On The Origins Of Judaism

This book covers several basic issues in the formation of early Judaism. It explores the identity of those who produced and canonized the Hebrew Bible and subsequently shaped its interpretation, re-examines the significance and impact of Second Isaiah, and the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, traces the root of Jewish apocalyptic literature, and the possible origins of the exodus story. Two final chapters consider the mechanics of table fellowship in diaspora Judaism and consider the ethical systems of the Hebrew Bible and of the Athenian tragedians in the light of their respective social and political structures. Some of these essays have previously appeared but all have been revised.

Philip R. Davies is Research Professor of Biblical Studies at the University of Sheffield, and the author of many books on topics ranging from ancient Israel, the Hebrew canon and the Dead Sea Scrolls, including In Search of Ancient Israel (Sheffield Academic Press, 1992), Scribes and Schools: The Canonization of the Hebrew Scriptures (Westminster John Knox Press, 1998) and The Origins of Biblical Israel (TT Clark, 2007). He is also the editor of numerous textbooks and collected essays, including Yours Faithfully: Virtual Letters from the Bible (Equinox Publishing, 2004).