How Should We Understand Ancient Judaism?

What is it about?

Boyarin’s book is inciting, stimulating and a significant contribution to the study of Second Temple Judaism and to the question of Judaism as a category and phenomenon in general. It deserves thorough discussion. It revolves around two questions. The first concerns how to conceive of Judaism, past and present, and the second challenges the assumption of Judaism as religion. It partakes in a currently vibrant debate about nomenclature and definitions. As a self-label, Judaism is a recent development and the notion religion is modern, hence Judaism as religion is fallacious regarding pre-modernity. Moreover, the notions are Christian inventions, wherefore they are inappropriate with respect to contemporary Jewry. Much of the argument is persuasive, but I am critical towards the philosophy of science perspective underlying it and some main consequences drawn from it. This may appear trite, but there is no way to bypass the questions Boyarin astutely discusses.

Featured Image