From the Maccabees to the Mishnah, Third Edition by Shaye Cohen

by Shaye J.D. Cohen

As interesting to read as they are informative, the volumes in this important series deal in new ways with topics & materials that illuminate the life & literature of early Christianity. Taken as a whole, the series offers various new avenues of approach to an understanding of the social, intellectual & literary environment of the early Christian movement.---Victor Paul Furnish, University Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Southern Methodist University

Genres: History, Religion, Judaism, Jewish, Nonfiction, Theology, New Testament

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Shaye J. D. Cohen is the Littauer Professor of Hebrew Literature and Philosophy in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations of Harvard University. He received his Ph.D. in Ancient History, with distinction, from Columbia University in 1975. He is also an ordained rabbi, and for many years was the Dean of the Graduate School and Shenkman Professor of Jewish History at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. Before arriving at Harvard in July 2001, he was for ten years the Samuel Ungerleider Professor of Judaic Studies and Professor of Religious Studies at Brown University. The focus of Cohen's research is the boundary between Jews and gentiles and between Judaism and its surrounding culture. He is also a published authority on Jewish reactions to Hellenism and to Christianity.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

More a textbook than a monograph—which does not stop it from advancing an argument. The major change in the current edition is a new, concluding chapter on the "parting of the ways" between Jews and Christians. I cannot imagine how the prior editions would read, as the book builds thematically toward that chapter. Cohen's take, in brief, is that the ways did not part, because they never ran together in the first place. As soon as we can identify a Christian church from documentary or material evidence, it did not mix with Jewish communities in "the land of Israel"* or in the diaspora. This telos, in retrospect, governs his prior account of Jewish practice, social organization, and belief.

Likewise, this telos is a function of the book's audience. The primary constituency for a course in "Second Temple Judaism" (let alone "The Jewish Background to the New Testament") is, if not Christian, then at least conditioned by prior interest in the New Testament or Christian origins. I should add, in this connection, that my training is in Christian systematic theology, so I am very much a part of this same audience.

Any American Jew writing for Christians knows what questions are likely to interest them. Such is the balance of power. In my judgment, Cohen assesses the New Testament, and Christian evidence on the period more generally, scrupulously and even generously: He treats Jesus as a healer, speaks of "post-resurrection" communities, and considers Paul a very strange Jew, but also a significant Jewish writer of the period and a source of evidence for Jewish language and internal politics. There is refreshingly little polemic here, at least on the surface where a non-specialist would notice it. A prior reviewer contrasts Cohen's account to that of N. T. Wright, which is frankly apologetic: Quite so.

Much of this material was familiar to me in other ways, but there was still plenty to learn from Cohen's presentation, and not only from his argument. Some takeaways—perhaps not new to you, but new to me:

—The only Jewish writer who ever self-identified as a Pharisee was Paul, and then of course as an ex-Pharisee. That name (which seems to come from a word for "separation") functioned to name a party, clearly, but that party's members never identified with it, either at the time or in retrospect. The word does not even appear in the Mishnah!
—Likewise with Sadducee, a group that leaves no written testimony at all. One clue: The root of the word seems to be Zadok, a priestly lineage also claimed at Qumran! Now I want to read a 19th-c. historical novel, à la Ben-Hur, about a falling-out of aristocratic priestly brothers in the late Hasmonean period.
—The word politeuma, cf. Phil 3:20 ("our politeuma is in heaven"), referred to autonomous ethnic communities within Greek cities, such as those of diaspora Jews. The exegetical implications are not yet clear to me, and it can simply mean "citizenship" in a broader sense, but now I'm curious whether NT commentators have picked up on the diasporic specificity here, as Paul certainly would have done.

*Cohen consistently uses this language as the counterpoint to the diaspora. He likewise includes, in his preface, a protest against the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s position on the Israel-Palestine conflict, which he believes to reflect an "obsess[ion] with the sins of Israel" on the part of Christians. (In case any reader doesn't know: The book's publisher is affiliated with the PCUSA.) I appreciated his forthrightness, while still finding the apologetic undercurrent a bit distracting. YMMV.

