Neusner’s Three Dimensions of Midrash
Three things go together: (1) the principles or processes of exegesis, (2) the purposes of exegesis accomplished in a given interpretation of a single verse, and (3) the formal program of collecting and arranging exegeses into compilations.
What Is Midrash?
p. 39
Neusner, J. (1987). What Is Midrash?. Fortress Press. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=EEn7DwAAQBAJ&hl=&source=gbs_api