Part II: Text Under Pressure
Once early Jewish communities had begun collecting sacred texts, they faced the challenge of preserving and interpreting them under conditions of crisis, displacement, and cultural pressure. This section examines how exile, diaspora, and foreign domination forced Jewish communities to redefine religious authority and develop new methods of textual interpretation that could adapt ancient words to unprecedented circumstances. From the rise of interpretive traditions like midrash to debates over which books deserved inclusion in the biblical canon, these chapters trace how external pressures became catalysts for internal innovation, demonstrating that sacred traditions often grow stronger rather than weaker when they are forced to articulate their essential commitments in the face of existential challenges.