form. It will be seen later on that in another sense the Midrash is a
poetical literature, using the lore of the folk, the parable, the
proverb, the allegory, and the fable, and often using them in the
language of poetry.

The oldest Midrash is the actual report of sermons and addresses of the
Tannaite age; the latest is a medieval compilation from all extant
sources. The works to which the name Midrash is applied are the
_Mechilta_ (to Exodus); the _Sifra_ (to Leviticus); the _Sifre_ (to
Numbers and Deuteronomy); the _Pesikta_ (to various _Sections_ of the
Bible, whence its name); the _Tanchuma_ (to the Pentateuch); the
_Midrash Rabbah_ (the "Great Midrash," to the Pentateuch and the Five
Scrolls of Esther, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of
Songs); and the _Midrash Haggadol_ (identical in name, and in contents
similar to, but not identical with, the _Midrash Rabbah_); together with
a large number of collected Midrashim, such as the _Yalkut_, and a host
of smaller works, several of which are no longer extant.

Regarding the Midrash in its purely literary aspects, we find its style
to be far more lucid than that of the Talmud, though portions of the
Halachic Midrash are identical in character with the Talmud. The Midrash
has many passages in which the simple graces of form match the beauty of
idea. But for the most part the style is simple and prosaic, rather than
ornate or poetical. It produces its effects by the most straightforward
means, and strikes a modern reader as lacking distinction in form. The
dead level of commonplace expression is, however, brightened by
brilliant passages of frequent occurrence. Prayers, proverbs, parables,
and fables, dot the pages of Talmud and Midrash alike. The ancient
_proverbs_ of the Jews were more than mere chips from the block of
experience. They were poems, by reason of their use of metaphor,