English Translation

English Translation by B. Halper. This volume is an English Translation of Post-Biblical Hebrew Literature: An Anthology, a collection of selections from Mishnah, Talmud, Midrash, liturgy, poetry, ethics, and philosophy spanning from late antiquity to the medieval period. Halper explains that Hebrew remained a living literary language after the biblical canon and that the anthology aims to illustrate its continuity through representative extracts. The contents range from Ben Sira and early hymns to the philosophers and poets of the medieval era, including Maimonides, Ibn Ezra, Judah ha-Levi, and the Ibn Tibbons, among others. The translations are based on the Hebrew texts and arranged chronologically to show development across genres, with attention to literary merit and pedagogic value. The Preface discusses translation choices, the limits of literal rendering, and the aims of preserving flavor while remaining readable. First published in 1921 by The Jewish Publication Society of America.