Time and Process in Ancient Judaism (The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization) - Softcover

Stern, Sacha

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1904113680 ISBN 13: 9781904113683

Publisher: The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 2008

Synopsis

Stern (Jewish studies, U. of London) searched all the ancient Jewish sources, looking for indications that time was linear or cyclical or both, was absolute or relative, whether saving time was ethical and wasting it not, and so forth. He found no indications of any of it, and concluded that the peo

About this title

About the Author:

Sacha Stern is Reader in Rabbinic Judaism at University College London. His published works include Jewish Identity in Early Rabbinic Writings (1994) and Calendar and Community: A History of the Jewish Calendar, Second Century BCE-Tenth Century CE (2001).

Review:

`This is a well-informed study raising issues of the degree of Hellenization of ancient Judaism, as well as links between Judaism and other ancient Near Eastern cultures.' - Stephen D. Benin, Religious Studies Review `A fascinating demonstration that there was no concept of time in ancient Judaism . . . has huge implications for any understanding of "historical" texts, and will impact on the understanding of "sacred time", eschatology, and liturgy.' - M. Barker, Society for Old Testament Study Book List `This excellent, illuminating, insightful, perceptive, cogently argued, clearly written book is one of the most interesting books I have read in a long time, offering a new perspective on the world-view of ancient Judaism and its links with other cultures of the Near East of late antiquity. Stern casts his new wide and his findings are intriguing . . . Readers may find this book a source of delight and astonishing breadth, one that they cannot put down. It makes an original contribution to the fields of Rabbinics and Jewish studies. It is also cross-disciplinary with the fields of philosophy, classics, history of ideas, history in general, and anthropology.' - David B. Levy, H-Judaic

About this edition

• Publisher: The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1904113680
• ISBN 13: 9781904113683
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 152