In this book, Bob Becking provides a comprehensive and up-to-date
overview of the origins, lives, and eventual fate of the Yehudites,
or Judeans, at Elephantine, framed within the greater history of
the rise and fall of the Persian Empire. The Yehudites were among
those mercenaries recruited by the Persians to defend the
southwestern border of the empire in the fifth century BCE. Becking
argues that this group, whom some label as the first “Jews,”
lived on the island of Elephantine in relative peace with other
ethnic groups under the aegis of the pax persica. Drawing on
Aramaic and Demotic texts discovered during excavations on the
island and at Syene on the adjacent shore of the Nile, Becking
finds evidence of intermarriage, trade cooperation, and even a
limited acceptance of one another’s gods between the various
ethnic groups at Elephantine. His analysis of the Elephantine
Yehudites’ unorthodox form of Yahwism provides valuable insight
into the group’s religious beliefs and practices. An important
contribution to the study of Yehudite life in the diaspora, this
accessibly written and sweeping history enhances our understanding
of the varieties of early Jewish life and how these contributed to
the construction of Judaism.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
