The Talmud: A Biography
(Paperback)
Available Formats
Publishing Details
The Talmud: A Biography
By (Author) Barry Scott Wimpfheimer
Princeton University Press
Princeton University Press
9th November 2020
United States
Classifications
General
Non Fiction
History of religion
296.125
Physical Properties
Paperback
320
Width 140mm, Height 216mm
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.
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
Author Bio
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.
