In the past, Old Testament scholars have characterized Hebrew religious practices of the postexilic period as a time of priestly legalism. Viewed in this way, the developments of this period paled in light of the First Temple period. However, as the essays in this collection demonstrate, the postexilic period was actually an age in which "it all came together," an age of robust religious vitality that gave birth to Rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity.

The contributors to Passion, Vitality, and Foment focus on the range of religious advances in this time period, from the Sabbath...