The Talmud: A Biography

By Barry Scott Wimpfheimer

Book Overview

The life and times of an enduring work of Jewish spirituality

The Babylonian Talmud, a postbiblical Jewish text that is part scripture and part commentary, is an unlikely bestseller. Written in a hybrid of Hebrew and Aramaic, it is often ambiguous to the point of incomprehension, and its subject matter reflects a narrow scholasticism that should hardly have broad appeal. Yet the Talmud has remained in print for centuries and is more popular today than ever. Barry Scott Wimpfheimer tells the remarkable story of this ancient Jewish book, explaining why the Talmud is at once a received source of traditional teachings, a touchstone of cultural authority, and a powerful symbol of Jewishness for supporters and critics alike.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0691209227
• ISBN13: 9780691209227
• Release Date: September 2020
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.5" x 8.5"