The Origins of Judaism: An Archaeological-Historical Reappraisal

by Yonatan Adler

Overview

Groundbreaking research that utilizes archaeological discoveries and ancient texts to revolutionize our understanding of the beginnings of Judaism
 
“A bravura study.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
Throughout much of history, the Jewish way of life has been characterized by strict adherence to the practices and prohibitions legislated by the Torah: dietary laws, ritual purity, circumcision, Sabbath regulations, holidays, and more. But precisely when did this unique way of life first emerge, and why specifically at that time?
 
In this revolutionary new study, Yonatan Adler methodically engages ancient texts and archaeological discoveries to reveal the earliest evidence of Torah observance among ordinary Judeans. He examines the species of animal bones in ancient rubbish heaps, the prevalence of purification pools and chalk vessels in Judean settlements, the dating of figural representations in decorative and functional arts, evidence of such practices as tefillin and mezuzot, and much more to reconstruct when ancient Judean society first adopted the Torah as authoritative law.
 
Focusing on the lived experience of the earliest Torah observers, this investigative study transforms much of what we thought we knew about the genesis and early development of Judaism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300276657
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	02/13/2024
Series:	The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	506,726
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Yonatan Adler is associate professor in the department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology at Ariel University in Israel. He has served as a member of the State of Israel’s Council for Archaeology since his 2018 appointment by the Minister of Culture.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

List of Abbreviations xiii

Introduction 1

1 Dietary Laws 25

2 Ritual Purity 50

3 Figural Art 87

4 Tefillin and Mezuzot 113

5 Miscellaneous Practices 132

6 The Synagogue 170

7 The Origins of Judaism Reappraised 189

Notes 237

Bibliography 303

Acknowledgments 333

Index of Ancient Sources 335

Index of Names and Subjects 358

Editorial Reviews

The list of practices Adler investigates is determined by the nature of the surviving evidence and by Adler’s expertise in archaeology as well as in history. . . . Thorough and learned.”—Martin Goodman, University of Oxford, in Times Literary Supplement

“The Origins of Judaism is an engrossing read, well written and extensively documented.”—Ari Zivotovsky, Jerusalem Post

“A most extraordinary book. . . . Adler’s methodology is impeccable.”—Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament

“A bravura study. . . . Adler’s facility with a wide range of historical evidence is as impressive as it is persuasive. . . . Buoyed by penetrating historical analysis and lay reader-friendly prose, this is sure to become a key text in future discussions of Jewish religious history.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A highly learned and carefully reasoned contribution to this longstanding and often contentious discussion.”—Jon D. Levenson, Mosaic

“Adler’s approach is admirably clear and methodical.”—Jewish Review of Books

“Essential reading for scholars of Second Temple Judaism.”—Benjamin D. Gordon, AJS Review

“An impressive volume that advances a novel and creative reconstruction of the origins of Judaism. The argument is clearly presented and strongly stated, and sure to be controversial.”—Jason Maston, Religious Studies Review

“Fascinating. . . . Adler’s work belongs on the shelves of anyone interested in the history and development of early Judaism.”—Rachel Esserman, Reporter Group

“In this readable, scholarly study Adler explores the beginnings of Jewish observance of biblical laws. . . . Sifting through the endnotes is like reading another book.”—B. Weinstein, Choice

“A convincing thesis, tightly and compellingly argued. . . . [Adler] supplies a welcome and intuitive addition to our evolving sense of what ‘Judaism’ was in antiquity and how and why it came to be that way.”—David Armstrong, Christian Century

Winner of the 2024 Society for American Archaeology Popular Book Award

“The intellectual parameters of this ambitious project are nothing short of breathtaking. This is a very serious work that calls for much admiration and praise.”—Eric Meyers, Duke University

“An impressive and important book—the rare case of the ability of one scholar to master the textual sources and the archaeological data, combine them into a comprehensive thesis, and arrive at a well-argued and persuasive solution to one of the thorniest questions in the history of Judaism.”—Amihai Mazar, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

“This pioneering and provocative book constitutes a major contribution to contemporary scholarship on the origins of Judaism. Adler carefully juxtaposes archaeological and literary evidence on key aspects of ancient Jewish identity formation, reframing the debate on the origins of Judaism in terms of what can be established—the facts on the ground. Anyone seriously interested in Judaism’s origins will want to engage with this book.”—Jonathan Klawans, Boston University

“Yonatan Adler’s challenging and judicious analysis of a wealth of archaeological and textual data argues convincingly for the profound significance of the early Hellenistic period in the formation of Judaism as we know it.”—Lawrence Schiffman, New York University

“Based on a fascinating and comprehensive analysis of texts and archaeology, Adler concludes that Judaism emerged either in the early Hellenistic period or in the period following the Maccabean revolt, when, he argues persuasively, the Hasmoneans adopted Pentateuchal law to unify the population of the new Jewish state.”—Jodi Magness, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
 
“Uniting archaeology with the written sources, Yonatan Adler has illuminated the practice and piety of ordinary Jews of the Second Temple era. Drawing on this work, this book proposes a bold and original thesis for when the Torah became the foundation text, setting the standards for the lives of Jews.”—Albert I. Baumgarten, Bar-Ilan University

From the Publisher

★ 10/31/2022

Adler, an archaeology professor at Ariel University in Israel, debuts with a bravura study of the emergence of traditional Jewish rituals and practices. Examining archaeological finds and ancient texts by non-Jewish authors, he details the periods and circumstances when such observances as dietary laws, ritual purity, and wearing tefillin came into practice. He traces the beginning of Judaism to “sometime in the middle of the second century BCE or earlier” based on the apparent familiarity that Early Hellenistic authors Demetrius the Chronographer and Joshua Ben Sira had with the Pentateuch. The author contends that the discovery in Jerusalem of skeletal remains of scaleless fish (which are unkosher) dating to the “first half of the first millennium BCE” indicate that the contemporary understanding of kashrut might not have become widespread until more than 100 years afterward. Adler’s facility with a wide range of historical evidence is as impressive as it is persuasive, as when he parses stone inscriptions, papyri, and ancient structures uncovered by archeological digs to argue that synagogues likely came into being around the early first century CE. Buoyed by penetrating historical analysis and lay reader–friendly prose, this is sure to become a key text in future discussions of Jewish religious history. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

“The intellectual parameters of this ambitious project are nothing less than breathtaking. This is a very serious work that calls for much admiration and praise.”—Eric Meyers, Duke University

Eric Meyers