Reviews

This is a concise, beautifully organized historical overview of Second Temple Judaism which demonstrates how the religion of the Talmudic rabbis developed from the religion of biblical Israel. Schiffman (Judaic studies, NYU) takes a conservative approach in his main thesis by arguing that Rabbinic Judaism was not a radical break with the religion of ancient Israel, but rather a logical development of that faith. A concomitant view is that while this period brought forth several different approaches to the Jewish religion, they all basically reflected one, as opposed to several, Judaisms. This study is an excellent history of a complex period which may be appreciated by general readers as well as scholars interested in this area of Judaica.-- Robert A. Silver, Shaker Heights P.L., Ohio