Early Judaism: New Insights and Scholarship (Jewish Studies in the Twenty-First Century Book 1) edited by Frederick E. Greenspahn, is part of a multi-book series that examines different aspects of the Jewish experience through a a distinctly contemporary lens.
This book takes on the puzzle of how Judaism underwent the various mutations necessarily to transform from a tribal, temple, and finally a rabbinical ‘religion’. We get very modern questions asked against the backdrop of a very disputed ancient history: were Jews a nation in the modern sense? Is the land of Israel / Diaspora dichotomy applicable in the past? What is and was the relationship of Judaism and the Temple? Were ancient synagogues used in the same manner as their modern versions? And more.
There is fantastic food for thought here. Lots of questions asked and some even answered. This is a fresh approach to an old subject.
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