Known mainly because of the holiday of Hanukkah, the Maccabean era is a fascinating and significant period of history that is vital to our understanding of the formation of Judaism. Yet even to those well versed in the history of the Jewish people, the name Alcimus, High Priest of Judaea in the years after Hanukkah, is basically unknown. Alcimus' enemy Judas Maccabaeus and his Hasmonean descendants considered Alcimus to be an evil man, and since the victors write history, the ancient sources express that prejudice. Most modern scholars, in attempting to reconstruct the history of that period,...

In a series of readable essays written in an engaging manner and a positive mode, author Benjamin Edidin Scolnic evaluates the biblical texts in the light of all the information we possess at this time. Scolnic asks the reader to join the ongoing dialogue between faith and history by carefully reviewing the textual and material evidence with an open mind. He does not so much seek to prove or disprove the Bible, but rather attempts to find middle ground through the exploration of its historical dimension.

In a series of pointed and concise essays, Benjamin Edidin Scolnic, rabbi and scholar, interprets the Bible not as 'The Word' but as 'God's Words.' The open-minded reader will find contradictions at every turn and be forced to wrestle with difficult passages fraught with moral and spiritual complexity.