Creation and Composition

Creation and Composition
Author: Jeffrey L. Rubenstein
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
Total Pages: 476
Release: 2005
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9783161486920

The contributors to this book analyze how the redactors of the Talmud transformed and reworked earlier aggadic (non-legal) traditions. Critical study of the Babylonian Talmud is founded on the distinction between two literary strata: traditions attributed to named sages (the Amoraim, c. 200-450 CE) and setam hatalmud, the unattributed or anonymous material. The conclusion of modern scholars is that the anonymous stratum postdates the Amoraic stratum and should be attributed to the Talmudic redactors, also known as Stammaim (c. 450-700 CE.) The contribution of the Stammaim to the aggadic (non-legal) portions of the Talmud - to midrash, narratives, ethics and theology - has received minimal scholarly attention. The articles in this book demonstrate that the Stammaim made a profound contribution to the aggadic portions of the Babylonian Talmud and illustrate the processes by which they created and composed many aggadic traditions.

Understanding the Talmud

Understanding the Talmud
Author: Edward S. Boraz
Publisher: Jason Aronson
Total Pages: 230
Release: 1996
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1568216165

Presents a thoughtful introduction to the Talmud designed for study by the untrained reader.

An Introduction to Jewish Ethics

An Introduction to Jewish Ethics
Author: Louis Newman
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 286
Release: 2019-10-16
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1317347234

For courses in Religion, Judaism and Ethics. This text offers an overview of the Jewish ethical tradition as it has evolved from biblical times to the present. Provides an overview of the central beliefs of classical Judaism and the ways in which these frame traditional Jewish approaches to issues in ethics, both theoretical and practical.

The Alexander Romance by Ps.-Callisthenes

The Alexander Romance by Ps.-Callisthenes
Author: Krzysztof Nawotka
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 371
Release: 2017-07-31
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9004335226

The Alexander Romance by Ps.-Callisthenes of Krzysztof Nawotka is a guide to a third century AD fictional biography of Alexander the Great, the anonymous Historia Alexandri Magni. It is a historical commentary which identifies all names and places in this piece of Greek literature approached as a source for the history of Alexander the Great, from kings, like Nectanebo II of Egypt and Darius III of Persia, to fictional characters. It discusses real and imaginary geography of the Alexander Romance. While dealing with all aspects of Ps.-Callisthenes relevant to Greek history and to Macedonia, its pays particular attention to aspects of ancient history and culture of Babylonia and Egypt and to the multi-layered foundation story of Alexandria.

Behold the Man

Behold the Man
Author: Kirk Kimball
Publisher: Universal-Publishers
Total Pages: 702
Release: 2002
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781581126334

A completely historical dramatization of the life of Jesus.

Jewish Choices, Jewish Voices

Jewish Choices, Jewish Voices
Author: Elliot N. Dorff
Publisher: Jewish Publication Society
Total Pages: 169
Release: 2010
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0827609558

In the newest addition to the Jewish Choices, Jewish Voices series, co-editors Elliot Dorff and Danya Ruttenberg have brought together a diverse group of Jews to comment on how Judaism affects their views and actions regarding sex. Contributors range from adult movie actor Ron Jeremy, to renowned feminist scholar Martha Ackelsberg, to noted writer and blogger Esther Kustanowitz, as well as rabbis, doctors, social workers, and activists. They discuss issues of monogamy, honesty, and communication in dating and marriage; testing for and disclosure of STDs; abortion, sex education, sex work, and sexuality. Each volume in this series presents hypothetical cases on specific topics, followed by traditional and contemporary sources. Supplementing these are brief essays, written by contributors of various ages, backgrounds, and viewpoints to provoke lively thought and discussion. These voices from Jewish tradition and today’s Jewish community present us with new questions and perspectives, encouraging us to consider our own moral choices in a new light.

Sacred Encounter

Sacred Encounter
Author: Lisa L. Grushcow
Publisher: CCAR Press
Total Pages: 564
Release: 2014-03-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0881232246

This wide-ranging anthology takes a close look at the breadth of human sexuality from a Jewish perspective. The essays begin with a look at biblical and rabbinic views on sexuality, and then proceed to explorations of sexuality at different moments in the life cycle, sexuality and the marital model, diverse expressions of sexuality, examples of sexuality education, the nexus of sexuality and theology, and the challenges of contemporary sexual ethics. The Sacred Encounter is a thought-provoking and important Jewish resource. Perfect for personal study, or for high school or adult classes. Published by CCAR Press, a division of the Central Conference of American Rabbis

The Evolution of Judaism from Ezra to the Present

The Evolution of Judaism from Ezra to the Present
Author: Martin Sicker
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
Total Pages: 492
Release: 2019-07-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1796045535

Pharisaic Judaism, discussed in part 1 of this study, was an inseparable element in the political history of the Second Hebrew Commonwealth. With the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, along with the skeleton of what was once a Jewish state, Judaism entered a period of crisis far more severe than experienced with the destruction of the First Temple, along with the First Hebrew Commonwealth. Pharisaic Judaism, integral to the now nonexistent Jewish state, of necessity gave way to Rabbinic Judaism, which, as a minority religious culture, took root primarily in the enclaves of Jews strewn throughout the diaspora with little or mostly no control over their very existence. And in the absence of a centralized religious authority such as the Sanhedrin in the Temple complex, Jewish communities throughout the Diaspora developed different religious customs, traditions, and in some instances, belief systems, all nominally based on the core teachings of Scripture. Part 2 of this study of the evolution of Judaism from Ezra to the present day will attempt to trace significant developments along that evolutionary path from the transition from Pharisaic to Rabbinic Judaism, that is, Judaism as understood by the different schools of rabbis, as decisors, scholars, and teachers over the past two millennia.

Legalizing Plural Marriage

Legalizing Plural Marriage
Author: Mark Goldfeder
Publisher: Brandeis University Press
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2017-06-06
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1611688353

Offers a legal and historical context for reforming family law and legalizing plural marriage

Onkelos on the Torah: Ṿa-yiḳra

Onkelos on the Torah: Ṿa-yiḳra
Author: Israel Drazin
Publisher: Gefen Publishing House Ltd
Total Pages: 380
Release: 2006
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9789652294258

Onkelos On the Torah: Understanding the Bible Text is a unique and remarkable translation and English commentary of the Targum Onkelos, the first and only rabbinically authorized translation of the Torah.