Neusner MNT 1988

Weighing in at over 1200 pages, including preface, introduction, glossary, indices, etc., this tome is a massive acheivement and a great contribution to English language study of early Judaism.

Neusner's book claims "to present a literal translation of the Mishnah, adhering closely to its word order, syntax, and formal patterns" (xix). This is the strength and the weakness of Neusner's edition; in preserving the extraordinary and unfamiliar form of discourse found in the text, Neusner does a service to English readers who lack access to the Hebrew and accordingly the imaginative world of the Mishnah. But he also does less than other translators have to clarify the meaning of this strange work through interpretive glossing.