The Beginnings of Jewishness: Boundaries, Varieties, Uncertainties

Shaye J. D. Cohen

ISBN 10: 0520226933 / ISBN 13: 9780520226937

Edité par University of California Press, 2001

A propos de cet article

Beginning with the intriguing case of Herod the Great's Jewishness, this title discusses what made or did not make Jewish identity during the period, the question of conversion, the prohibition of intermarriage, matrilineal descent, and the place of the convert in the Jewish and non-Jewish worlds. Series: Hellenistic Culture and Society. Num Pages: 441 pages, black & white illustrations. BIC Classification: DSBB; HBG; HBLA; HRJ; JFSR1. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational. Dimension: 226 x 155 x 27. Weight in Grams: 604. . 2001. New Ed. Paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

N° de réf. du vendeur V9780520226937

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: The Beginnings of Jewishness: Boundaries, Varieties, Uncertainties
• Éditeur: University of California Press
• Date de parution: 2001
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 0520226933
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9780520226937
• Reliure: Couverture souple
• État de l'article: New

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

In modern times, various Jewish groups have argued whether Jewishness is a function of ethnicity, of nationality, of religion, or of all three. These fundamental conceptions were already in place in antiquity. The peculiar combination of ethnicity, nationality, and religion that would characterize Jewishness through the centuries first took shape in the second century B.C.E. This brilliantly argued, accessible book unravels one of the most complex issues of late antiquity by showing how these elements were understood and applied in the construction of Jewish identity-by Jews, by gentiles, and by the state.

Beginning with the intriguing case of Herod the Great's Jewishness, Cohen moves on to discuss what made or did not make Jewish identity during the period, the question of conversion, the prohibition of intermarriage, matrilineal descent, and the place of the convert in the Jewish and non-Jewish worlds. His superb study is unique in that it draws on a wide range of sources: Jewish literature written in Greek, classical sources, and rabbinic texts, both ancient and medieval. It also features a detailed discussion of many of the central rabbinic texts dealing with conversion to Judaism.

À propos de l?auteur

Shaye J. D. Cohen is Ungerleider Professor of Judaic Studies and Professor of Religious Studies at Brown University. His earlier books include Josephus in Galilee and Rome: His Vita and Development as a Historian (1979) and From the Maccabees to the Mishnah: A Profile of Judaism (1987).