The origins of the synagogue remain shrouded in mystery and its development in its early centuries is only slightly better understood. This book brings together over twenty essays from Israeli, British, and American scholars to explore the development of the ancient synagogue. Combining original articles with the best of earlier studies--including nine articles here translated from the Hebrew for the first time--this collection presents the fullest critical picture of the early synagogue and the scholarly discussions concerning it. The book focuses on two central questions. First, what were...
The origins of the synagogue remain shrouded in mystery and its development in its early centuries is only slightly better understood. This book bring...
If Greek was the language by which Palestinian Jews talked to the Empire, then Aramaic and Hebrew were the languages by which they talked to themselves. In this context, what resulted when they translated the Hebrew Bible into Aramaic? Moments of the inner Jewish conversation about the meaning and relevance of Hebrew Scriptures frozen in Aramaic renditions. The scholars in this volume use these Aramaic translations, known as the Targums, like dioramas, peering through them to glimpse these moments in the development of Judaism and its theology. Dedicated to Ernest G. Clarke, the essays...
If Greek was the language by which Palestinian Jews talked to the Empire, then Aramaic and Hebrew were the languages by which they talked to themselve...
