Ancient Judaism

by Irving M. Zeitlin

Book Overview

This book is a major contribution to the sociology of religion and to religious and biblical studies. Beginning from the classic work of Max Weber, the author analyses the origins of Judaism in the light of more recent scholarship. The result is a work that will become a standard point of reference in its field, and will be of great interest to the general reader as well as the specialist.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 074560059X
• ISBN13: 9780745600598
• Release Date: January 1985
• Publisher: Polity Press
• Length: 314 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Conservative Agenda

Zeitlin could be a champion for a conservative approach to ancient Jewish studies. I actually came across this book in a college class I was in, and was immediately struck with the thoroughness of the book. He tends to rely heavily on a literary critical methodology, but he uses it in ways I have never seen before. His discussion of the conquest and Monarchical religion are particularly enlightening. I will say that he made me think about issues in ways I had never tried before. Additionally, he actually changed my opinion about the way Paganism and religious syncretism worked in Ancient Israel. I won't give his views away because have the fun will be reading them for the first time for yourself. Nevertheless, I will say that the discussion on the history of Documentary Hypostasis in the Appendix is worth the price of admission.