Table of Contents

Abbreviations and references; Introduction; 1. The prehistory of Judaism; 2. The beginnings of Monotheism; 3. The book and the people; 4. Crisis and a new beginning; 5. The first kingdom of Judea; 6. Diaspora and homeland; 7. A century of disasters; 8. The rebirth of Judaism; 9. The Rabbis and their Torah; 10. The end of ancient history; Appendix 1. Three sample passages from the Babylonian Talmud; Appendix 2. Rabbinic biographies; Appendix 3. The Sabbath in the history of Judaism; Glossary; Chronology; Bibliography.

Promotional Information

A clear, straightforward account of the development of ancient Judaism in both the Judean homeland and the Diaspora.

About the Author

Robert Goldenberg is Professor of History and Judaic Studies at Stony Brook University (SUNY). He has published in numerous journals, including the Journal of Jewish Studies; Journal of the American Academy of Religion; Judaism; Harvard Theological Review; Journal for the Study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman Periods; and Jewish Studies Quarterly. His most recent book is The Nations that Know Thee Not: Ancient Jewish Attitudes toward Other Religions (1998).

Reviews

'This engaging and carefully written undergraduate textbook provides a brief history of the development of Judaism.' Journal for the Study of the Old Testament