Eerdmans Early Judaism Collection (7 vols.)

by Matthias Henze; Daniel C. Harlow; John J. Collins; James C. VanderKam

and

4 more

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 2001–2013

Overview

The Eerdmans Early Judaism Collection from Eerdmans provides a comprehensive overview of the literature and culture of Judaism leading up to the arrival of Christ. Focusing predominantly on the Second Temple period, this collection some of the most recent Judaic scholarship is a valuable addition to the library of those interested in the history, theology, and culture of the society through which the gospel first came to the world.

Matthias Henze covers the exegesis of the Hebrew Bible before the birth of Christ in A Companion to Biblical Interpretation in Early Judaism. Gerbern S. Oegema examines the theological implications of apocryphal texts associated with the Hebrew Bible in Early Judaism and Modern Culture. James C. VanderKam uses the latest archaeological data to take us on an illustrated adventure of early Jewish culture and literature in An Introduction to Early Judaism. Joseph A Fitzmyer explores how Jews before Christ came to anticipate a coming messiah. These and other volumes provide a comprehensive and authoritative guide to Judaism as it was when Jesus was born.

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Key Features

• Comprehensive guide to Judaism of the Second Temple period
• Contemporary scholarship on the literature and exegesis of the Hebrew Bible and associated extracanonical texts
• Contextual insights for modern application

Product Details

• Title: Early Judaism Collection
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Volumes: 7
• Pages: 2,924

Individual Overviews

A Companion to Biblical Interpretation in Early Judaism

• Author: Matthias Henze
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 2012
• Pages: 584

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

A Companion to Biblical Interpretation in Early Judaism presents 18 commissioned articles on biblical exegesis in early Judaism, covering the period after the Hebrew Bible was written and before the beginning of rabbinic Judaism. The essays, all written by experts in the field, are arranged in seven categories: Hebrew Bible, rewritten Bible, Qumran literature, apocalyptic literature and testaments, wisdom literature, Hellenistic Judaism, and biblical interpretation in antiquity. Together these essays provide a systematic and comprehensive introduction to the diverse modes of scriptural interpretation practiced by a diverse and dynamic spectrum of Jewish groups in the Hellenistic and early Roman eras.

Matthias Henze holds the Watt J. and Lilly G. Jackson Chair in Biblical Studies and is founding director of the Jewish studies program at Rice University. He is also the editor of Biblical Interpretations at Qumran and the author of The Syriac Apocalypse of Daniel and The Madness of King Nebuchadnezzar: The Ancient Near Eastern Origins and Early History of Interpretation of Daniel 4.

Early Judaism and Modern Culture: Literature and Theology

• Author: Gerbern S. Oegema
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 2011
• Pages: 256

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Although much recent attention has been given to the literary and historical merits of the apocrypha, pseudepigrapha, and other deutero- and extracanonical writings, Early Judaism and Modern Culture shows that it is also important to study these literary works from a theological perspective. To that end, Oegema considers the reception of early Jewish writings throughout history and identifies their theological contributions to many issues of perennial importance: ethics, politics, gender relations, interreligious dialogue, and more. Oegema demonstrates decisively that these books—more than merely objects of academic curiosity—have real theological and cultural relevance for churches, synagogues, and society at large today.

Through engaging words, Gerbern Oegema invites his readers to appreciate the vibrant and advanced world of the early Jews and how they have left us insights and visions for modern culture.

—James H. Charlesworth, George L. Collord Professor of New Testament Language and Literature, Princeton Theological Seminary

In an era when biblical theology is commonly approached from a narrow canonical perspective, Oegema’s demonstration of the theological and historical significance of the noncanonical writings of ancient Judaism is refreshing and important.

—John J. Collins, Holmes Professor of Old Testament Criticism and Interpretation, Yale Divinity School

Gerbern S. Oegema is professor of biblical studies at McGill University, Montreal. He is the author of The Anointed and His People: Messianic Expectations from the Maccabees to Bar Kochba.

An Introduction to Early Judaism

• Author: James C. VanderKam
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 2000
• Pages: 246

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Based on modern archaeological research, this illustrated volume explores the history of Judaism during the Second Temple period (516 BC–AD 70), describing the body of Jewish literature written during these centuries and the most important groups, institutions, and practices of the time. Particularly interesting are VanderKam’s depiction of events associated with Masada and the Kokhba revolt, and his commentary on texts unearthed in places like Elephantine, Egypt, and Qumran.

A scholar at the forefront of today’s flourishing interest in the study of ancient Judaism, James VanderKam clearly explains Second Temple history and religion, including the period’s main groups and institutions and the entire range of literature they produced, from the apocrypha to the Dead Sea Scrolls. The period VanderKam covers is vital to understanding all subsequent Jewish and Christian history, and his introduction to it is complete, accessible, and overall top-notch.

—Alan J. Avery-Peck Kraft-Hiatt Professor of Judaic Studies, College of the Holy Cross

James VanderKam has written a superb introduction to early Judaism, including its history, literature, and religious institutions—a handbook that will be useful to every student or scholar who is interested in this period. VanderKam’s sketch of the history and literature of the period is written simply and precisely, unencumbered by footnotes. His book, however, reveals a full, critical knowledge of the field. His epitomes of the literature of the period are particularly well done—brief, generally conservative in discussing debated issues, leaving out little of importance. New lore from the Dead Sea Scrolls and data from recent excavations are also well treated. I recommend this volume without qualification.

—Frank Moore Cross, Hancock Professor Emeritus of Hebrew and Other Oriental Languages, Harvard Divinity School

James C. Vanderkam is John A. O’Brien Professor of Hebrew Scriptures at the University of Notre Dame and a member of the international team responsible for preserving and translating the Dead Sea Scrolls. He is also the author of The Dead Sea Scrolls Today and An Introduction to Early Judaism.

