Review of Stone, Ancient Judaism: New Visions and Views

BOOK REVIEW FROM H-JUDAIC:

Michael E. Stone. Ancient Judaism: New Visions and Views. Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 2011. xiv + 242 pp. $30.00 (paper), ISBN 978-0-8028-6636-3.

Reviewed by Jonathan Kaplan (Yale University)
Published on H-Judaic (April, 2012)
Commissioned by Jason Kalman

Looking Back and Looking Forward: Michael E. Stone on Method in the Study of Ancient Judaism

Michael E. Stone, professor emeritus of comparative religion and Armenian studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has produced an impressive oeuvre that ranges the breadth of scholarship on Second Temple Judaism. His studies of pseudepigraphic works, the transmission of Second Temple literature in Armenian, 4 Ezra, the literature related to Adam and Eve, and many other subjects serve as essential reference points for scholars undertaking research in these fields. In Ancient Judaism: New Visions and Views, Stone does not provide a synthetic treatment of Second Temple Judaism. In much the same way as he did in his earlier volume, Scriptures, Sects and Visions: A Profile of Judaism from Ezra to the Jewish Revolts (1980), Stone offers his appraisal of the state of the question on seven related topics. He seeks to present his understanding of the present debates in these areas as well as his unique perspective on the direction further research should take. As such, the essays in this volume leave the reader with many important questions to ponder about ancient Judaism.

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An earlier review is noted here.