The Sage in Jewish Society of Late Antiquity provides an erudite and stimulating analysis of the role of the sage in late antiquity and sheds new light on rabbinic comments on diverse topics such as biblical heroes and genealogy and lineage.
A detailed pictorial tour of Herod's temple with full-color illustrations of Alex Garrard's perfectly scaled model. Each area is shown and discussed in detail. An exceptional introduction to the temple and its place in Jewish religious practice.
This is the first exhaustive study of the Urim and Thummim since 1824, and in this book Van Dam sets out to rectify that lack of attention. He investigates all of the biblical data concerning this enigmatic oracular means of high-priestly revelation and its connection, in the historical books of the Old Testament, with the common phrase "to enquire of Yahweh/God." After surveying the history of…
Roy Gane critically evaluates Jacob Milgrom's purification-offering theory but ultimately affirms and expands on his seminal insight that theodicy is foundational to the Israelite expiatory system. Gane's conclusions are derived from exegetical study of Hebrew ritual texts and by adapting a systems theory approach to human activity systems.
Jerusalem has probably cast more of a spell over the human imagination than any other city in the world. Held by believers to contain the site where Abraham offered up Isaac, the place of the crucifixion of Christ and the rock from which the prophet Muhammed ascended to heaven, Jerusalem has been celebrated and revered for centuries by Jews, Christians and Muslims. Such is the symbolic power of…
Jerusalem in Original Photographs brings together pictures taken by the early travel photographers who captured unique moments in history. Structured around a contemporary map of the town, the selection of illustrations leads the reader on a walking tour through streets often little changed over the course of the intervening century. These black and white photographs have been drawn from the Pa…
This unique and groundbreaking study moves "beyond the texts" of prayers to carefully study the worshipping community from an anthropological perspective. Hoffman's innovative approach opens up the world of prayer to the academy and the community at large. With the publication of this book, the study of liturgy will never again be the same.
What food did the ancient Israelites eat, and how much of it did they consume? That's a seemingly simple question, but it's actually a complex topic. In this fascinating book Nathan MacDonald carefully sifts through all the relevant evidence -- biblical, archaeological, anthropological, environmental -- to uncover what the people of biblical times really ate and how healthy (or unhealthy) it wa…
A photographic album of Israel.