File:2000 * Grabbe.jpg

Judaic Religion in the Second Temple Period (2000) is a book by Lester L. Grabbe.

Abstract

"The developments in Judaism which occurred during the Second Temple period (c. 550 BC to 100 AD) were of great importance for the nature of Jewish religion in later centuries, yet few studies have examined the era in full. Now Lester L. Grabbe's lucid and accessible volume provides a much-needed encyclopedic study and holistic interpretation of the period. Topics examined include: ... views about God and the spirit world ... the temple and priesthood ... scripture and synagogue ... the main religious sects and revolutionary movements ... eschatology and messianism ... magic and predicting the future ... religion in the Jewish diaspora ... converts and 'Godfearers'. With an extensive, up-to-date bibliography, plus numerous helpful cross-references, summaries and syntheses, this book is essential reading for scholars and students of the history of Jewish religion. It will also be of great value as a reference tool."--Publisher description.

"In a massive undertaking, Grabbe provides an synthetic history of the religion of the Jewish people during the Second Temple period, drawing upon nearly all of the secondly literature to aid in his in-depth analysis. He divides the book into two sections. The first half is divided into historical time periods, from the Persian Period to Yavneh. The second is devoted to special topics in religion, such as, but not limited to: The Temple and Priesthood; Scripture, Prayer, and Synagogue; Sects and Movements; The Deity and the Spirit World; Prophecy and Apocalypticism; and Messiahs. Noteworthy is his emphasis on the need to include the Persian Period in any study of the Second Temple Period, and his minimization of the role of the Pharisees, and his insistence that the majority of Jews, prior to 70 A.D., continued to look to the teachings of the temple priests for the majority of their religious ideology and practice. – Deborah Forger, University of Michigan

Editions and translations

Published in London, England: Routledge, 2000.

Table of Contents

• Preface

• List of Abbreviations

• I. Introduction

Part I: Chronological Survey

• II. Persian Period (539-333 BCE)
• III. Early Greek Period (333-200 BCE)
• IV. Later Greek period and Hasmoneans (200-63 BCE)
• V. Under Roman rule (63 BCE – 70 CE)
• VI. Transition to rabbinic Judaism: Yavneh

Part II. Special Topics

• VII. Temple and Priesthood
• VIII. Scripture, prayer, and synagogue
• IX. Sects and movements
• X. Concepts of the Deity and spirit world
• XI. Prophecy, apocalypticism, the esoteric arts, and predicting the future
• XII. Eschatologies and ideas of salvation
• XIII. Messiahs
• XIV. Jews and Judaism in the Hellenistic world

Part III. Conclusion

• XV. Judaism in the Second Temple period: a holistic perspective

• Bibliography
• Indexes

External Links