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Editorial
The Editors

The growing realization today that a Christian can profit greatly from a knowledge of Jewish interpretation of Sacred Scripture, is spurring scholars to real appreciation of such literature as the Talmud, Targums and Midrash (see SIDIC VI:3 Talmud, IX:2 Targum and Midrash). Why? Christianity has its roots not only in the Bible but in Jewish tradition. The New Testament was written in the context of rabbinic Judaism, that Judaism which found expression in the midrash, the halakhah, and the vast aggadic literature that resulted from centuries of Jewish "searching the Scriptures".
Seen from this point of view, Jerome's approach to the translation of the Hebrew Bible, and his commentaries on it, are an important example of the debt of early Christian writers to Jewish understanding of the Bible. Jerome depended very much on Jewish exegesis, and since his Vulgate translation became normative for centuries of Catholic biblical interpretation, this influence is worth examining. Because the field is so vast, we have chosen to focus this issue of SIDIC on the biblical figure of Daniel, and are happy to have several authors share with us some of the fruits of their scholarship and reflection.
Jerome was convinced that the Hebrew text of the Bible was the authentic one, and so he was constantly in search of the veritas hebraica or "Hebrew truth". This shows that, in spite of his theological bias, Jerome realized the importance of referring to Jewish exegesis when elucidating the content of the divine Word.
But to insist only on the importance of academic knowledge of ancient Jewish commentaries would be to lose sight of the richness to be gained by appreciating the attitude and approach of Jews to the sacred writings. It is becoming more and more evident that it is of value for Christians not only to know something about Jewish in terpretation of Scripture, but also to study Scripture in the light of Judaism as it is lived today. For Jewish tradition is something living, and Jews continue to live by it, carry it in their hearts, and hand it on.
It is with hope, then, that we present the following pages, trusting that they may inspire not only continued efforts on the part of scholars, but a greater openness to the implications of such study for Christian exegesis, theology, spirituality, and indeed, all of life.