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The Talmud: A Biography

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title The Talmud: A Biography
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Barry Scott Wimpfheimer
SeriesLives of Great Religious Books
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:320
Dimensions(mm): Height 216,Width 140
Category/GenreHistory of religion
Judaism - sacred texts
ISBN/Barcode 9780691209227
ClassificationsDewey:296.125
Audience
General
Illustrations 10 b/w illus.

Publishing Details

Publisher Princeton University Press
Imprint Princeton University Press
Publication Date 1 September 2020
Publication Country United States

Description

The life and times of an enduring work of Jewish spirituality. The Babylonian Talmud, a postbiblical Jewish text that is part scripture and part commentary, is an unlikely bestseller. Written in a hybrid of Hebrew and Aramaic, it is often ambiguous to the point of incomprehension, and its subject matter reflects a narrow scholasticism that should hardly have broad appeal. Yet the Talmud has remained in print for centuries and is more popular today than ever. Barry Scott Wimpfheimer tells the remarkable story of this ancient Jewish book, explaining why the Talmud is at once a received source of traditional teachings, a touchstone of cultural authority, and a powerful symbol of Jewishness for supporters and critics alike.

Author Biography

Barry Scott Wimpfheimer is associate professor of religious studies and law at Northwestern University and the author of Narrating the Law: A Poetics of Talmudic Legal Stories.

Reviews

"Winner of the 2018 National Jewish Book Award in Education and Jewish Identity, In Memory of Dorothy Kripke" "An altogether admirable introduction."---Luke Timothy Johnson, Commonweal Magazine