Jewish Studies

The Garden of Wisdom is a rare Jewish systematic theology, here presented in English translation as well as in the Arabic (in Hebrew script) original. It is a treatise of the theology of the Jews living in Southern Arabia written by Nathanael Ibn al-Fayyumi in the twelfth century when the Jews of Yemen were undergoing persecution.

When educator William Rabenort looked at Spinoza he saw an educator. This little book on educational theory is built on the thought of Spinoza.

This volume incorporates all the articles and reviews published in Volume 5 (2004-2005) of the Journal of Hebrew Scriptures.

In the first English attempt to address the Syriac homilies of Aphraates, Gavin sets a context for the material by considering the church and the sermons themselves. The topic of how the Jews are treated in the homilies is given special attention.

Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar is an essential reference tool for any student of classical Hebrew. Apart from the thorough explanation given to each aspect of grammar and syntax, this volume contains an exhaustive scriptural index which leads the user directly to passages that stand as examples of difficult constructions. A full paradigm of the Hebrew verb is also included.

Suggesting that the Semitic root may be, at least subconsciously, biliteral, Hurwitz launches into a study of this phenomenon. Discussing linguistic phenomena such as pluriliteral forms, root-differentiation, and folk-etymologies, this little study covers significant ground for understanding the underlying structure of biblical Hebrew.

Exploring the important but complex historical period following the rule of Cleisthenes in Athens, Bates provides a handy reference for the tribes that emerged from this early experiment in democracy. The tribes of Antigonis, Demetrias, Ptolemais, Attalis, and Hadrianis are all considered, along with the families (demes) that made up each tribe.

In this time of intense apocalyptic interests, Burkitt’s study of extra-biblical apocalypses will shed some light. Burkitt is known for his work in early Christianity, and he is well-equipped to deal with this difficult issue. These Schweich Lectures of 1913 address the book of Enoch, minor Jewish and early Christian apocalypses, especially the Ascension of Isaiah.

Noted American philosopher Albert Balz offers his observations on the concepts of idea and essence as reflected in the philosophers Hobbes and Spinoza.

The original manuscript of the Arabic Improvement of the Moral Qualities was examined by Wise in order to prepare this edition. The text includes a copy of the original Arabic, a translation into English, and an essay on the place of Solomon ibn Gabirol in the development of Jewish ethics.

The commentary of Rabbi David Kimhi (1160-1235) on the prophet Isaiah, chapters 1-39, in a Hebrew critical edition, makes up the main portion of this study. Presented with an English introduction by Louis Finkelstein, the commentary also includes a useful biography of Kimhi in English, an introduction to his commentary, and a presentation of a previously unknown treatise on Genesis in Hebrew.

This essay on the history of how the Hebrew Bible was considered during the Reformation period takes the reader into areas largely unexplored. In addition to the Bible, the Kabala is brought into the discussion. Box traces the development up to the advent of the critical study of the Bible which continued to be controversial when his study was published.

Selected from the essays of the influential volume “The Legacy of Israel,” the three contributions in this volume explore early and later Jewish influence on Christianity. Written by F. C. Burkitt, A. Meillet, and L. Magnus, the articles consider the patristic period and modern European literary usage of Hebrew scripture and tradition.

Asherah is one of the most popular goddesses known from the ancient world. In this second edition of the author’s 1993 monograph on the goddess, further articles and bibliography have been added to bring this expanding field of study more up-to-date. To date, this monograph contains the only full-length treatment of the Ugaritic material on Asherah in addition to a comprehensive examination of the textual sources from the Hebrew Bible, ancient Mesopotamia, Epigraphic South Arabian and Hittite sources, as well as the intriguing Hebrew inscriptions that perhaps mention the goddess.

A winning combination of two historical grammars, this volume includes both Kautzsch’s edition of Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar and Davidson’s Hebrew Syntax. Together these classic Hebrew resources will be of interest to serious students of Hebrew grammar and those interested in the history of grammatical studies of the language.

This study explores the Emperor Julian's actions in regards to the Jews, especially his advances toward rebuilding the Jewish Temple. It offers the reader an insight into an aspect of Julian’s reign not often examined by Christian historians.

Kaplan’s inaugural study of the psychological basis of prophecy is a landmark in the history of prophetic exploration. Setting the standard for future studies of the prophets, this remarkable book covers the various conceptions of prophets and their attendant phenomena of premonition, revelation, dreams, visions, ecstasy, and inspiration.

A collection of seven groundbreaking essays on Rabbinic midrash and related texts by a new generation of erudite scholars combining the themes of the 2004 and 2005 SBL midrash sessions: “Jewish and Christian Hermeneutics” and “Midrash and Cultural Studies,” this book is a must have for clergy, students, scholars, and laypersons interested in deepening their understanding of Rabbinic and Patristic biblical interpretation.

Steinschneider’s first section is a dictionary of Jewish Arabic authors. This includes a careful study of Jewish names. The Second section is a study of the lives and literatures of Jews, and Christians, within Muslim society.

Murray’s study of the covenant theme begins with a chronological survey of the concept, beginning at the creation itself. He traces this theme through the Bible, noting its key components of justice and peace. The concept is a shared one between Judaism and Christianity, and Murray suggests that it continues to have ecological as well as spiritual relevance to the world today.

This volume contains contributions, in English and Hebrew, on the following topics: Biblical criticism, Medieval Biblical lexicography, Classical and Post-Classical piyyut, Medieval Hebrew poetry and science, Judeo-Arabic poetry and epistolography, Classical Arabic poetry and prose, and the history of Jewish Studies in America.

This specialized study by renowned linguist Rubens Duval brings together several grammatical studies between its covers. For the most part this intriguing volume is an exploration of the dialects of Neo-Aramaic of Salmas in the area of Azerbaijan and northwest Iran. Duval transcribed in handwritten, Roman characters, the aural information he received in the region from Syrian Christians and Jews. These are translated into French, making access to the linguistic information available to non-Semitic specialists. Duval concludes the book with an article on Syriac inscriptions of Salmas. This book is very rare in the used book market.

Geroge Foot Moore’s Christian Writers on Judaism is a fundamental work which majestically traverses nineteen centuries of Christian literature regarding the Jews. This work is indispensable to the student of Jewish-Christian dialogue.

Reviewing the relevant Jewish and Christian literature the author demonstrates that though there is no mandate for ascetic practice within early Judaism, there is a deep respect there for an ascetic way of life.

Profound in its conclusions and targeted toward the exegete, this volume offers a clear method for establishing flow of thought, text hierarchy, and literary macrostructure in biblical Hebrew prose. The study contributes both to hermeneutical theory and to the study of Deuteronomy by arguing for the application of discourse linguistics alongside stylistic and semantic analysis in the interpretation of OT texts. It includes a brief literary-structural and theological commentary on Deuteronomy 5–11 that models the text grammatical approach and shows its benefits for exegesis.