line and the Halakhic category-formations as the variable when seeking the origin of the system. But what happens when we treat the system as the base line and Scripture as the variable?

Jacob Neusner is Research Professor of Religion and Theology at Bard College and Senior Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Theology at Bard. He has published more than 900 books and unnumbered articles, both scholarly and academic and popular and journalistic, and is the most published humanities scholar in the world. He has been awarded nine honorary degrees, including seven US and European honorary doctorates. He received his AB from Harvard College in 1953, his PhD from Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary in 1961, and rabbinical ordination and the degree of Master of Hebrew Letters from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 1960. Neusner is editor of the 'Encyclopedia of Judaism' (Brill, 1999. I-III) and its Supplements; Chair of the Editorial Board of 'The Review of Rabbinic Judaism,' and Editor in Chief of 'The Brill Reference Library of Judaism', both published by E. J. Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands. He is editor of 'Studies in Judaism', University Press of America. Neusner resides with his wife in Rhinebeck, New York. They have a daughter, three sons and three daughters-in-law, six granddaughters and two grandsons.

Chapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 Bibliography Chapter 3 Category-Formations Autonomous of Scripture Chapter 4 Category-Formations Related to Scripture but Independently Articulated Chapter 5 Category-Formations Defined by Scripture Chapter 6 Category-Formations Related to Scripture and Derivatively Amplified by Scripture Chapter 7 Is the Scripture the Origin of the Halakhah?