Bakhos - The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, Volume 2 Emerging Judaism

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Matthew Longhorn
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Bakhos - The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, Volume 2 Emerging Judaism

Post by Matthew Longhorn »

I just noticed that this is a category of books allowed for this site so expect a few coming in over the next week. Out of interest, what is the view on posting new translations of ancient Greek texts, or maybe just translations that have not been done before making a text available in English for the first time?

Published
The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, Volume 1: Ancient Israel, from Its Beginnings through 332 BCE
https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300 ... -volume-1/
The Posen Library's groundbreaking anthology series—called "a feast of Jewish culture, in ten volumes" by The Chronicle of Higher Education—offers with Volume 1 an exploration of the culture of ancient Israel, including its literature, legal documents, and visual arts

"Readers seeking primary texts, documents, images, and artifacts constituting Jewish culture and civilization will not be disappointed. More important, they might even be inspired. . . . This set will serve to improve teaching and research in Jewish studies at institutions of higher learning and, at the same time, promote, maintain, and improve understanding of the Jewish population and Judaism in general."—Booklist, Starred Review

The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, Volume 1, covers the earliest period of Jewish civilization, from the second millennium BCE through 332 BCE. Organized by genre, this book presents a collection of some of the earliest products of Jewish culture, including extensive selections from the Tanakh and the Hebrew Bible; extrabiblical inscriptions and documents by and about Israelites and Jews, found by archaeologists in the lands of Israel, Egypt, and Mesopotamia; and images representing the visual culture of ancient Israel. Combining genres that have never been presented together in a single publication, Volume 1 illustrates ancient Israel’s cultural innovations and commonalities with neighboring societies.


Coming 9th September 2025
The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, Volume 2 Emerging Judaism, 332 BCE–600 CE
https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300 ... -volume-2/
An extensive collection of Jewish texts and visual artifacts, representing the memory, identity, and culture of ancient Jewish life over nearly a thousand years

Volume 2 of the Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization covers Jewish life as it evolved in the first several centuries following the biblical period. Jewish identity grew from its Israelite background and took on new dimensions, shaped by cultural exchanges and interactions with surrounding civilizations, including the Greek, Roman, Sasanian, and Parthian Empires. Shifts in Jewish culture during this long period include the rise of sectarianism, the expansion of the concept of Torah, the shift from Temple to synagogue, the disappearance of the priesthood and the emergence of rabbis, and the development of new forms of liturgy.

These years laid the groundwork for the rich tapestry of Jewish identity that would continue to evolve throughout history. Providing a robust collection of written and visual primary resources, Volume 2 affords an unmatched opportunity to discover the forms and movements of ancient Judaism and the institutions around which Jews centered their lives.

March 2026
The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, Volume 3: Encountering Christianity and Islam, 600-1200
https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300 ... -volume-3/
This volume of the Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization covers the religious, political, economic, and geographic transformations of Jewish life through the early Middle Ages

Volume 3 of the Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization presents a time of tremendous vibrancy for Jews and Judaism in the early Middle Ages, with a comprehensive historical introduction to the period in over a thousand source texts, alongside the extant visual and material culture. The sources offer an unprecedented range of voices—male and female, religious and secular, mystical and rationalist, learned and commoner—from a historical period that is thoroughly unfamiliar to modern audiences. The volume captures passionate political controversies, virtuosic liturgical poets, learned scientific and medical texts, and spiritually uplifting philosophical and theological discussions, all alongside the plaintive voices of Jewish mothers writing to their sons, real-life cases of commercial transactions, legal contests, and the details of domestic disputes.
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