Monday, October 22, 2018

Atkinson, The Hasmoneans and Their Neighbors

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:
The Hasmoneans and Their Neighbors
New Historical Reconstructions from the Dead Sea Scrolls and Classical Sources


By: Kenneth Atkinson

Published: 23-08-2018
Format: Hardback
Edition: 1st
Extent: 232
ISBN: 9780567680822
Imprint: T&T Clark
Series: Jewish and Christian Texts
Volume: 27
Dimensions: 234 x 156 mm
RRP: £85.00
Online price: £55.25
Save £29.75 (35%)


About The Hasmoneans and Their Neighbors
Kenneth Atkinson adds to an already impressive body of work on the Hasmoneans, proposing that the history and theological beliefs of Jews during the period of the Hasmonean state cannot be understood without a close investigation of the histories of the Ptolemaic and Seleucid Empires, as well as the Roman Republic. Citing evidence from the Dead Sea Scrolls and classical sources, Atkinson offers a new reconstruction of this vital historical period, when the Hasmonean family changed the fates of their neighbors, the Roman Republic, the religion of Judaism, and created the foundation for the development of the nascent Christian faith.

Atkinson additionally provides reconstructions of events in classical history, including the most detailed examination of Pompey the Great's assassination in light of Jewish sources; by focusing on his death, this volume uncovers new information that explains the discrepancies in the classical accounts of this pivotal event that shaped Middle Eastern and Roman history, and which helped end the Republic. Collecting sources ranging from the beginning of the Hasmonean monarchy, through its religious strife and golden age, to its eventual downfall, Atkinson concludes that that Jewish sectarianism and messianism played far greater roles in the Hasmonean state than has previously be assumed.

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