Israelite religion : from tribal beginnings to scribal legacy / Karel Van Der Toorn.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Toorn, K. van der, author.

Series:

Anchor Yale Bible reference library

Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bible. Old Testament--Theology.

Bible.

Judaism--History--To 70 A.D.

Judaism.

Middle East--Religion.

Middle East.

Physical Description:

xvi, 410 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

New Haven ; London : Yale University Press, [2025]

Summary:

From its Iron Age beginnings to its aftermath in the Roman period, Israelite religion went through significant changes and transformations. As the Israelites responded to major historical events and political realities, their collective beliefs and practices evolved over time and developed new forms, even as earlier elements of religious culture remained an active substratum. Weaving together biblical literature, archaeology, and comparative sources, award-winning author Karel van der Toorn tells the sweeping story of how Israelite religion evolved from a tribal cult honoring the ancestors and the "god of the fathers" to a scriptural religion practiced by an ethnic minority within the Roman Empire. He demonstrates how religion was integral to nation-building as Israel transitioned from a nomadic chiefdom to a monarchical state; how religious practices changed in response to the loss of political independence; and how in the final centuries before the Common Era, as Hellenistic culture permeated the Eastern Mediterranean, Israelite religion gave rise to a variety of reading communities committed to a body of sacred scripture, with the law of Moses at its core. Combining literary studies, anthropology, linguistics, history, and more, this book tells the fascinating story of Israelite religion as it has never been told before.

Contents:

Prologue: ancient Near Eastern religion

Tribal religion

Royal religion

Local religion

Diaspora religion

Ethnic religion

Scriptural religion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN:

9780300248111

0300248113

OCLC:

1493855700