[Lu Tsun · Rating 3 out of 5]

REVIEW AND CRITIQUE Shaye J. D. Cohen, S. From the Maccabees to the Mishnah, 2nd ed., 2006

In From the Maccabees to the Mishnah (2nd ed., 2006), Cohen a contemporary Jewish scholar teaching at Harvard gives the most concise account of the three-hundred-and-fifty years of history of Judaism from the Maccabbees to Mishnah. This work is significant to Christian biblical scholarship because Cohen in his research and presentation completely stands away from the current debate regarding early Judaism and unsurprisingly he presents a complete different picture of the history from that offered by the "New Perspective" scholars such as James Dunn and N. T. Wright.

Cohen's study was influenced by Wayne A. Weeks, the pioneer in biblical scholarship who applies sociological approach to the social history of the NT period. His results focus on the general diversity of Jewish world and religious thoughts in the Second Temple period, with mild intention of advocating for the "common Judaism" (Judaism as practiced by the common people) and the religiosity as shown in the liturgical life.

Different from N.T. Wright's summary of the themes of early Judaism (Monotheism, Election, Eschatology), Cohen concludes, ""...the three themes of the Shema are the Kingship of God, Reward and Punishment, and Redemption...by virtue of its central place in the liturgy, serves well as a convenient outline of Jewish beliefs (76)."

Apparently unaware of, or uninterested in, Wright's thesis of Israel's corporate notion of Israel's national identity, Cohen remarks,

"It is perhaps not surprising that outsiders saw the Jews as a single people or ethnic group. Outsiders seldom see the disagreements, tensions, and rivalries that are so apparent to insiders. It is perhaps more surprising that the Jews of antiquity, in some contexts at least, saw themselves as citizens of one nation and one religion, unaware of, or oblivious to, the fact that they were separated from each other by their diverse languages, practices, ideologies, and political loyalties. But in fact, for all of their disagreements and rivalries, ancient Jews were united by a common set of practices and beliefs that characterized virtually all segments of Jewry...This common Judaism was the unity within the diversity (14)."

Also different from Wright, Cohen notes the "innovative" development of reward and punishment to the individuals as opposed to the corporate reward and punishment in the Second Temple period,

"Ezekiel claims that every person receives his or her just deserts from God. The author of Chronicles, a work of the Persian or early Hellenistic period, implemented this theory in his revision of the book of Kings. The Deuteronomic historian was satisfied with the doctrine of corporate responsibility, but the Chronicler was not (85)."

And finally, Cohen's reconstruction of the eschatology in the Second Temple Judaism is much closer to the traditional Christian understanding and more distant to Wright's version:

"Preexilic Israel and Second Temple Judaism also differed in their understanding of theodicy, God's administration of justice...Preexilic Israel believed that God administered justice in this world. The righteous and the wicked were not always the direct recipients of God;s attentions, because God could reward or punish their offspring in their stead (emphasis on the collective). Second Temple Judaism insisted that God punishes and rewards only those who deserve it, and that the conduct of one's ancestors is irrelevant (emphasis on the individual). Since God does not always seem to set matters right in this world, he must do so in the next. Second Temple Judaism therefore elaborated complex schemes included the resurrection of the dead. Just as God will reestablish justice for the individual, he shall do so for the nation by destroying the yoke of the nations and restoring the sovereignty of the people of Israel. Jerusalem and the temple will be restored to their former glory and God's annointed one (messiah) shall reign securely, All of these eschatological doctrines....are innovations of Second Temple Judaism (10)."

Critiques:

It is very unfortunate that Cohen's work has been rarely heeded by biblical scholars. This is such a vivid example of how a Jewish historian is not able to reproduce Wright's reconstruction of historical early Judaism.

