Jewish Ambivalence towards the Bible

Jewish tradition from antiquity to the present has been ambivalent about the Bible, despite its obviously foundational role. One reason for this surprising phenomenon is the extent to which the Talmud usurped the Bible's place, particularly (though not only) within the Ashkenazi community. Another is the importance accorded the Hebrew Bible within Christianity; even modern biblical scholarship has absorbed some Christian views, albeit in secular guise. As a result, Jews have sometimes been suspicious of those who study the Bible. Nowadays, biblical studies is frequently considered outside of Jewish studies; earlier practitioners were suspected of heresy. The growing interest in the Bible that has taken place within the Jewish community over the last two centuries is the result of both Christian influence and an effort to reclaim what was becoming a lost element of the Jewish heritage.