ebooks Early Judaism: Religious Worlds of the First Judaic Millennium (Studies and Texts in Jewish History and Culture) by Martin S. Jaffee in History

Review

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Concise; up-to-date and very well-written intro textBy S. EyerThis book is extremely well-written and covers ancient Judaism from the earliest times up through the beginnings of merkavah mysticism in the Talmudic period. It's not a huge book; and one might think it too slender to effectively cover the topic. But the writing is economical and very readable; and the opinions presented are contemporary and take advantage of the latest scholarship.The first edition is out of print. Be sure to get the second edition of this book -- Early Judaism: Religious Worlds of the First Judaic Millennium (Studies and Texts in Jewish History and Culture).0 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Four StarsBy Steven R. GreenwaldStill going through it.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Superb resource - clear; accessible; and fascinatingBy Maurice D. HarrisI first read this book when I was a rabbinical student; and it taught me two important lessons at once. The first was grounded in the content of the book. Early Judaism is an accessible yet thorough presentation of the issues and ideas that contended for legitimacy against the backdrop of the Roman occupation and eventual destruction of Jerusalem. The second lesson I learned was that it was possible to write about complex religious and historical content in a clear; accessible; even personable voice. This book helped influence my own subsequent writing; as a congregational rabbi; and later; as an author. I can't recommend it highly enough!