Cohen's own reconstruction, however, is not without flaws. First of all, he fails to engage detailed exegeses of the Jewish literatures throughout the whole book. And he is not so much self-aware of his own hermeneutic assumptions as the contemporary scholars. He tends to read more Mishnah tradition into the early traditions. And his focus on the "common Judaism" in the liturgical form has misdirected him from probing the depth of Jewish thoughts as contained in the literatures.

His general lack of the skills in "narrative analysis" and "worldview analysis" in historical study makes him appear more superficial than Wright. However it also exposes the possibility that Wright's approach is not so much purely "historian" but also a mixture of ideological re-imagination in the enterprise of historical study. Cohen remains to be a Jewish Rabbis and historian rather than an interpreter and philosopher.

[[Name Redacted] · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic, not without it's flaws, but worth reading for anyone who wants a basic understanding of the Second Temple period. Sometimes his fealty to rabbinic Judaism bleeds through, sometimes you wouldn't know he was religious! More good than bad, but the parts where his scholarly facade drops or he makes groundless conjectures are hair-tearing-out frustrating. Previously read in 2004, and turned to again and again as a resource for studying the Second Temple period. Especially valuable for establishing the anthropomorphic view of the Israelite/Jewish/Christian God as the ORIGINAL view for all three periods.

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers the history of the Second Temple period that began with the rise of the Maccabees around 160 BC to the destruction of the Temple in 70 and a bit beyond. As the author noted in the beginning of the book this was a time of a diverse group of sects, groups and social/cultural dynamic within Judaism and interaction with those on the outside such as Hellenistic and Roman culture. The author himself is not a Christian but a Jew though this book is published by the publishing arm of a mainline Protestant denomination (specifically the PCUSA); his perspective at times goes against what evangelical Christians would believe but it also goes against the very denomination of the publishers such as the authors preface protesting the PCUSA’s stance against Israel. Yet this book has managed to be in print for decades and it is on its third edition. In reading this book there were some great takeaways while there were also some parts of the book that raised some concerns.
Good:
- The book convincingly made the argument that the Jews tend to pursue the political stance of accommodation with Gentile rulers rather than rebellion with only four exceptional instances.
- The author had a good discussion about the term Hellenistic Judaism because it is not as if there is a Judaism that was non-Hellenistic versus that which was Hellenistic during the Post-Persian period; rather the Hellenism of the Judaism of those period was one of degrees; Cohen sees the term better used as a chronological indicator of the religion after Alexander the Great.
- Cohen shares with the reader that conversion to Judaism entail three elements: monotheism, circumcision and integration into the Jewish community. He also note the distinction that a “Judaized” Gentile might not necessarily adopt all of the theology of Judaism since practice is more determinative than theology for most Jews during this era.
- The discussion on the synagogue is excellent. Second Temple Judaism supplemented the temple with the synagogue and the priest with scribes who were learned teachers.
- The discussion about sects was also very insightful. Cohen define sect as a small group which separate itself from the majority and sees itself as the sole group that understand God’s will. Sectarian grounds in Judaism often clash on three points: the law, temple and interpretation of God’s Word. He also caution that sectarianism is not the same thing as mere diversity.
- This books gives a good introduction to the Talmud and other Jewish religious writing such as commentaries and paraphrase.
- The end of the book had a helpful “Further reading” section in which the author introduces to the reader scholarly editions of primary sources and also important secondary sources. These are helpful pointers for further study!
Problems:
- There is an interesting secular/sacred, faith/fact divide that the author assumes that colors his perspective. For instance on location 261 the author does not think history can answer the question of whether or not Christianity is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. Why not? If Christianity is a religion with historical claims and the Old Testament also makes future historical claims the authors claim is problematic.
- In location 3509 Cohen claims divine origin isn’t necessary for biblical status which to me is hard to prove.
- The author takes a liberal dating of the bible that reflect the perspective of the historical critical perspective. For instance in location 1804 Cohen assumes Ecclesiastes was a product of the Hellenistic period rather than Solomonic in origins. Cohen also assume the existence of more than one Isaiah. Moments like these in the book took away from the books strength.
- The chapter on the Canon is the most disagreeable chaper of the book for me. I suppose if there is any value in it, it is a concise summary of a liberal perspective on the Canon.
Conclusion
I do recommend this book but also caution it be read with Christian discernment and maturity.
NOTE: This book was provided to me free by Westminster John Knox Press and Net Galley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book describes itself as an introduction to the 350 or so years of Jewish history between the Maccabees to the Mishnah. For most people what is found in this book should be more than sufficient to inform and revise many commonly held assumptions about Jews, Judaism: their history, culture, society, religion, and politics during that time.

