Intermediaries in Jewish Theology is a philological investigation of the use of the terms Memra, Shekinah and Metatron in the Targums and the Cabbala. Moore combats the assertion that these terms were used to denote intermediary figures intended to represent the Second and Third Persons of the Trinity, a theory proposed by a number of nineteenth century Christian theologians. Likewise, the traditional Jewish interpretations of these passages are reviewed giving the reader a deeper insight into the Jewish theology surrounding the terms. Moore’s conclusion is that though these terms do refer to intermediary roles in the divine economy, they ought not to be applied to Christian conceptions of the Logos-Son or the Holy Spirit. Instead, the particular range of meaning of each term is revealed through Professor Moore’s critical approach.

George Foot Moore (1851-1931) was born in West Chester, PA. He graduated from Yale with an A.B. in 1872 Union Theological Seminary in 1877. Ordained a Presbyterian minister in 1878, he served a parish in Zainesville, OH from then until 1883, at which time he took a teaching post in Hebrew at the Andover Theological Seminary. From 1902 until 1928 Moore was a Harvard professor. Among his professional roles Moore was sometime president of the American Oriental Society, for whose journal he also served as editor, a duty he carried for the Harvard Theological Review as well. His breadth of knowledge was practically legendary and notable publications include his The Literature of the Old Testament, History of Religions, and Judaism in the First Centuries of the Christian Era.