Egyptian-Hebrew stream·Babylonian Talmud·Preface to the Second Edition
Vol I — Preface to the Second Edition
Rodkinson's preface to the second edition of Vol I. Addresses the reception of the first edition; clarifies the editorial principles; defends the abridgement (the New Edition omits much of the discursive Gemara to focus on the legal substance).
Source context
- Theme
- editorial transmission and scholarly justification of a canonical rabbinic text across editions
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Islamic hadith scholarshipCross-tradition congruence: the practice of prefacing successive editions with chains of transmission justification and textual defense parallels the isnad-critical apparatus in classical hadith literature, where editorial accountability across generations is a formal scholarly obligation.
- Vedantic commentary tradition (bhāṣya)Cross-tradition congruence: successive prefaces defending and refining a received sacred text structurally resemble the bhāṣya tradition, in which each commentator frames his edition against prior misreadings and establishes interpretive authority before the main text.
Preface to the Second Edition
p. vii
THE translator of the Talmud, who has now reached the thirteenth volume of his task, covering twenty-one tracts of this great work, certainly cannot point with any great pride to the fact that this is the second edition of his translation which first appeared in 1896, for he believes that the opening and bringing to light of a book so long withheld from the gaze of the curious, and even the learned, should have attracted more attention and deserved greater consideration than it has received. However, he is glad to see that thousands of readers have at last taken advantage of the opportunity of looking into the "sealed book," and to such an extent that second editions have become necessary, both of this volume and of the Tract Rosh Hashana of the fourth volume, which he has reëdited and enlarged upon, adding many historical facts and legends, so that they now appear as practically new works.
This is certainly an encouragement to him to continue his work, with the hope that in time it will gain the proper recognition and proper attention which he thinks this great work of the sixth century should receive at the hands of all scholars and even laymen.
In revising this volume the translator had in mind the many criticisms which have been passed upon his effort and which have appeared in various papers throughout different countries, but he gave his attention to those only which were not prompted by animosity and jealousy. He begs to call the attention of all critics to the dictum of the Talmud, "Kal Hat'haloth Kashoth" (all beginnings are difficult); for, bearing this in mind, they would no doubt have been more moderate.
p. viii
The translator will be very grateful to critics who will call his attention to any mistakes made in the translation of the original text. However, he will positively ignore criticisms of the kind described above.
The translator further hopes that this and the succeeding volumes will meet with the favor and approval of the public, which will be sufficient reward to repay him for his efforts.
M. L. R.
NEW YORK, June, 1901.
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