Chapter Eight is new in this Third Edition. This chapter discusses the "separation" that took place between Judaism and Christianity. What the chapter reveals is that this was a lengthy process and not nearly as clear-cut as it has been so frequently presented. In fact in some cases it is difficult to see that a "separation" actually took place since because there was no common communion between the two groups. In other cases a separation occurred, not because there was an explicit forcing out of Christianity from Judaism, but because it simply became difficult to maintain social connections when social practices became so different. These and other possibilities are discussed.

The end of the book includes extensive bibliography and suggestions for further study for those who desire to go beyond this "introduction."

Writing as a life-long Christian and as a pastor, this book opened my eyes to ways of thinking about the period of the gospels and the apostles in new ways. The relationships between Jesus, the apostles, the various Jewish sects, the controversies, the intent of the New Testament writings, etc. are far more complicated than is typically heard in Christian settings. The way Christians interpret and discuss Jews and Judaism of the period needs to become more nuanced and charitable. For example, the picture of Pharisees in the gospels are more stereotypes and caricatures than what history reveals as reality of the period. What seems to have happened is that later Christian attitudes crept into the preserved writings and their interpretations, which have been handed down as "true traditions" ever since. This book provides a needed corrective to the "jaundiced" tradition that Christians have received over the centuries and millennia.

I recommend this book to all pastors. As pastors we need to stop perpetuating inaccurate histories and traditions when accurate ones are available. Yes, doing so will challenge us in how to incorporate and present new understandings, and it will challenge our congregations.

(Based on ARC via NetGalley.)

[Dan Curnutt · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a history book written by a Professor from Harvard I found that this text was completely readable and easy to follow. It is scholarly but written for even the layman to understand.

This is the third edition of the book, for some great reviews go back to the first and second editions and you will find very lengthly well written reviews. For a third edition you expect to find some new material. Chapter 8 is the best section of "new" material as it takes you from the Jewish culture and history to that of Christianity. The first two editions lacked this section, but that was not an oversight it was intentional as the book is about the culture and history of Israel before the advent of Christianity.

For most Christians we have not read the history of the Jews that is found most commonly in the Apocrypha. This was included in Catholic Bibles but is absent in Protestant Bibles. But more than the history of the Apocrypha Professor Cohen takes us through the history of Israel from the time of minor prophets through the 400 years of silence leading up to the New Testament. It is a great textbook for us on learning much more about the nation of Israel and what happened to them and brought them to the place that they are today.

I found that material highly interesting and found myself asking, why hadn't I heard about the first two editions? I'm grateful that I heard about this third edition and grateful to the publisher for making a review copy available to me.

For students of the Bible and Christianity I think that this textbook is a must read as it will bring together many aspects of the nation of Israel that answer underlying questions that you might have as to why they rejected the Messiah, why they act the way they do and the frustration they must have felt with the subjugation they underwent by being over run and ruled by foreign kings and dictators forever.

I won't go into the technical side of the book, I think that this is done by reviews of volume two. The first two reviews by David Blair and Bruce Marold are excellent and well worth your read.

