General history
Noteworthy studies are Salo W. Baron, A Social and Religious History of the Jews, 2nd ed., rev. and enlarged, 18 vol. (1952–83), a comprehensive presentation of the intertwined social and religious history, with copious bibliographical information critically evaluated; Louis Finkelstein (ed.), The Jews: Their History, Culture, and Religion, 4th ed., 3 vol. (1970–71), critical essays by outstanding authorities on the major aspects of Jewish history and culture; and Robert M. Seltzer, Jewish People, Jewish Thought: The Jewish Experience in History (1980), a thorough account of Jewish history and civilization in one volume.
Biblical Judaism
Yehezkel Kaufmann, The Religion of Israel, from Its Beginnings to the Babylonian Exile, trans. by Moshe Greenberg (1960; originally published in Hebrew, 1937–56), is an abridgment and translation of the work of one of the most influential Jewish biblical scholars of modern times. Dan Jacobson, The Story of the Stories: The Chosen People and Its God (1982), is a useful survey of the culture and religion of ancient Israel.
Hellenistic Judaism
Victor A. Tcherikover and Alexander Fuks (eds.), Corpus Papyrorum Judaicarum, 3 vol. (1957–64), contains thoroughly reliable text, translation, bibliography, and commentary on all papyri and inscriptions pertaining to Jews from 323 bce to 641 ce. Erwin R. Goodenough, Jewish Symbols in the Greco-Roman Period, 13 vol. (1953–68), is a magnificent, exhaustive collection of the archaeological findings, with highly insightful, if controversial, commentary. Solomon Zeitlin, The Rise and Fall of the Judaean State: A Political, Social, and Religious History of the Second Commonwealth, 3 vol. (1962–78), is a stimulating and often highly original survey of the period from 332 bce to 66 ce.Saul Lieberman, Greek in Jewish Palestine, 2nd ed. (1965, reissued 1994), is a significant and learned illustration of the influence of Greek culture on the language and exegetical format of the Palestinian rabbis. Louis H. Feldman, Jew and Gentile in the Ancient World: Attitudes and Interactions from Alexander to Justinian (1993), is a thorough study of the chief issues confronting Hellenistic Judaism.
Rabbinic Judaism
David Weiss Halivni, Revelation Restored: Divine Writ and Critical Responses (1997, reissued 2001), is a reflective work by a great rabbinic scholar on a major theme of rabbinic theology. Ephraim E. Urbach, The Sages: Their Concepts and Beliefs, trans. by Israel Abrahams, 2nd ed. enlarged (1979, reissued 2001; originally published in Hebrew, 1969), is the most comprehensive treatment of rabbinic theology available. Jacob Neusner, A History of the Jews in Babylonia, 5 vol. (1965–70, reprinted 1999), is the most thorough treatment of Babylonian Jewry during the tannaitic and amoraic periods. S.D. Goitein, Jews and Arabs: Their Contacts Through the Ages, 3rd rev. ed. (1974), is a popular work by the ranking authority on all aspects of Jewish-Arabic symbiosis, particularly valuable for the medieval period. Abraham Ibn Daud, A Critical Edition with a Translation and Notes of The Book of Tradition (Sefer ha-Qabbalah), ed. and trans. by Gerson D. Cohen (1967), presents the classic medieval Hebrew chronicle with analytic essays on Spanish Jewry’s “golden age.” Bernard S. Bachrach, Early Medieval Jewish Policy in Western Europe (1977); and Kenneth R. Stow, Alienated Minority: The Jews of Medieval Latin Europe (1992), are good introductions to Jewish life in the Middle Ages. Cecil Roth, The Jews in the Renaissance (1959, reissued 1977), is lucid and informative and valuable on Jewish contact with Christian men of letters, though it contains little critical analysis.
Modern Judaism
The most convenient summary for the study of modern Jewish history is Howard M. Sachar, The Course of Modern Jewish History, rev. and updated ed. (1990). Modern Jewish thought and belief are covered in Joseph L. Blau, Modern Varieties of Judaism (1966); and The Condition of Jewish Belief: A Symposium (1966, reissued 1995), a book published by the editors of Commentary Magazine. Arthur Hertzberg (ed.), The Zionist Idea (1959, reissued 1997), is a comprehensive reader in English on the issue of Zionism. An excellent exposition of Judaism from a Reform-Liberal point of view is Leo Baeck, The Essence of Judaism, trans. by Victor Grubenweiser and Leonard Pearl, rev. ed. (1948, reissued 1976; originally published in German, 1905). Conservative Judaism is well described in Jacob B. Agus, Dialogue and Tradition: The Challenges of Contemporary Judeo-Christian Thought (1971). Mordecai M. Kaplan, Judaism as a Civilization, enlarged ed. (1957, reissued 1994), by the founder of Reconstructionism, is the best discussion of that movement. The standard single volume about Orthodox Judaism is Isidore Epstein, Judaism (1935). Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Halakhic Man, trans. by Lawrence Kaplan (1983, reissued 1991; originally published in Hebrew, 1979), is a statement of the centrality of Halakha to Judaism by the most influential Orthodox theologian of the 20th century. The best discussion of Neo-Hasidism, by the movement’s greatest exponent, is Martin Buber, The Origin and Meaning of Hasidism, ed. and trans. by Maurice Friedman (1960, reissued 1988; originally published in German, 1948).
