A History of the Jews and Judaism in the Second Temple Period: v. 1(Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha Supplement S.)

Although the Bible is one of the sources, this is a historical rather than a biblical study. It examines the political and administrative structures; the society and economy; the religion, temple and cult; the developments in thought and literature; and the political events. The focus is on the sources and historical method. The sources include inscriptions, papyri and archaeology. What are the sources for this period and how do we evaluate them? How do we make them 'speak' to us through the fog of centuries? There is a danger of seeing everything from a Judaeo-centric point of view, or using the biblical texts and out-of-date secondary material to provide the main perspective in understanding history, whereas any scholar writing about this period should be familiar with the classical historians and the Near Eastern sources as well. This study brings together and analyses the original sources, sifts and evaluates the secondary sources, develops a substantial historical synthesis, and points to areas where further research is needed.

Table of Contents:
Preface; Part 1 Introduction; 1 Introduction; Part2 Sources; 2 Archaeology: Material Remains and Artifacts; 3 Archaeology; Written Material; 4 Ezra-Nehemiah (Including 1Esdras); 5 Other Biblical Books; 6 Persian, Mesopotamian and Egyptian Sources; 7 Greek and Latin Writers; Part3 Society and Institutions; 8 Administration and Economy; 9 Society and Daily Living; 10 Religion: Temple, Cult and Practice; 11 Religion: Law, Scripture and Belief; Part4 Historical Synthesis; 12 Early Persian Yehud; 13 Yehud in the Fifth Century; 14 Yehud in the Fourth Century; 15 A Holistic Perspective; Appendices; 1 The Question of Persian Influence on Jewish Thought and Religion; 2 'Diaspora' Jewish Communities; Indexes; Names and Subjects; Citations; Modern Scholars

About the Author :
Lester L. Grabbe is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Early Judaism at the University of Hull. He is founder and convenor of the European Seminar in Historical Methodology. A recent book is Ancient Israel: What Do We Know and How Do We Know it?

Review :
The so-called intertestamental period has for too long been considered the dark ages of Jewish history. In this new volume, Lester L Grabbe ... sheds much light on this perceived darkness... extensive and rigorous...thourough...The first instalment of Grabbe's ambitious four volume project is extremely rich, methodologically self-aware, and judicious in its historical judgments. One now waits with expectation for the remaining three volumes. --Sanford Lakoff "Expository Times " 'Well documents and rich in detail, this scholarly manual forms an inventory of all current interpretations of Persian-period Judaism, and scholars will use it with much profit.' Review International Review of Biblical Studies, vol 51, 2004/05 "The Library of Second Temple Studies is the new name for the former Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha Supplement Series. The new series title reflects its wide range of coverage in Jewish studies. The series takes in the entire Second Temple period (the Persian, the Greek, and the Roman periods to the Bar Kokhba revolt) and covers all aspects of Judaic history, literature, and religion. Examples of specific subjects that may be covered include the history of Judea and the various Diaspora communities, as well as their society; the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Qumran writings, Philo, Josephus: apocalyptic, eschatology, messianism; the Jerusalem Temple and Diaspora worship; sects and movements; and the place of Jews in the Greek and Roman world."