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MIDRASH

A homiletic interpretation of the Bible by Jewish rabbis since the beginning of the third century, and an important element in Catholic biblical exegesis. Midrashim (plural) were done for many parts of the Bible. They aimed at discovering in the sacred text a meaning deeper than the literal one, not unlike the "spiritual sense" in the Christian Bible.

All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

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