Heavenly Tablets ― Interpretation, Identity and Tradition in Ancient Judaism

Collected in celebration of the career of noted expert Betsey Halpern-Amaru, these 15 lively papers reflect the range of her interests and those of her students and colleagues in such topics as interpreting ritual texts, mapping diaspora identities and rewriting traditions. Specific topics include ritual practices found in Aristeas, prayers in the Book of Jubilees and its Hellenistic context, visions in the Testament of Job and Hekhalot literature, questions of Jewish authorship, identities in the Genesis Apocryphon, the theme of the return to Israel in antiquity, sectarian consciousness in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and pilgrimage in terms of the spiritualization of sacrifice. Papers on traditions include themes of blasphemy, gender roles, curious scholarly references, thematic unity and the notion that Antiochus had to fall. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Lynn LiDonnici, Ph.D. (1989) in Religion, University of Pennsylvania, is Associate Professor of Religion at Vassar College. She publishes mainly on the Greek Magical Papyri and related scholarly problems, and is writing a mongraph about them.Andrea Lieber, Ph.D. (1998) in Religion, Columbia University, is Associate Professor of Religion on the Sophia Ava Asbell Chair in Judaic Studies at Dickinson College. She has published several articles in the field of ancient Jewish mysticism and is presently working on a book, God In(corp)orated: Feasting on the Divine Presence in Ancient Judaism.