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Loading... Stone and Dung, Oil and Spit: Jewish Daily Life in Ancient Palestineby Jodi Magness
Work InformationStone and Dung, Oil and Spit: Jewish Daily Life in the Time of Jesus by Jodi Magness
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. NCLA Review - If there ever were a book to purchase based on its title alone, this would be it. As it happens, there are other reasons. Understanding the “situation in life” (sitz im leben) of the historical Jesus is integral to interpreting His parables and many of His teachings. The author, Kenan Distinguished Professor for Teaching Excellence in Early Judaism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, aims to do precisely that, and succeeds beyond all reasonable expectations in putting Jesus in his proper place. As Magness puts it: “I focus on Jesus as he is portrayed especially in the Synoptic gospels . . . our sources indicate he was a lower-class Galilean Jew.” Everything flows, then, from that. This book is approached best not as a “page-turner,” but as a meticulously researched, and photographically illustrated, reference work. The reader will not be disappointed by the extensive footnotes (80+ pages, bibliography (34+ pages), and index (30 pages). If you can’t find what you want here, it probably cannot be found. So, should you purchase this book for your library? For the sake of stone and dung, of oil and spit, and even for Jesus’ sake, “Yes!” Rating: 4 —WS ( )
This book would work well for a NT backgrounds or culture class. It would also be a great supplement for a NT Survey or Life of Christ course, on either the college or seminary level. A heftier (and much pricier) reference work on roughly the same subject is the Oxford Handbook of Jewish Daily Life in Roman Palestine (ed. Catherine Hezser; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010). In addition to her mastery of the material, Magness's writing is easy to understand and engaging, making this book a welcome addition to the study of the NT and late Second Temple Judaism.
"In Stone and Dung, Oil and Spit Jodi Magness unearths 'footprints' buried in both archaeological and literary evidence to shed new light on Jewish daily life in Palestine from the mid-first century b.c.e. to 70 c.e. the time and place of Jesus' life and ministry. Magness analyzes recent archaeological discoveries from such sites as Qumran and Masada together with a host of period texts, including the New Testament, the works of Josephus, and rabbinic teachings. Layering all these sources together, she reconstructs in detail a fascinating variety of everyday activities dining customs, Sabbath observance, fasting, toilet habits, burial customs, and more" -- BACK COVER. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)933.05History and Geography Ancient World Ancient Palestine to 70LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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