I prefer to have all of this apparatus - historical, literary, critical - and then, beyond initial innocence and naiveté, to try to achieve a new innocence, a new naiveté. Frank Moore Cross More Quotes by Frank Moore Cross More Quotes From Frank Moore Cross In fact, we're both [with Elie Wiesel] engaged with the text. We search for different things, we find different things. There is a side of what he does that I'd like to do, a bit more privately. I'm not sure he is as interested in history, as I am. Frank Moore Cross different doe facts What is public for you, Elie [Wiesel], is private for Frank [Moore Cross], and the reverse. Frank Moore Cross frank reverse crosses That is to say, the inspiration, the interpretive richness of the text is what Elie [Wiesel] does publicly, and his interest in history is his private reserve; he knows that he is not an expert in dissecting the text the way Frank [Moore Cross] does. Frank Moore Cross inspiration experts doe Frank [Moore Cross], publicly dissects the text but he has a private, passionate relationship to the text that he doesn't often speak of publicly. Frank Moore Cross passionate speak crosses The text says Deuteronomy was lost, but you say it was written then. Frank Moore Cross written lost I try to look at the texts and say: Is there a way that I can find history in the texts and separate it from what may be the mythological elements, and I don't find any rules for that. Frank Moore Cross elements trying looks I guess what this is reflecting is my own search for answers that I can't find. Frank [Moore Cross] and I have examined a lot of archaeological materials in the hope of finding out. Frank Moore Cross frank crosses answers If I ever write a book on "How True Is the Bible?" I'll have to start out by saying that archaeology is not the way to find out; that it has very little to say. Frank Moore Cross writing littles book Elie [Wiesel], when you ask, "Why do I want to know," I'm trying to grab the holy. And I'm getting thrown back. Frank Moore Cross holy want trying We are thrown back on the text, for the most part. Archaeology can give us background. It doesn't either confirm or disprove the Bible, but it may illuminate it. Frank Moore Cross archaeology may giving There are surely many legitimate approaches to Biblical literature, and I think that it depends very much on one's experience and temperament which way one deals primarily with Biblical material. Frank Moore Cross biblical literature thinking I do think that the Josianic return to the archaic form of the Passover is appropriate and, indeed, historical. Josiah does go back to a different, earlier tradition, the time of a central sanctuary in which the law code was read. But then there were accretions to the Book of Deuteronomy. Frank Moore Cross law book thinking I grew up in a household in which the Bible played very little role. Frank Moore Cross roles grew-up littles The Hebrew Bible defines Judaism. It's certainly true that the Talmudic interpretations become authoritative and normative, but they are interpretations of the Hebrew Bible. So that is always there. Frank Moore Cross hebrew interpretation judaism I would not speak of Judaism as a Talmudic or Rabbinic religion. It's a Biblical religion. Frank Moore Cross judaism biblical speak [Sacrifice of Isaac] is a major theme of the so-called Elohist [one authorial strand in the Pentateuch]. It is marked by all of his linguistic characteristics, and so on. We cannot determine what is historical and what isn't. As literary critics, we would understand the importance of this for understanding life, destiny. But the historical question must be left with a question mark. Frank Moore Cross sacrifice destiny understanding If one attempts to achieve deity or to have the holy, he is thrown back; he is refused. His language is taken from him. He can no longer even communicate. That's the Tower of Babel. Frank Moore Cross tower-of-babel towers taken I find it exciting to get any historical material from the ground. As you know, I love to put ancient Israel and its literature into their ancient contexts. And to rebuild - that is, to me, a very exciting historical task. Frank Moore Cross tasks historical israel I think we may very well, in many areas, get likelihood, but not certitude. We don't want certitude anyway, do we? Frank Moore Cross want may thinking We want to live in ambiguity. This is the human condition. Frank Moore Cross human-condition ambiguity want
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