Set in ancient Israel, the narrative explores the profound spiritual and cultural transformation of a people chosen to serve God. It delves into the lives of key figures who shaped the nation, highlighting their struggles, faith, and the establishment of a covenant community. The book examines themes of identity, sacrifice, and divine purpose, offering insights into the rituals and laws that defined the Israelite society. Through vivid storytelling, it brings to life the historical context and the significance of the priestly role in guiding the nation.
This accessible and enlightening history provides insights into the
fascinating genre of apocalyptic literature, showing how the apocalypse
encompasses far more than popular views of the last judgment and violent end
of the world might suggest.
This volume contains articles by Martha Himmelfarb on topics in Second Temple Judaism and the development and reception of Second Temple traditions in late antiquity and the Middle Ages. The section on „Priests, Temples, and Torah“ addresses the themes of its title in texts from the Bible to the Mishnah. „Purity in the Dead Sea Scrolls“ contains articles analyzing the intensification of the biblical purity laws, particularly the laws for genital discharge, in the major legal documents from the Scrolls. In „Judaism and Hellenism“ the author explores the relationship between these two ancient cultures by examining the ancient and modern historiography of the Maccabean Revolt and the role of the Torah in ancient Jewish adaptations of Greek culture. The last two sections of the volume follow texts and traditions of the Second Temple period into late antiquity and the Middle Ages. The articles in „Heavenly Ascent“ consider the relationship between the ascent apocalypses of the Second Temple period and later works involving heavenly ascent, particularly the hekhalot texts. In the final section, „The Pseudepigrapha and Medieval Jewish Literature,“ Himmelfarb investigates evidence for knowledge of works of the Second Temple period by medieval Jews with consideration of the channels by which the works might have reached these later readers.