Consider this as your next technical read or a gift to the one you know who loves history, theology, or anything Jewish

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second Temple Judaism around 180 BCE would have seemed reasonably familiar, with appropriate empire adaptations, to Ezra and Nehemiah. Judaism since 400 has developed in its various permutations from the shared inheritance of Rabbinic Judaism.

It’s the period in-between which proved so convulsive on so many levels. And it is well covered by Shaye J.D. Cohen in From the Maccabees to the Mishnah (affiliate link).

The original work was composed in the 1980s; the author has since added more about women during this period as well as the parting of the ways between Judaism and Christianity. Its continued relevance is a testimony to the quality of the work: these days much of what was produced before the 21st century, especially in terms of history, is often treated with reasonable skepticism.

The author thus explores the final 225 or so of the Second Temple Period, the First and Second Jewish Wars, and the development of Rabbinic Judaism from 70 to around 300. There is less focus on specific events and more focus on social, cultural, and religious developments. The author well explores the sources, what we can know about life in these periods in both the land of Judea and in diaspora, the various sects of Judaism, how they are portrayed, and what we can really know about them (with appropriate discussion of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls), religious practice in the synagogues and Temple, relations with Rome, the “canonization” process and what that would have looked like, what can be known about the condition of Judaism after the First and Second Jewish Wars, the rabbinic synthesis, and much regarding Christian views about Judaism and Rabbinic Judaism’s overall silence about/ignoring of Christianity in the first few centuries CE.

This is a good and helpful resource to come to a better understanding of a most pivotal time in Judaism and the timeframe of Jesus, the Apostles, and early Christians from a Jewish and historical perspective.

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I learned enough to handle Greek texts in college and seminary, I never learned any Hebrew, not even the alphabet. Consequently, most of my biblical work was with the Christian Scriptures.

Cohen's 'From the Maccabees to the Mishnah' was good survey of the intertestamental period so important to a contextualized understanding of early Christianity and rabbinic Judaism. Some of it was review, but much was new to me.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, easily readable survey of this period, complete with generous footnotes and recommended resources for further study.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a survey of Jewish culture, theology and politics from the time of Antiochus IV to the end of the first century, including an overview of the Rabbinic era. Cohen does an admirable job of describing the diversity of Judaism in this era, the political turmoil brought about by revolts and destruction of the Second Temple, the nature of the sects, the changing political power of various members of Jewish society such as from the priests to the patriarch and so forth. The only reason I give it four instead of five stars is because the book seemed to lag in generalities at parts which could have been cut short to focus on more meaty substance (such as determining whether or not to use the term orthodox, or normative). Overall an excellent introduction to obviously a complex and transformative time for Jewish history.

[Brian LePort · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shaye J.D. Cohen has once again updated his popular introduction to early Judaism (1st = 1987; 2nd = 2005). This 3rd edition contains some cosmetic changes ("I have rewritten sentences and paragraphs here and there..."), and some additional information ("I have added some references in footnotes."), but the most important change is an additional chapter. Cohen's eighth chapter addresses the so-called "parting of the ways" between Christianity and Judaism ("Preface to the Third Edition", xi) Originally the book was to be written as a sort of background to early Christianity, but Cohen has written an introduction to early Judaism that is aware of incipient Christianity, but not consumed by it.

Read the rest of my thoughts here: http://www.brianleport.com/personal-b...

[Ron]

Some would say that they can't appreciate a book that they've been assigned to read. This was the first book that was assigned to me in a college course on the New Testament. I must say, though, that I've thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The author, Shaye J.D. Cohen, describes in in a readable way the history of second temple Judaism, and its impact on the development of early Christianity. The book is written from a historical perspective only, and the author takes pains not to insert comments that might indicate a sectarian or religious bias. Every serious student of the development of early Christianity should know something about second temple Judaism, and this book provides a good foundation upon which further studies can be pursued.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book, but not organized usefully for my classes. I'm teaching a Jewish history course going from the late 7th century BCE through the 3rd century CE, or so, and I teach it chronologically. Because this book is organized thematically, I might use a chapter but it doesn't work as a main textbook for the course. This is a shame, because as a reader, I much prefer this to the textbook that I am using for that class.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great college-level, beginning introduction to post-Maccabean Judaism and the rise of Rabbinic Judaism.

