Contents -- Introduction: Canonical Text and Text-Centered Community -- 1. Canon and Meaning -- The Uses of Canon -- The Sealed Canon -- Authority and Sealing -- The Meaning of the Canonical Text -- Canon and the Principle of Charity -- Textual Closure and Hermeneutical Openness -- Uncharitable Readings of Canons -- 2. Authority, Controversy, and Tradition -- Authorial Intention and Authoritative Meaning -- Canon and Controversy -- Three Views on Controversy and Tradition -- From a Flexible Canon to a Closed Code -- The Institution and the Canon -- 3. Canon and Curriculum -- Formative Text -- The Concept of Torah in "Talmud Torah" -- The Challengers of Talmudism -- Codification and Decanonization -- Esotericism and Censorship -- Kabbalists and the Talmudic Curriculum -- Strong Canonicity and Shared Discourse -- Conclusion -- Appendix: The Sovereign and the Canon -- Notes -- Index.