Basic beliefs, practices, and institutions
Jacob Neusner, The Way of Torah: An Introduction to Judaism, 7th ed. (2004), is a very useful statement with a history-of-religions approach. Michael Wyschogrod, The Body of Faith: Judaism of Corporeal Election (1983), is an attempt to restore election as the most important idea in Judaism. David Novak, The Election of Israel: The Idea of the Chosen People (1995), is a theological meditation on the retrieval of the doctrine of election for contemporary Jews. Jewish ceremonies are covered in Lewis N. Dembitz, Jewish Services in Synagogue and Home (1898, reprinted 1975); Hayim Shoys (Hayyim Schauss), The Jewish Festivals: From Their Beginning to Our Own Day, trans. by Samuel Jaffe (1938; also published as The Jewish Festivals: A Guide to Their History and Observance, 1996; originally published in Hebrew, 1933); and Ismar Elbogen, Jewish Liturgy: A Comprehensive History, trans. by Raymond P. Scheindlin (1993; originally published in German, 1913).
Ethics and society
The rationale of Jewish ethics is discussed in David Novak, Jewish Social Ethics (1992), and Covenantal Rights: A Study in Jewish Political Theory (2000).
Art and iconography
Abraham Z. Idelsohn, Jewish Music in Its Historical Development (1929; also published as Jewish Music: Its Historical Development, 1992), is a pioneering study. Cecil Roth and Bezalel Narkiss (eds.), Jewish Art: An Illustrated History, rev. and enlarged ed. (1971); and Gabrielle Sed-Rajna, Jewish Art (1997), are comprehensive surveys of Jewish art from biblical to modern times.
Relations with non-Judaic religions
David Novak, The Image of the Non-Jew in Judaism (1983), is a study of the Noahide Laws as the basis of Jewish interaction with Gentiles, and Jewish-Christian Dialogue: A Jewish Justification (1989), is a theological rationale for a new relationship between Jews and Christians. Robert Chazan, Medieval Antisemitism and Modern Stereotypes (1997); and Jacob Katz, From Prejudice to Destruction: Anti-Semitism, 1700–1933 (1980, reissued 1997), treat the history of anti-Semitism. F.E. Peters, Children of Abraham: Judaism, Christianity, Islam (1982), examines differences and similarities between the three monotheistic faiths.
General introductions to Jewish philosophy
Julius Guttmann, Philosophies of Judaism: The History of Jewish Philosophy from Biblical Times to Franz Rosenzweig, trans. by David W. Silverman (1964, reissued 1988; originally published in German, 1933), is the best general treatment of Jewish philosophy from the ancient to the modern period, ending with Franz Rosenzweig. Jacob B. Agus, Modern Philosophies of Judaism (1941, reissued 1970), the first critical work in English on the subject, is still highly insightful. Emil L. Fackenheim, Encounters Between Judaism and Modern Philosophy (1973, reissued 1994), presents insightful essays by an important philosopher and Jewish thinker. Lenn E. Goodman, God of Abraham (1996), is a well-argued revival of medieval Jewish rationalism.
Hellenistic philosophy
Nahum N. Glatzer (ed.), The Essential Philo (1971), contains lengthy selections from the major works of Philo, with notes. Harry Austryn Wolfson, Philo: Foundations of Religious Philosophy in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (1947, reprinted 1968), a seminal though controversial work, portrays Alexandrian Judaism as a collateral branch of Palestinian Pharisaic Judaism and emphasizes Philo’s influence upon later philosophy.
Medieval philosophy
Colette Sirat, A History of Jewish Philosophy in the Middle Ages (1985, reissued 1990), is the best introduction to the subject.
Jewish kalām
Saʿadia Ben Joseph, The Book of Beliefs and Opinions, trans. by Samuel Rosenblatt (1948; originally published in Arabic and Hebrew, 1880), his important philosophical work, deals with major topics in Jewish theology, such as faith and reason, creation, God, and reward and punishment. Leon Nemoy (ed. and trans.), A Karaite Anthology: Excerpts from the Early Literature (1952, reissued 1987), an excellent collection of the more-accessible Karaite materials, covers a wide range of themes, writers, and periods. Harry Austryn Wolfson, The Philosophy of the Kalam (1976), is a collection of essays by a master of medieval Jewish philosophy.
