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Martin Hengel
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Judaism and Hellenism: Studies in their Encounter in Palestine during the Early Hellenistic Period Paperback – March 14, 2003

by Martin Hengel (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars 11
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Martin Hengel gathers an encyclopedic amount of material, ancient and modern, to present an exhaustive survey of the early course of Hellenistic civilization as it related to developing Judaism. The result is a highly readable account of a largely unfamiliar world which is indispensable for those interested in Judaism and the birth of Christianity alike. An extensive section of notes and bibliography is included.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    666 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    March 14, 2003
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1592441866
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1592441860
  7. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Martin Hengel presents here, in a fine English translation, an excellent, comprehensive study of the impact of Hellenism on Judaism in the intertestamental period. Hengel has mastered all the primary material and given us a new, synthetic picture of the encounter, at all its different levels.

'Choice'


Hengel writes with equal mastery on the political, economic, intellectual, and religious aspects of the encounter between the Jews and the Greeks and has succeeded admirably in presenting the detailed information essential for the appraisal of the period without ever allowing the momentum of his argument to be lost.

P.R. Ackroyd


Hengel's fine book is a freshly thought-out and thoroughly researched study which cuts across the customary network of traditional opinion and unsubstantiated guesswork.... This will certainly be a standard work for decades to come.

James Barr

About the Author

Martin Hengel, Ph.D., is Emeritus Professor of New Testament and Early Judaism for the University of Tuebingen, Germany. He is the author of many books including 'Victory Over Violence & Was Jesus a Revolutionist?', 'Between Jesus and Paul', 'Judaism and Hellenism', 'Studies in the Gospel of Mark' and 'The Hellenization of Judea in the First Century After Christ'. Dr. Hengel's most recent books include 'Paul Between Damascus and Antioch' (together with Anna Maria Schwemer) and 'The Four Gospels and the One Gospel of Jesus Christ'.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wipf and Stock; Reprint edition (March 14, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 666 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1592441866
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1592441860
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.94 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 out of 5 stars 11

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Martin Hengel

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Customer reviews

5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5
11 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

evm4316
5.0 out of 5 stars Judaism and Hellenism
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2023
Verified Purchase
For those who are interested; I have recently just begun to read this book, thus far it's filled with information about how Hellenism influenced & was influenced by Judaism, for those interested in such things it's an important book!
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bluesky2
5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended.
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2016
Verified Purchase
Comprehensive background study on Hellenism influence on Judaic tradition. Recommended.
One person found this helpful
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Jeri
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly influential book by a world class scholar
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2008
Martin Hengel, considered one of the top biblical scholars in the world, published this book about 1970. It has since influenced a generation of scholars, being cited in hundreds of publications. The book was published in two volumes, with volume one being the book itself, and volume two being the notes and index.

The old History of Religions theory had crashed to an inglorious end when Hengel published this book. Hengel's conclusion was that "It is not possible to say that Judaism maintained a straight course through the Hellenistic period...Still less can it be claimed that it was completely permeated by the Hellenistic spirit" (p310).

The 'wisdom school' was influenced by Greek thought, which among the people took on a strong eschatological expectation. Still, Hengel insists that Judaism maintained its singularity. "The almost complete fusion of religion and nationalism... prevented any assimilation" (p 313).

Among the Greek influences were the 100 years Palestine was under the Ptolemies, Attic pottery, the Greek language, irrigation, and minted money. "Interest in Hellenistic civilization, however, remained predominantly limited to the well-to-do aristocracy of Jerusalem" (p 56). So did that main pipeline of Hellenism, Greek schools.

Earlier schools among the Jews were "exclusive, status-conscious... scribal schools" (p 80). Among the Jewish people, even as Hellenism was influencing their elite, elementary schools were formed that had enormous impact on the common people. The idea was to educate every Jewish boy. Simeon b Setah ordered all Jewish boys to go to school. So did Jubilees.

"The school age was set a 6-7...non-Jews and Samaritans were prohibited as teachers...Instead of Homer, the Hebrew Bible, especially the Pentateuch, held pride of place in instruction" (p 82). Instruction was to continue for 10 years. The Cynic philosopher Oenomaus said, "'Go and observe their synagogues and schools..you cannot succeed'" in changing the Jews, because of those schools and synagogues.

The result of this education system was a burst of literary creativity. "It is astonishing what creative forces were developed in their small and relatively remote Jewish temple state measuring barely more than twenty-four miles across, during the Persian and early Hellenistic period" (p 113).

Hengel argues that the Septuagint was influenced very little by Hellenism. And that Ben Sira "By asserting that all wisdom comes from the Lord...formulates a Jewish declaration of war against Hellenism" (p 138).
48 people found this helpful
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