Sectarianism in Early Judaism: Sociological Advances

'Sectarianism in Early Judaism' applies recent developments in sociological analysis to sect formation and development in early Judaism. The essays examine sectarianism in a wide range of different forms: the many layers of redaction in religious texts; the development arcs of sectarian groups; the role of sectarianism across Jewish history as well as in the time of the Second Temple; and the relations within and between sects and between sects and wider society. The book aims to establish a conceptual framework for the analysis of sects and, in doing so, makes particular use of the work of Max Weber and Bryan Wilson, exploring the limits of their typologies and sociological theories.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: Sectarianism in Early Judaism: Sociological Advances? Some Critical Sociological Reflections David J. Chalcraft Part One: Max Weber on Sects and Voluntary Associations with Specific Reference to Second Temple Judaism David J. Chalcraft 1.

About the Author :
David J. Chalcraft studied Biblical Studies at the University of Sheffield before carrying out postgraduate research at the University of Oxford under the supervision of the late Bryan Wilson. He is Professor of Classical Sociology at the University of Derby and a Visiting Fellow at Lancaster University (2003-5). A recognised expert on Max Weber, being a founding co-editor of Max Weber Studies, his research explores the interface between sociology and biblical studies, utilising the exegetical methods of the latter in interpreting classical sociology and tracing biblical ideas in sociological texts on the one hand, and the theoretical insights of the former in interrogating biblical texts and social formations, and considering the role of the Bible in culture and society, on the other.

Review :
'While many books continue to be published by biblical scholars and scholars of early Judaism which make use of sociological theory - some well, some ill - few set out to review their data with a theoretically explicit sociological agenda, and fewer still do so with the active co-operation of a professional sociologist. The participants in this exemplary instance of interdisciplinary synergism, based on a symposium held at the 2004 international meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, move well beyond traditional understandings of sectarian identity and the four "philosophies" of Josephus. One line of inquiry of particular interest is the relation of the sect to the parent body, what it can tell us about the particular form of Second Temple Judaism from which it seceded or from which it was coercively dissociated. This collection of papers should not be missed by anyone seriously interested in the emergence of Judaism in its different configurations, the intellectual and religious history of the Second Temple period, the Qumran sectarian writings, and the sociology of religion in general.' Joseph Blenkinsopp John A. O'Brien Professor Biblical Studies Emeritus University of Notre Dame