[Dennis Fischman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm used to reading scholarly books for general audiences. I know a bit about the Maccabees and the Mishnah and too little about events in between. Therefore, I was the right reader for this enlightening book. Here are just a handful of the things I learned from reading it:

Between the Jewish-Roman War that led to the destruction of the Temple (70 CE) and the Bar Kokhba rebellion (132-135 CE), there were also Jewish rebellions against Roman rule in other parts of North Africa and the Middle East.

Anti-Jewish religion stereotypes developed as ideological justifications for political attacks on Judeans. They later evolved into antisemitic stereotypes with a force of their own.

The synagogue as house of prayer was originally distinct from the house of study. The latter was a Pharisee institution; the former predated the Pharisee movement and remained open to Jews of all types until after the destruction of the Temple. (Growing up in an era when "Judaism" and "rabbinical Judaism" essentially mean the same thing, I never learned that history.)

Angelology and demonology were more prominent in second temple Judaism than before or after.

Relatively speaking, concerns about individual morality and purity, reward and punishment became more salient in a culture that had mostly been concerned with the exile and redemption of the whole community before.

Unlike in biblical times, the Temple and the high priest and his followers (Sadducees) played a central governing role. For that reason, ordinary people (mostly under the influence of the Pharisees) and sectarians (Essenes, Christians, other fringe groups) could consider those institutions vital while rebelling against the ruling elite.

It is hazardous to make generalizations that apply both to Judaism in the land of Israel and Judaism in the diaspora during this period.

Books could be considered divinely inspired and still not enter the canon (i.e., be chosen as part of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh. Jews also considered the Five Books of Moses, or Torah, to be at a higher level of divine inspiration (or even revelation) than the Prophets and the Writings, whereas the Christians (who began as a Jewish sect) saw them as all equally sacred (and added apocryphal books as well).

After the destruction of the Temple, "Judaism gradually assumed the shape that it would retain until the rise of modernity" (231), a "book religion."

But--and I had to turn to the 3rd edition to find Cohen's chapter on this--the parting of the ways between Judaism and Christianity didn't come about mainly because of disputes over biblical interpretation or doctrine. Jewish sources like the Talmud and even the Tosefta hardly address Christian ideas at all. It came about because more and more, Christianity became a religion of gentiles. The Romans recognized this: when they made way against the Jews, they didn't care about the non-Jewish Christians, and when they persecuted the Christians, they left the Jews who didn't follow Jesus alone. It became less and less tenable to be a Jewish Christian (as most of Jesus's early followers were). You had to choose.

I am participating in a group that's reading through the entire 929 chapters of the Tanakh, a chapter a day. We are currently in Psalms. When we get to Ezra and Nehemiah and the story of the return from Babylonian exile and the building of the second temple, I may want to read this book again.

My big question is this: the book was published as part of Westminster Press's Library of Early Christianity. What would a religious Christian make of it? I've asked some Christian friends to read it and let me know.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This introduction to the transition that occurred in the Jewish faith during the early centuries of the Christian era does a good job of keeping things simple for those not intimately acquainted with the Jewish talmudic writings. The book wasn't quite what I was expecting, given that the title leads one to believe the account will be a narrative one, marching from a few centuries from Jesus to the rabbinic era that would follow a few centuries after. Cohen, however, opts to organize the book around themes more than chronology. While the lack of chronology was a bit disappointing to me, the themes prove to be an effective means to explore the transition nonetheless.

