A Short History of Judaism

by Jacob Neusner

One of the world's experts on classical Jewish history and literature here offers a clear and useful interpretation of the three major periods of Jewish history from the time of the Bible up to the present. It is a view from the inside, a description of the actual practice and thought of three the time of the Jerusalem temples the Judaism of any place (the dispersion) the modern period The inner dynamics of each period are capsulized in terms of three the priest's meal with God in the Temple, all Israel's meals with God in no particular place, and all Israel's meals at home on the special occasion of the gathering of the family. This book offers a distinctive solution to the problem that all teachers of the study of religion how to relate the religion described in books to the same religion as it is lived in the world. What emerges is a captivating account of the life-forming nature of a dynamic religion in vastly differing historical contests. Included are maps, illustrations, photographs, and a glossary.

244 pages, Paperback

First published January 5, 1992

About the author

Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Neusner was educated at Harvard University, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (where he received rabbinic ordination), the University of Oxford, and Columbia University.

Neusner is often celebrated as one of the most published authors in history (he has written or edited more than 950 books.)Since 1994, he taught at Bard College. He also taught at Columbia University, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Brandeis University, Dartmouth College, Brown University, and the University of South Florida.

Neusner was a member of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, and a life member of Clare Hall, Cambridge University. He is the only scholar to have served on both the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts. He also received scores of academic awards, honorific and otherwise.

Reviews

[[Name Redacted] · Rating 2 out of 5]

Less scholarly examination or meditative history, this work is both apologetic and didactic in nature, with an odd admixture of scolding and evangelism. Utterly useless for my present purposes but potentially worth another look later on for a course on Jewish self-perception.