Best of
Judaism

1962

The Prophets


Abraham Joshua Heschel - 1962
    When The Prophets was first published in 1962, it was immediately recognized as a masterpiece of biblical scholarship.The Prophets provides a unique opportunity for readers of the Old Testament, both Christian and Jewish, to gain fresh and deep knowledge of Israel's prophetic movement. The author's profound understanding of the prophets also opens the door to new insight into the philosophy of religion.

Jews, God, and History


Max I. Dimont - 1962
    Dimont shows how the saga of the Jews is interwoven with the story of virtually every nation on earth. This is a tale of a people escaping annihilation, fighting, falling back, advancing - a lively and fascinating look at how the Jews have contributed to humankind's spiritual and intellectual heritage in remarkable ways, and across a remarkable span of history.

The Town Beyond the Wall


Elie Wiesel - 1962
    Story based on Wiesel's own life in which a young Holocaust survivor returns to his hometown, seeking to understand the mystery of those who stood by and watched.

The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English


Anonymous - 1962
    Hidden in the caves at Qumran by the Essenes, a Jewish sect in existence before and during the time of Jesus, the Scrolls have transformed our understanding of the Hebrew Bible, early Judaism, and the origins of Christianity. This fully revised edition of the classic English translation by Geza Vermes, the world's leading scholar on the subject, offers an astonishing look into the organization, customs, and beliefs of the community at Qumran. Enhanced by much previously unpublished material and a new preface, this will remain the authoritative translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls for years to come.

The Prophets, Vol 1


Abraham Joshua Heschel - 1962
    But in the Jewish tradition, as Abraham Joshua Heschel explains in The Prophets, these figures earn their title by witnessing the world around them with outstanding passion. Prophets are those whose "life & soul are at stake" in what they say about "the mystery of [god's] relation to man." They are "some of the most disturbing people who have ever lived," & yet they are also "the men whose image is our refuge in distress, & whose voice & vision sustain our faith." Heschel's book, one of the classic texts on the subject, contains sophisticated, straightforward discussions of each of the Hebrew prophets, the primary themes of their preaching, & comparisons of Israel's prophets to those of other religions'. Heschel avoids the two great temptations in any discussion of prophesy: overstating the supernatural quality of a prophet's epiphany ("A prophet is a person, not a microphone") & reducing prophesy to a merely human phenomenon. Instead, he describes the prophet's peculiar status as god's spokesman in a way that does justice to its complexity: "He speaks from the perspective of god as perceived from the perspective of his own situation.--Michael Joseph Gross (edited)

The Prophets, Vol 2


Abraham Joshua Heschel - 1962
    What manner of man is the prophet?Amos Hosea IsaiahMicah Jeremiah Habakkuk Second IsaiahHistory ChastisementJustice

Rabad of Posqui`Eres: A Twelfth-Century Talmudist


Isadore Twersky - 1962
    This biographical treatise captures the personality of Rabbad of Posquieres or Rabbi Abraham ben David – one of the most creative talmudic scholars of the twelfth century, chronicles his role in the intellectual history of the Jews in southern France duri