He either briefly calls it the thirty-two rules[2] or designates it as the "Baraita (or sections [pirkei]) of R. Eliezer b. Jose ha-Gelili".
Prior to its discovery, knowledge of the Baraita was gathered only from the recension transmitted in the methodological work Keritot, by Samson of Chinon.
The beginning of the Baraita in this recension reads as follows: "Whenever you come across the words of R. Eliezer b. Jose ha-Gelili, make a funnel of your ear."
This is the reading of Joshua ha-Levi and Isaiah Horowitz;[6] and it is believed that the name of the author did not drop out until the addition of the sentence from the Talmud.
Moshe Zucker sought to prove, from Geniza documents, that the Baraita of the 32 Rules was written by Shemuel b. Hofni Gaon (d. 1013) as part of the introduction to his commentary to the Torah.
Although these names (especially the last two) show that portions of the Baraita were interpolated long after Eliezer b. Jose, no general conclusions may be drawn from it with regard to the whole work.
These examples show that in Palestine scholars early began to devote themselves to a rational Bible exegesis, although free play was at the same time yielded to aggadic interpretation.