Yehezkel Kaufmann, The Religion of Israel, from Its Beginnings to the Babylonian Exile, trans. by Moshe Greenberg (1960; originally published in Hebrew, 1937–56), is an abridgment and translation of the work of one of the most influential Jewish biblical scholars of modern times. Dan Jacobson, The Story of the Stories: The Chosen People and Its God (1982), is a useful survey of the culture and religion of ancient Israel. Moshe Greenberg Hellenistic Judaism
Victor A. Tcherikover and Alexander Fuks (eds.), Corpus Papyrorum Judaicarum, 3 vol. (1957–64), contains thoroughly reliable text, translation, bibliography, and commentary on all papyri and inscriptions pertaining to Jews from 323 bce to 641 ce. Erwin R. Goodenough, Jewish Symbols in the Greco-Roman Period, 13 vol. (1953–68), is a magnificent, exhaustive collection of the archaeological findings, with highly insightful, if controversial, commentary. Solomon Zeitlin, The Rise and Fall of the Judaean State: A Political, Social, and Religious History of the Second Commonwealth, 3 vol. (1962–78), is a stimulating and often highly original survey of the period from 332 bce to 66 ce.Saul Lieberman, Greek in Jewish Palestine, 2nd ed. (1965, reissued 1994), is a significant and learned illustration of the influence of Greek culture on the language and exegetical format of the Palestinian rabbis. Louis H. Feldman, Jew and Gentile in the Ancient World: Attitudes and Interactions from Alexander to Justinian (1993), is a thorough study of the chief issues confronting Hellenistic Judaism. Louis H. Feldman Rabbinic Judaism
David Weiss Halivni, Revelation Restored: Divine Writ and Critical Responses (1997, reissued 2001), is a reflective work by a great rabbinic scholar on a major theme of rabbinic theology. Ephraim E. Urbach, The Sages: Their Concepts and Beliefs, trans. by Israel Abrahams, 2nd ed. enlarged (1979, reissued 2001; originally published in Hebrew, 1969), is the most comprehensive treatment of rabbinic theology available. Jacob Neusner, A History of the Jews in Babylonia, 5 vol. (1965–70, reprinted 1999), is the most thorough treatment of Babylonian Jewry during the tannaitic and amoraic periods. S.D. Goitein, Jews and Arabs: Their Contacts Through the Ages, 3rd rev. ed. (1974), is a popular work by the ranking authority on all aspects of Jewish-Arabic symbiosis, particularly valuable for the medieval period. Abraham Ibn Daud, A Critical Edition with a Translation and Notes of The Book of Tradition (Sefer ha-Qabbalah), ed. and trans. by Gerson D. Cohen (1967), presents the classic medieval Hebrew chronicle with analytic essays on Spanish Jewry’s “golden age.” Bernard S. Bachrach, Early Medieval Jewish Policy in Western Europe (1977); and Kenneth R. Stow, Alienated Minority: The Jews of Medieval Latin Europe (1992), are good introductions to Jewish life in the Middle Ages. Cecil Roth, The Jews in the Renaissance (1959, reissued 1977), is lucid and informative and valuable on Jewish contact with Christian men of letters, though it contains little critical analysis. Gerson D. Cohen Modern Judaism
The most convenient summary for the study of modern Jewish history is Howard M. Sachar, The Course of Modern Jewish History, rev. and updated ed. (1990). Modern Jewish thought and belief are covered in Joseph L. Blau, Modern Varieties of Judaism (1966); and The Condition of Jewish Belief: A Symposium (1966, reissued 1995), a book published by the editors of Commentary Magazine. Arthur Hertzberg (ed.), The Zionist Idea (1959, reissued 1997), is a comprehensive reader in English on the issue of Zionism. An excellent exposition of Judaism from a Reform-Liberal point of view is Leo Baeck, The Essence of Judaism, trans. by Victor Grubenweiser and Leonard Pearl, rev. ed. (1948, reissued 1976; originally published in German, 1905). Conservative Judaism is well described in Jacob B. Agus, Dialogue and Tradition: The Challenges of Contemporary Judeo-Christian Thought (1971). Mordecai M. Kaplan, Judaism as a Civilization, enlarged ed. (1957, reissued 1994), by the founder of Reconstructionism, is the best discussion of that movement. The standard single volume about Orthodox Judaism is Isidore Epstein, Judaism (1935). Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Halakhic Man, trans. by Lawrence Kaplan (1983, reissued 1991; originally published in Hebrew, 1979), is a statement of the centrality of Halakha to Judaism by the most influential Orthodox theologian of the 20th century. The best discussion of Neo-Hasidism, by the movement’s greatest exponent, is Martin Buber, The Origin and Meaning of Hasidism, ed. and trans. by Maurice Friedman (1960, reissued 1988; originally published in German, 1948). Arthur Hertzberg Basic beliefs, practices, and institutions
Jacob Neusner, The Way of Torah: An Introduction to Judaism, 7th ed. (2004), is a very useful statement with a history-of-religions approach. Michael Wyschogrod, The Body of Faith: Judaism of Corporeal Election (1983), is an attempt to restore election as the most important idea in Judaism. David Novak, The Election of Israeclass="underline" The Idea of the Chosen People (1995), is a theological meditation on the retrieval of the doctrine of election for contemporary Jews. Jewish ceremonies are covered in Lewis N. Dembitz, Jewish Services in Synagogue and Home (1898, reprinted 1975); Hayim Shoys (Hayyim Schauss), The Jewish Festivals: From Their Beginning to Our Own Day, trans. by Samuel Jaffe (1938; also published as The Jewish Festivals: A Guide to Their History and Observance, 1996; originally published in Hebrew, 1933); and Ismar Elbogen, Jewish Liturgy: A Comprehensive History, trans. by Raymond P. Scheindlin (1993; originally published in German, 1913). Ethics and society
The rationale of Jewish ethics is discussed in David Novak, Jewish Social Ethics (1992), and Covenantal Rights: A Study in Jewish Political Theory (2000). Art and iconography
Abraham Z. Idelsohn, Jewish Music in Its Historical Development (1929; also published as Jewish Music: Its Historical Development, 1992), is a pioneering study. Cecil Roth and Bezalel Narkiss (eds.), Jewish Art: An Illustrated History, rev. and enlarged ed. (1971); and Gabrielle Sed-Rajna, Jewish Art (1997), are comprehensive surveys of Jewish art from biblical to modern times. Relations with non-Judaic religions
David Novak, The Image of the Non-Jew in Judaism (1983), is a study of the Noahide Laws as the basis of Jewish interaction with Gentiles, and Jewish-Christian Dialogue: A Jewish Justification (1989), is a theological rationale for a new relationship between Jews and Christians. Robert Chazan, Medieval Antisemitism and Modern Stereotypes (1997); and Jacob Katz, From Prejudice to Destruction: Anti-Semitism, 1700–1933 (1980, reissued 1997), treat the history of anti-Semitism. F.E. Peters, Children of Abraham: Judaism, Christianity, Islam (1982), examines differences and similarities between the three monotheistic faiths. General introductions to Jewish philosophy