Description
Book SynopsisProvides an account of the role of the Torah in ancient Judaism, exploring key moments in its history, beginning with the formation of Deuteronomy and continuing through the Maccabean revolt and the rise of Jewish sectarianism and early Christianity.
Trade Review"Collins has here laid the levelheaded and thorough groundwork for anyone wanting to explore Jewish identity in antiquity." * Reading Religion *
"A tour de force by one of today’s leading scholars... Summing Up: Highly recommended." * CHOICE *
"Collins’ masterful elucidation of the many and diverse materials he mobilizes on behalf of his argument makes this book a valuable resource for readers mulling the semantics of Jewish identity during the Second Temple period. . . . a necessary call to common sense as to the misguided premise that Judaism was born of Christianity rather than Christianity of Judaism." * Horizons: The Journal of the College Theology Society *
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The Invention of Judaism is well worth one's time, particularly if one wants to familiarize oneself with the lay of the land in the Second Temple period or is well-versed in Greco-Roman customs and literature behind the NT but need a refresher over debates in Jewish tradition from the same time period." * Restoration Quarterly *
Table of ContentsPreface Introduction: Jews, Judeans, and the Maccabean Crisis 1. Deuteronomy and the Invention of the Torah 2. Torah in the Persian Period 3. The Persistence of Non-Mosaic Judaism 4. Torah as Narrative and Wisdom 5. Torah as Law 6. Torah and Apocalypticism 7. The Law in the Diaspora 8. Paul, Torah, and Jewish Identity Epilogue Notes Bibliography Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Sources Index of Modern Authors
