Religion: Judaism

The Tanakh is the chief sacred text within Judaism. It consists of three parts: the Law (Torah), Prophets (Nevi’im), and the Writings (Ketuvim). This link provides access to the Tanakh in Hebrew with a parallel English translation (according to the Masoretic text and the Jewish Publication Society 1917 edition). Includes MP3 files of each chapter being read in Hebrew.

This resource provides full access to a wide variety of ancient Near Eastern texts outside the Biblical canon. All texts are in English and include an introduction. Use this resource to access religious texts, texts concerned with royalty and government, and inscriptions, from Egyptian, Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite and other ancient civilizations.

When complete, this multi-volume work will constitute the most comprehensive encyclopedia to the bible ever produced. Opening a window on the current state of knowledge on the origins and development of the Bible according to its different canonic forms in Judaism and Christianity, this encyclopedia will also document the history of the Bible’s reception in the Christian churches and the Jewish Diaspora; in literature, art, music, and film; in Islam, as well as in other religious traditions and current religious movements, Western and non-Western alike. Volume 1-2 currently available.

This book offers over 2,000 brief entries covering the places, people, themes, and doctrines of the Bible. It also includes a conversion table of measures, weights, and values; a chronology of important dates in Biblical history; and historical maps.

Biblical studies is a highly technical and diverse field. This authoritative and state-of-the-art survey of original research will therefore be invaluable to scholars and students who need to command linguistic, historical, literary, and philosophical skills. Forty-five original contributions by leading figures in the discipline review and analyze current thinking and work and give critical examinations of the progress and direction of debates.

The Talmud is a key text within Judaism that records rabbinic discissions relating to the law, ethics, philosophy, and history. Talmudic traditions in Israel and Babylon resulted in the creation of two Talmuds. This link provides access to a searchable edition of the Jerusalem Talmud in Hebrew. An English translation can be found in the Scott Library under call number BM 506 B8 E5 1975.

This site provide access to Michael Rodkinson’s 1918 browsable translation of the Babylonian Talmud. An 18-volume translation of the Babylonian Talmud can also be found in the Scott Library under call number BM 499.5 E5 1961.

Midrash can refer to a method of scriptural interpretation used in Talmudic literature, or to a separate body of rabbinic commentaries on the Tanakh. Such commentaries are grouped into those that treat legal (halakha) and non-legal (Aggadic) topics. This link provides access to the sampling of post-Talmudic Midrashic literature contained in Samuel Rapaport’s 1907 English translation Tales and Maxims from the Midrash.

The second of four volumes covering the history of Judaism from 540 BCE to 250 CE, this book deals with the encounter of Judaism with the Hellenistic culture spread throughout the Mediterranean world and beyond by Alexander the Great and his successors. Drawing upon recent scholarship in archaeology, history and scriptures, the contributors describe the religious, social and cultural rejection and adoption of Hellenism by Judaism. Illustrated with plates and diagrams, the text will prove an invaluable resource to scholars and general readers interested in Jewish or Mediterranean history.

The first volume in this comprehensive work is an exploration of the history of Jewish philosophy from its beginnings in antiquity to the early modern period, with a particular emphasis on medieval Jewish thought. Unlike most histories, encyclopedias, guides, or companions of Jewish philosophy, this volume is organized by philosophical topic rather than by chronology or individual figures. There are sections on logic and language; natural philosophy; epistemology, philosophy of mind, and psychology; metaphysics and philosophical theology; and practical philosophy. There are also chapters on the intellectual background of Jewish philosophy, including Islamic and Greek thought and the Jewish philosophical textual traditions. With essays by leading scholars in the field, this volume provides the reader with a wonderful overview of the richness and sophistication of Jewish philosophy in its golden age.