BOOK COVER -- TITLE -- COPYRIGHT -- CONTENTS -- INTRODUCTION -- CHAPTER 1 THE HISTORY OF JUDAISM: BEGINNINGS TO THE SECOND TEMPLE -- NATURE AND CHARACTERISTICS -- PERIODIZATION -- BIBLICAL JUDAISM (20TH-4TH CENTURY BCE) -- THE ANCIENT MIDDLE EASTERN SETTING -- THE PRE-MOSAIC PERIOD: THE RELIGION OF THE PATRIARCHS -- THE MOSAIC PERIOD -- THE PERIOD OF THE CONQUEST AND SETTLEMENT OF CANAAN -- THE PERIOD OF THE UNITED MONARCHY -- THE DAVIDIC MONARCHY -- THE PERIOD OF THE DIVIDED KINGDOM -- THE PERIOD OF CLASSICAL PROPHECY AND CULT REFORM -- THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY IN EXILE -- THE PERIOD OF THE RESTORATION -- CHAPTER 2 HELLENISTIC JUDAISM -- THE GREEK PERIOD (332-63 BCE) -- SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND RELIGIOUS DIVISIONS -- RELIGIOUS RITES AND CUSTOMS IN PALESTINE -- RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL LIFE IN THE DIASPORA -- EGYPTIAN JEWISH LITERATURE -- PALESTINIAN LITERATURE -- THE ROMAN PERIOD (63 BCE-135 CE) -- NEW PARTIES AND SECTS -- EARLY CHRISTIANS AND THE JEWISH COMMUNITY -- JUDAISM UNDER ROMAN RULE -- CHAPTER 3 RABBINIC JUDAISM -- THE ROLE OF THE RABBIS -- THE MAKING OF THE MISHNA -- THE MAKING OF THE TALMUDS -- THE AGE OF THE GEONIM -- TRIUMPH OF THE BABYLONIAN RABBINATE -- ANTI-RABBINIC REACTIONS -- THE GAONATE OF SA'ADIA BEN JOSEPH -- MEDIEVAL EUROPEAN JUDAISM -- MARGINALIZATION AND EXPULSION -- THE TWO MAJOR BRANCHES -- CONFLICTS AND NEW MOVEMENTS -- CHAPTER 4 MODERN JUDAISM -- IN CENTRAL EUROPE -- IN EASTERN EUROPE -- RELIGIOUS REFORM MOVEMENTS -- ORTHODOX DEVELOPMENTS -- IN WESTERN AND CENTRAL EUROPE -- IN EASTERN EUROPE -- DEVELOPMENTS IN SCHOLARSHIP -- JEWISH-CHRISTIAN RELATIONS -- ZIONISM -- AMERICAN JUDAISM -- JUDAISM IN OTHER LANDS -- CONTEMPORARY JUDAISM -- CHAPTER 5 THE LITERATURE OF JUDAISM -- THE HEBREW BIBLE (TANAKH) -- SOURCES AND SCOPE OF THE TORAH -- PROPHECY AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE -- MODERN VIEWS OF TORAH -- MISHNA.

