Textual Sources for the Study of Judaism

By Philip S. Alexander

Book Overview

"Alexander assembles material from Scripture and tradition, through religious law and ethical literature to a section on Society and the Jews, and prefaces the whole with an admirable introduction."--Jonathan Sacks, Jewish Chronicle

"The texts . . . which are drawn from over two thousand years of history, are usefully divided, annotated and glossed. They enable students to explore the tradition in a new way and] give a marvellous insight into the richness and liveliness of the Jewish religion and culture: we are given wit and pathos in addition to popular story and religious law."--Janet Trotter, Resource

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226012972
• ISBN13: 9780226012971
• Release Date: November 1990
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A classic introduction to Jewish studies from the master

Philip Alexander, Professor of Post-Biblical Jewish Literature at Manchester University and Co-Director of the Centre for Jewish Studies, external examiner for Oxford and Cambridge and consultant to Tel Aviv,is probably the greatest non-Jewish scholar of Jewish history and literature since the time of Wycliffe and other classical christian Hebraists. His encyclopaedic knowledge of the Hebrew Bible, Midrash, Talmud, Targum, Mishna, Kabbalah, later rabbinic commentaries and modern history is truly awe inspiring. Recognised as a supreme scholar by everyone from Roshei Yeshivot to radical contemporaries, Prof. Alexander's innate modesty and kindness have prevented him from enjoying the international recognition he deserves. He has translated some important Dead Sea Scrolls and is about to produce a new edition of one of the most esoteric books of the Bible. Undergraduates on any course in theology and religions can do no better than to read Alexander on Judaism. This book is a classic of how it should be done but seldom is.