A Guide to Jewish Studies: Classical Rabbinical Period

This book explores the period from the 160s to 63 B.C.E., when the Maccabees ruled the Jews, up to the publication of the Mishnah in the second century C.E.

A history of the Jews in the Greek age, charting issues of stability and change in Jewish society during a period that ranges from the conquest of Palestine by Alexander the Great in the fourth century, until approximately 175 B.C.E. and the revolt of the Maccabees.

"With the publication of this volume, the Anchor Bible Reference Library achieves a landmark in the history of rabbinic literature and religion. In Introduction to Rabbinic Literature, legendary author Jacob Neusner collects the essence of a lifetime of scholarship. In short, this book explores the formative age of rabbinic literature, and tells in a simple, straightforward way what these documents are, where to find them, how to read them, and why their contents matter - and it does this all within the confines of one volume." "With the hands of a master scholar, Neusner weaves together the rich tapestry of documents that make up the literature of the rabbis, and shows why they are often called "The Other Half of the Torah"--The oral Torah, for they contain the commentary of the great rabbis on ancient scripture. It's all discussed here - the Mishnah, the Tosefta, the Talmuds of the Land of Israel and of Babylonia, the Midrash compilations, and much more. In addition, Neusner pays special attention to the literature of the rabbis as it pertains to the Old Testament and Christianity." "In reading this text, it is clear how and why the writings of the great rabbis have taken their place at the summit of humanity's intellectual achievement and heritage. And in the writing of this text, Jacob Neusner has created the definitive and indispensable guide for all those interested in the intriguing world of the rabbis during the centuries immediately following the emergence of Christianity." - from the publisher

"The Babylonian Talmud, a postbiblical Jewish text that is part scripture and part commentary, is an unlikely bestseller. Written in a hybrid of Hebrew and Aramaic, it is often ambiguous to the point of incomprehension, and its subject matter reflects a narrow scholasticism that should hardly have broad appeal. Yet the Talmud has remained in print for centuries and is more popular today than ever. Barry Scott Wimpfheimer tells the story of this ancient Jewish book and explains why it has endured for almost two millennia." - from the publisher

"In 70 CE, the Jews were an agrarian and illiterate people living mostly in the Land of Israel and Mesopotamia. By 1492 the Jewish people had become a small group of literate urbanites specializing in crafts, trade, moneylending, and medicine in hundreds of places across the Old World, from Seville to Mangalore. What caused this radical change? "The Chosen Few" presents a new answer to this question by applying the lens of economic analysis to the key facts of fifteen formative centuries of Jewish history. Maristella Botticini and Zvi Eckstein show that, contrary to previous explanations, this transformation was driven not by anti-Jewish persecution and legal restrictions, but rather by changes within Judaism itself after 70 CE--most importantly, the rise of a new norm that required every Jewish male to read and study the Torah and to send his sons to school. Over the next six centuries, those Jews who found the norms of Judaism too costly to obey converted to other religions, making world Jewry shrink. Later, when urbanization and commercial expansion in the newly established Muslim Caliphates increased the demand for occupations in which literacy was an advantage, the Jews found themselves literate in a world of almost universal illiteracy. From then forward, almost all Jews entered crafts and trade, and many of them began moving in search of business opportunities, creating a worldwide Diaspora in the process.The Chosen few offers a powerful new explanation of one of the most significant transformations in Jewish history while also providing fresh insights to the growing debate about the social and economic impact of religion." - from the publisher

"This companion guides beginning students of rabbinic literature to the range of historical-interpretive and culture-critical issues that contemporary scholars use when studying the rabbinic texts of late antiquity." - from the publisher

"Born in the Land of Israel around the year 50 CE, Rabbi Akiva was the greatest rabbi of his time and one of the most important influences on Judaism as we know it today. Traditional sources tell how he was raised in poverty and unschooled in religious tradition but began to learn the Torah as an adult. In the aftermath of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 CE, he helped shape a new direction for Judaism through his brilliance and his character. Mystic, legalist, theologian, and interpreter, he disputed with his colleagues in dramatic fashion yet was admired and beloved by his peers. Executed by Roman authorities for his insistence on teaching Torah in public, he became the exemplar of Jewish martyrdom. Drawing on the latest historical and literary scholarship, this book goes beyond older biographies, untangling a complex assortment of ancient sources to present a clear and nuanced portrait of Talmudic hero Rabbi Akiva." - from the publisher

eBook versions of the Talmud in translation from academic publisher De Gruyter.

Translations of the books of the Talmud in the edition translated by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz.

Volumes of the Talmud in translation from the 1961 Soncino Press Edition.

An edition of the Midrash translated into English with notes, glossary and indices under the editorship of H. Freedman and Maurice Simon. With a foreword by I. Epstein.