Cohen does, of course, provide some chronology, especially toward the beginning and end of his book, but that is mostly to give readers a bit of a skeleton onto which to hang the subjects that he addresses.

Among those subjects are the hellenization of the Jewish faith and the manner in which the Jewis faith existed in these early centuries. Cohen posits that religion was more of a practice, a way of life, than a philosophy for most Jewish people--and indeed for most religions until the tenets of Greek philosophy began to play a greater role in the thinking of peoples. As that took hold, some Jewish diasporic writers also tried to do more "thinking" on various theological subjects and even to pose Judaism as a philosophical religion that predated much of the philosophy that was emerging.

Cohen also explores the various sects that existed within the Jewish faith and how sectarianism in large part ceased as rabbinic structures took hold. The reason for this was in part because many sects were forged around criticism of temple authorities; once the temple no longer existed, the reason for the existence of many such sects also ceased to exist.

One chapter explores the canonization of the Jewish scriptures and the formation of the Mishnah, a subject dealt with by another book (Early Biblical Interpretation) in this series (The Library of Early Christianity) but that is summed up quite effectively in one chapter.

The final chapter focuses on the emergence of the rabbinic system.

As with all the books in this series, the fact that these books are in many ways summaries of prevailing research in the field makes them difficult to summarize themselves. But among the books in the series, this is one of the better ones.

[Samuel Draper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book for Dr. Shively's class on the Gospels. It is a broad overview of the Second Temple period that takes into account the extreme turmoil and the multitude of groups and identities that were all mixing in Judah throughout the 600 year period. This book gave me a helpful understanding of the context for many important events in that region, not the least of which were Rome's conquest of Judah, Christ's crucifixion, Judah's destruction, and the writing of the New Testament texts.

Medium recommendation to anyone interested in an overview of Judah from 175 BC to 400 AD.

[Omri Flicker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent survey of the formative period of or pre-cursor to rabbinic Judaism.

Clear and concise. Broad sweeping statements about the time period in question. Acknowledged the limitations of scholarship for the period.

The chapters on canonization and “parting of the ways”. Eternal Judaism and Christianity were less interesting to me, but still very good.

Read the third edition.

[. . · Rating 5 out of 5]

I go back and read parts of it all the time. It goes into detail of the second Temple and BCE and CE before common era and of the common era In 587 Jerusalem and it’s Temple we’re destroyed and the Kingdom was no longer.

[Jessica DMJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief 350 year history of Judaism from, well, the Maccabees to the Mishnah. A sufficient text, but a bit dry. Feels like something I would've had to read as a history class assignment. Had to read for my conversion

[Joe Q. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A standard text on the history of Judaism in the Second Temple and immediate post-Temple period. The book is comprehensive, well written, and a great scholarly introduction to this period of Jewish history.

[Steve Gross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting survey of second temple Judaism with many fascinating speculations. Cohen does tend to use "I" too much.

[Troy Nevitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super dry. Didn't find it very interesting. It did help me understand some things though. It's a helpful resource (dating aside). Probably better out there.

[Rebekka Bork · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helt klart den bedste bog på markedet om tidlig jødedom. Selvfølgelig har den mangler, men det giver en meget fyldestgørende analyse af den tidlige jødedom!

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

An informative, fascinating, and elucidating read!

[Beth SHULAM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough research and authoritative tome on the origins of rabbinic Judaism.

[Fred Snyder · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have to admit, DNF, >50%. The presentation was too academic for my causal reading.
This was the opposite of Visotsky's "Aphrodite and the Rabbis," which I found entertaining but without any academic standing.
If one was looking for source material to cite for a dissertation, this is the book.

[Maddie Joyner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for class, generally a snooze-fest but also taught me interesting stuff

[Jonathan Kahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and insightful. Uses a broad array of sources. I enjoyed this immensely.

[Sophia]

a good introduction to the time period, some of it may be a little dated, but is a straight-up history for people who aren't familiar.