Elements of Ancient Jewish Nationalism
David Goodblatt
(Author)
21,000+ Reviews
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Description
Contrary to the widespread view that nationalism is a modern phenomenon, Goodblatt argues that it can be found in the ancient world. He argues that concepts of nationalism compatible with contemporary social scientific theories can be documented in the ancient sources from the Mediterranean Rim by the middle of the last millennium BCE. In particular, the collective identity asserted by the Jews in antiquity fits contemporary definitions of nationalism. After the theoretical discussion in the opening chapter, the author examines several factors constitutive of ancient Jewish nationalism. He shows how this identity was socially constructed by such means as the mass dissemination of biblical literature, retention of the Hebrew language, and through the priestly caste. The author also discusses each of the names used to express Jewish national identity: Israel, Judah and Zion.
Product Details
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Publish Date | September 04, 2006 |
| Pages | 278 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Hardback |
| EAN/UPC | 9780521862028 |
| Dimensions | 8.9 X 6.4 X 0.9 inches | 1.1 pounds |
BISAC Categories: Spirituality & Religion,
About the Author
David Goodblatt is Professor of History at the University of California, San Diego where he holds the Endowed Chair in Judaic Studies. Previously he taught for over a decade in the Jewish History Department of the University of Haifa and was the Louis L. Kaplan Professor of Jewish History at the University of Maryland. He is the author of Rabbinic Instruction in Sasanian Babylonia and The Monarchic Principle: Studies in Jewish Self-government in Antiquity.
Reviews
"...(T)his book belongs in the library of every scholar who studies Hebrew literature and the Second Temple period..."
Honora Howell Chapman, Hebrew Studies Journal
"David Boodblatt has made an important contribution to the study of Jewish nationalism in the Second Temple period both in the areas of method and information. No doubt the volume will be useful for specialists in Second Temple Judaism as well as the NT." --Joel Willitts, North Park University: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
"David Goodblatt has written a masterful and often engrossing treatment of an all too neglected topic. The book stands as a major contribution not only to our understanding of ancient Jewish nationalism but to the field of nationalism studies as a whole." - Aviel Roshwald, Georgetown University
"It is satisfying to find a scholarly treatment that brings clarity to thorny topics such as ethnicity and nationalism." - Jewish Book World
Honora Howell Chapman, Hebrew Studies Journal
"David Boodblatt has made an important contribution to the study of Jewish nationalism in the Second Temple period both in the areas of method and information. No doubt the volume will be useful for specialists in Second Temple Judaism as well as the NT." --Joel Willitts, North Park University: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
"David Goodblatt has written a masterful and often engrossing treatment of an all too neglected topic. The book stands as a major contribution not only to our understanding of ancient Jewish nationalism but to the field of nationalism studies as a whole." - Aviel Roshwald, Georgetown University
"It is satisfying to find a scholarly treatment that brings clarity to thorny topics such as ethnicity and nationalism." - Jewish Book World
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