Review of Miller, At the Intersection of Texts and Material Finds

THE TALMUD BLOG: M. BLIDSTEIN ON S. MILLER, ‘AT THE INTERSECTION OF TEXTS AND MATERIAL FINDS.’

Notwithstanding these criticisms, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The long and sometimes winding tour is full of insights and leads to follow; I felt part of a lively and thoughtful seminar, in which all participants are treated with respect and intellectual honesty. The careful assessment of the evidence, together with the hesitation to identify artifacts with social groups known from the texts, instills confidence in the conclusions. Miller provides a solid foundation on what is actually known about Jewish purity practices in this period, upon which the more speculatively inclined textual exegetes can build their edifices.

I noted the publication of the book here.