The One Who Is to Come

• Author: Joseph A. Fitzmyer
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 2007
• Pages: 221

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

“Messiah” is one of the most contested terms in Christian reflection, with many people reading the concept back into early Old Testament texts. In The One Who Is to Come Joseph Fitzmyer offers up an alternative perspective, carefully tracing the emergence of messianism in Judaism to a much later date—the second century BC.

The One Who Is to Come begins with a linguistic discussion of the term “messiah,” then demonstrates the gradual emergence of the idea of a future, dynasty-continuing David, before finally examining the “anointed one” language in the latest biblical text, Daniel 9. It also examines the use of the term in the Septuagint and extra-biblical Jewish writings, as well as the New Testament, Targums, and the Mishnah. Fitzmyer’s masterful study presents a novel, biblical thesis that will appeal to scholars, students, and all who wish to investigate the complex history of messianism.

Vintage Fitzmyer—corrective, comprehensive, and compelling. Surely The One Who Is to Come will become the benchmark for all further discussion of the concept of ‘Messiah’ in both Judaism and Christianity.

—Karl P. Donfried, Elizabeth A. Woodson 1922 Professor Emeritus of Religion, Pontifical Bible Institute, Smith College

This magisterial work is destined to become the standard in the field for years to come. With impeccable scholarship, Joseph Fitzmyer examines the use of ‘messiah’ in Jewish and Christian literature, clarifying the development of messianism in early Christianity and Judaism—a topic often misunderstood and misrepresented. Christians and Jews are indebted to Fitzmyer for elucidating a concept that has often divided them. After reading this work, scholars will reevaluate many cherished assumptions.

—Karp P. Donfried, Pontifical Bible Institute, Smith College

Joseph A. Fitzmyer is professor emeritus of biblical studies at Catholic University of America.

The Tomb of Jesus and His Family?: Exploring Ancient Jewish Tombs near Jerusalem’s Walls

• Editor: James H. Charlesworth
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 2013
• Pages: 605

About 25 years ago archaeologists discovered a tomb near Jerusalem that contained a family’s ossuaries—limestone bone boxes commonly used in ancient Near Eastern burial customs—inscribed with some familiar New Testament names: Mary, Joseph, James, Mary Magdalene, and Jesus. Intrest arose amongst the public and specialists alike, and in January 2008 an international congress of scholars met in Jerusalem to discuss this issue. This volume presents their findings. Covering the archaeological facts about this discovery, Jewish burial customs during the late Second Temple period, first-century inscriptions, the Talpiot tomb, the James ossuary, the Holy Sepulcher, Hazon Gabriel, and beliefs about burial and the afterlife within Second Temple Judaism, these essays offer expert perspectives on a much-publicized topic.

James H. Charlesworth is George L. Collord Professor of New Testament Language and Literature and director of the Dead Sea Scrolls project at Princeton Theological Seminary. He has authored or edited over 60 books.

Early Judaism: A Comprehensive Overview

• Editors: John J. Collins and Daniel C. Harlow
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 2012
• Pages: 533

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Culled from The Eerdmans Dictionary of Early Judaism, a monumental, groundbreaking reference work published in late 2010, Early Judaism: A Comprehensive Overview contains 15 first-rate essays from a diverse group of internationally renowned scholars. This volume provides the most comprehensive and authoritative overview available of Judaism in the Hellenistic and early Roman periods.

John J. Collins is Holmes Professor of Old Testament Criticism and Interpretation at Yale Divinity School and has served as president of both the Society of Biblical Literature and the Catholic Biblical Association. His many books include Beyond the Qumran Community, King and Messiah as Son of God, The Bible after Babel, and The Apocalyptic Imagination.

Daniel C. Harlow is professor of biblical, early Jewish, and early Christian studies at Calvin College.

Apocalypse against Empire: Theologies of Resistance in Early Judaism

• Author: Anathea E. Portier-Young
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 2011
• Pages: 492

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The year 167 BC marked the beginning of a period of intense persecution for the people of Judea, as Seleucid emperor Antiochus IV Epiphanes attempted—forcibly and brutally—to eradicate traditional Jewish religious practices. In Apocalypse against Empire Anathea Portier-Young reconstructs the historical events and key players in this traumatic episode in Jewish history and provides a sophisticated treatment of resistance in early Judaism.

Building on a solid contextual foundation, Portier-Young argues that the first Jewish apocalypses emerged as a literature of resistance to Hellenistic imperial rule. She makes a sturdy case for this argument by examining three extant apocalypses, giving careful attention to the interplay between social theory, history, textual studies, and theological analysis. In particular, Portier-Young contends, the book of Daniel, the Apocalypse of Weeks, and the Book of Dreams were written to supply an oppressed people with a potent antidote to the destructive propaganda of the empire—renewing their faith in the God of the covenant and answering state terror with radical visions of hope.

Make no mistake about it: this is a landmark study. It is theoretically informed and sophisticated, broad-ranging and erudite, historically aware, and hermeneutically sensitive. It breaks new ground in the field and should be required reading for anyone interested in early Jewish apocalyptic literature.

—Choon-Leong Seow, professor of Old Testament Language and Literature, Princeton Theological Seminary

Anathea Portier-Young’s bold proposal demonstrates how the earliest Jewish apocalypses conjured diverse strategies for resistance against imperial power. Her judicious, sometimes daring, application of resistance theories to the historiography of Seleucid Judea sets a challenging precedent for future research. In that cauldron of cultural and political conflict, the apocalypses emerge as creative vehicles for counterimperial theologizing.

—Greg Carey, professor of New Testament, Lancaster Theological Seminary

Anathea E. Portier-Young is associate professor of Old Testament at Duke University Divinity School.