The Prayer Rites of Synagogal Worship and Their Historical Development: Edited and Translated by Stefan C. Reif an English Translation of the German Edition of Berlin 1859

Zunz, Leopold/ Reif, Stefan C. (Editor)/ Egger-Wenzel, Renate (Contributor)

ISBN 10: 3112215192 / ISBN 13: 9783112215197

Published by De Gruyter, 2025

About this Item

258 pages. 9.05x6.10x9.21 inches. In Stock.

Seller Inventory # __3112215192

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Prayer Rites of Synagogal Worship and Their Historical Development: Edited and Translated by Stefan C. Reif an English Translation of the German Edition of Berlin 1859
• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Publication Date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3112215192
• ISBN 13: 9783112215197
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Brand New
• Weight: 0.67 kilograms

About this title

Synopsis

Given Leopold Zunz’s difficult German style and the tight conciseness of his presentation, it is hardly surprising that no English translation of his Die Ritus (1859) has been published. The Hebrew edition of 2016 does not aim to place this pioneering work in the context of Jewish liturgical history, sometimes opts for a paraphrase, rather than a literal translation, and does not always make it easy to distinguish Zunz from later scholarship. There are undoubtedly English-speaking scholars in current academia who are unacquainted with German and Modern Hebrew but would benefit from reading this classic study. This volume therefore links Die Ritus with Zunz’s other scholarly works by way of a brief introduction, provides a faithful translation, without the result reading more like German than English. It reproduces Zunz’s footnotes in his own highly abbreviated form but offers as an appendix to the introductory essay a bibliographical list that explains references that may not be obvious even to a learned reader. Readers of English will now be able to reach their own conclusions about the stature of Zunz, about his contributions to the study of Jewish liturgy, and, indeed, about any shortcomings that there may have been in his scholarly, theological and political tendencies.

About the Authors

Stefan C. Reif, St John’s College, University of Cambridge, England.

Stefan C. Reif, St John’s College, University of Cambridge, England.