TALMUD AND MIDRASH -- DEFINITION OF TERMS -- OPPOSITION TO THE TALMUD -- CONTENT, STYLE, AND FORM -- MODES OF INTERPRETATION AND THOUGHT -- EARLY COMPILATIONS -- TALMUDIC AND MIDRASHIC LITERATURE -- NONLEGAL SUBJECT MATTER -- TALMUDIC LAW AND JURISPRUDENCE -- THE TALMUD TODAY -- CHAPTER 6 BASIC BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES -- GOD -- UNITY AND UNIQUENESS -- CREATIVITY -- ACTIVITY IN THE WORLD -- OTHERNESS AND NEARNESS -- MODERN VIEWS OF GOD -- ISRAEL (THE JEWISH PEOPLE) -- CHOICE AND COVENANT -- ISRAEL AND THE NATIONS -- THE PEOPLE AND THE LAND -- MODERN VIEWS OF THE PEOPLE ISRAEL -- HUMANITY -- THE EARTHLY-SPIRITUAL CREATURE -- THE ETHICALLY BOUND CREATURE -- MEDIEVAL AND MODERNVIEWS OF HUMANITY -- ETHICS AND SOCIETY -- THE ETHICAL EMPHASIS OF JUDAISM -- INTERPENETRATION OF COMMUNAL AND INDIVIDUAL ETHICS -- THE KEY MORAL VIRTUES -- THE RELATION TO NON-JEWISH COMMUNITIES AND CULTURES -- THE FORMULATION OF JEWISH ETHICAL DOCTRINES -- THE UNIVERSE -- CREATION AND PROVIDENCE -- HUMANITY'S PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE -- INTERMEDIARY BEINGS: ANGELS AND DEMONS -- ESCHATOLOGY -- THE FUTURE AGE OF HUMANKIND AND THE WORLD -- THE KING-MESSIAH AND HIS REIGN -- SECULARIZATION OF MESSIANISM -- CHAPTER 7 BASIC PRACTICES AND INSTITUTIONS -- THE TRADITIONAL PATTERN OF INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILIAL PRACTICES -- THE TRADITIONAL PATTERN OF SYNAGOGUE PRACTICES -- CEREMONIES MARKING THE INDIVIDUAL LIFE CYCLES -- HOLY PLACES: THE LAND OF ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM -- THE SACRED LANGUAGE: HEBREW AND THE VERNACULAR TONGUES -- THE RABBINATE -- LEGAL, JUDICIAL, AND CONGREGATIONAL ROLES -- CHIEF RABBINATES -- GENERAL COUNCILS OR CONFERENCES -- MODERN VARIATIONS -- CHAPTER 8 THE RELIGIOUS YEAR AND HOLIDAYS -- THE CYCLE OF THE RELIGIOUS YEAR -- THE JEWISH CALENDAR -- MONTHS AND NOTABLE DAYS -- ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT -- THE SABBATH -- IMPORTANCE -- OBSERVANCES -- JEWISH HOLIDAYS -- PILGRIM FESTIVALS.

TEN DAYS OF PENITENCE -- MINOR FESTIVALS: HANUKKAH AND PURIM -- THE FIVE FASTS -- THE MINOR HOLIDAYS -- THE SITUATION TODAY -- CHAPTER 9 JEWISH MYSTICISM -- NATURE AND CHARACTERISTIC -- THE JUDAIC CONTEXT -- THREE TYPES OF JEWISH MYSTICISM -- MAIN LINES OF DEVELOPMENT -- EARLY STAGES TO THE 6TH CENTURY CE -- THE ARABIC-ISLAMIC INFLUENCE (7TH-13TH CENTURY) -- THE MAKING OF KABBALA -- THE 10 SEFIROT -- MEDIEVAL GERMAN (ASHKENAZIC) HASIDISM -- THE MAKING OF THE ZOHAR (C. 1260-1492) -- THE LURIANIC KABBALA -- SHABBETAIANISM -- MODERN HASIDISM -- MODERN JEWISH MYSTICISM -- CHAPTER 10 JEWISH MYTH AND LEGEND -- SIGNIFICANCE AND CHARACTERISTICS -- MYTH AND LEGEND IN THE BIBLE -- MYTHS -- LEGENDS AND OTHER TALES -- CONTEMPORARY INTERPRETATIONS -- MYTH AND LEGEND IN THE PERSIAN PERIOD -- MYTH AND LEGEND IN THE HELENISTIC PERIOD -- HISTORIATED BIBLES AND LEGENDARY HISTORIES -- APOCRYPHA AND PSEUDEPIGRAPHA -- MYTH AND LEGEND IN THE TALMUD AND MIDRASH -- MIDRASH AND HAGGADA -- FABLES AND ANIMAL STORIES -- CONTRIBUTION OF HAGGADA TO CHRISTIAN AND ISLAMIC LEGENDS -- MYTH AND LEGEND IN THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD -- JEWISH CONTRIBUTIONS TO DIFFUSION OF FOLKTALES -- HEBREW VERSIONS OF MEDIEVAL ROMANCES -- JEWISH CONTRIBUTIONS TO CHRISTIAN AND ISLAMIC TALES -- MAJOR MEDIEVAL HEBREW COLLECTIONS -- MEDIEVAL LEGENDARY HISTORIES AND HAGGADIC COMPENDIUMS -- MYTH AND LEGEND IN THE MODERN PERIOD -- KABBALISTIC TALES -- YIDDISH TALES -- JUDEO-PERSIAN AND JUDEO-SPANISH (LADINO) TALES -- HASIDIC TALES -- DROLL STORIES -- MODERN ISRAELI FOLKTALES -- CHAPTER 11 JEWISH PHILOSOPHY -- PRE-HELENISTIC AND HELENISTIC THOUGHT -- PHILO JUDAEUS -- OTHER ANCIENT SOURCES -- MEDIEVAL THOUGHT -- JEWISH KALAM -- SA'ADIA BEN JOSEPH -- THE KARAITES -- JEWISH NEOPLATONISM -- ISAAC ISRAELI -- SOLOMON IBN GABIROL -- OTHER JEWISH THINKERS, C. 1050-C. 1150 -- JEWISH ARISTOTELIANISM -- ABRAHAM IBN DAUD.

MAIMONIDES -- AVERROISTS -- GERSONIDES -- HASDAI CRESCAS -- JOSEPH ALBO -- MODERN PHILOSOPHY -- URIEL ACOSTA -- BENEDICT DE SPINOZA -- MOSES MENDELSSOHN -- SOLOMON FORMSTECHER -- SAMUEL HIRSCH -- NACHMAN KROCHMAL -- SOLOMON STEINHEIM -- HERMANN COHEN -- FRANZ ROSENZWEIG -- MARTIN BUBER -- EMMANUEL LÉVINAS -- CHAPTER 12 FOUNDATIONAL FIGURES OF JEWISH TRADITION -- ABRAHAM -- THE CRITICAL PROBLEM OF A "BIOGRAPHY" OF ABRAHAM -- THE BIBLICAL ACCOUNT -- THE GENESIS NARRATIVE IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT SCHOLARSHIP -- MOSES -- THE HISTORICAL PROBLEM -- YEARS AND DEEDS -- MOSES THE MAN -- CHAPTER 13 RULERS -- DAVID -- EARLY LIFE -- KINGSHIP -- POLITICAL ACHIEVEMENT -- RELIGIOUS ROLE AND SIGNIFICANCE -- SOLOMON -- BACKGROUND -- EMPIRE BUILDER -- SOLOMON'S TEMPLE -- HIS LEGENDARY WISDOM -- DECLINE OF THE KINGDOM -- CHAPTER 14 PROPHETS -- ELIJAH -- HISTORICAL SETTING -- STORY -- THEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE -- ISAIAH -- ISAIAH'S VISION -- PERSONAL HISTORY -- ISAIAH'S THEOLOGY -- PROPHETIC MISSION -- MESSAGE TO ISRAEL -- LATER INTERPRETATIONS OF ISAIAH'S MESSAGE -- JEREMIAH -- LIFE AND TIMES -- PROPHETIC VOCATION AND MESSAGE -- EZEKIEL -- CHAPTER 15 POST-EXILIC AND HELLENISTIC PERIOD FIGURES -- PHILO JUDAEUS -- LIFE AND BACKGROUND -- WORKS -- ORIGINALITY OF HIS THOUGHT -- HILLEL -- AKIBA BEN JOSEPH -- JOHANAN BEN ZAKKAI -- CHAPTER 16 MEDIEVAL FIGURES -- MOSES MAIMONIDES -- LIFE -- WORKS -- SIGNIFICANCE -- ISAAC BEN SOLOMON LURIA -- CHAPTER 17 MODERN FIGURES -- BA'AL SHEM TOV -- LIFE -- INFLUENCE -- MOSES MENDELSSOHN -- FRANZ ROSENZWEIG -- MARTIN BUBER -- FROM VIENNA TO JERUSALEM -- THE FINAL YEARS -- THEODOR HERZL -- EARLY YEARS -- CONVERSION TO ZIONISM -- THE FIRST ZIONIST CONGRESS -- LATER ACCOMPLISHMENTS -- EMMANUEL LÉVINAS -- CHAPTER 18 JUDAISM IN WORLD PERSPECTIVE -- RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY -- RELATION TO ISLAM -- RELATIONS WITH OTHER RELIGIONS.

THE ROLE OF JUDAISM IN WESTERN CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION -- CONCLUSION : FUTURE PROSPECTS -- GLOSSARY -- BIBLIOGRAPHY -- GENERAL HISTORY -- MODERN JUDAISM -- BASIC BELIEFS, PRACTICES, AND INSTITUTIONS -- RELATIONS WITH NON-JUDAIC RELIGIONS -- JEWISH MYSTICISM -- JEWISH MYTH AND LEGEND -- INDEX -- BACK COVER.