Jewish Neoplatonism
A. Altmann and S.M. Stern (eds. and trans.), Isaac Israeli: A Neoplatonic Philosopher of the Early Tenth Century, His Works Translated with Comments and an Outline of His Philosophy (1958), contains complete translations of three of Israeli’s works and excerpts from another, together with a comprehensive essay on his philosophy. Lenn E. Goodman (ed.), Neoplatonism and Jewish Thought (1992), contains a variety of important essays on all aspects of this topic.
Judah ha-Levi and other early philosophers
The Kuzari, trans. from Arabic by Hartwig Hirschfeld (1946, reissued 1971), is a complete English translation of the text and notes, with an introductory essay by Henry Slonimsky. Bahya Ibn Paquda, The Duties of the Heart, trans. by Edward Collins (1904), one of the more widely read medieval classics of Jewish philosophy, concentrates on ethics and personal piety. Abraham bar Hayya (Abraham bar Hiyya Savasorda), The Meditation of the Sad Soul, trans. by Geoffrey Wigoder (1968; originally published in Hebrew, 1860), one of the more-accessible philosophical works of this important medieval astronomer and mathematician, is devoted primarily to ethical and religious themes. Yochanan Silman, Philosopher and Prophet: Judah Halevi, the Kuzari, and the Evolution of His Thought, trans. by Lenn J. Schramm (1995; originally published in Hebrew, 1985), is a major study of the development of ha-Levi’s theology.
Maimonides
The Guide for the Perplexed, trans. with an introductory essay by Shlomo Pines (1963, reprinted 1979), is an accurate and clear translation with a valuable prefatory essay by Leo Strauss. A Maimonides Reader, ed. with introduction and notes by Isadore Twersky (1972), is a fine anthology containing important material from Maimonides’ Mishne Torah and other legal writings, as well as from his shorter philosophical-theological essays and the Guide. David Hartman, Maimonides: Torah and Philosophic Quest (1976, reissued 1986), is a study of Maimonides as an integrated thinker.
Averroists
Harry Austryn Wolfson (ed. and trans.), Crescas’ Critique of Aristotle: Problems of Aristotle’s Physics in Jewish and Arabic Philosophy (1929, reissued 1971), the most important study of medieval Jewish and Arabic philosophy so far written, contains a translation and critical Hebrew text of part 1 of the treatise, with a valuable introductory essay and comprehensive and detailed notes. Joseph Albo, Book of Principles, trans. and ed. by Isaac Husik, 4 vol. (1929, reissued 1946; originally published in Hebrew, 1485), is a fine translation of Albo’s treatise in Jewish dogmatics, with helpful notes.
Modern Jewish philosophy
Baruch Spinoza, Theologico-Political Treatise, vol. 1 of The Works of Spinoza, trans. by R.H.M. Elwes (1883, reprinted 1951), is the philosopher’s critique of the Bible and the Jewish religion. Leo Strauss, Spinoza’s Critique of Religion, trans. by E.M. Sinclair (1965, reissued 1997; originally published in German, 1930), is an excellent philosophical study of Spinoza’s Treatise and its relation to Maimonides, Uriel Acosta, and other Sephardic heterodox thinkers. Steven Nadler, Spinoza (1999), is an important biography of the founder of modern Jewish philosophy.
German philosophers
Moses Mendelssohn, Jerusalem and Other Jewish Writings, trans. and ed. by Alfred Jospe (1969), contains an informative and acute introduction by the editor. Hermann Cohen, Religion of Reason Out of the Sources of Judaism, trans. by Simon Kaplan (1972, reissued 1995; originally published in German, 1919), is the author’s major work dealing with his philosophy of Judaism. Franz Rosenzweig, The Star of Redemption, trans. by William W. Hallo (1971, reissued 1985; originally published in German, 1921), the author’s early but impressive statement of his “re-conversion” to Judaism, has been influential in contemporary Jewish and non-Jewish theology. Nahum N. Glatzer, Franz Rosenzweig: His Life and Thought, 3rd ed. (1998), is an excellent anthology of Rosenzweig’s writings, containing many letters that reveal important episodes in Rosenzweig’s career. Interpretive studies include Arthur A. Cohen, The Tremendum: A Theological Interpretation of the Holocaust (1981, reissued 1993). Emmanuel Lévinas, Difficult Freedom: Essays on Judaism, trans. by Seán Hand (1990; originally published in French, 1963), contains reflections by a French Jewish philosopher very much in the tradition of German Jewish philosophy.
Jewish mysticism
Gershom Scholem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, 3rd rev. ed. (1954, reissued 1995), is the standard survey of the subject, with a chapter-by-chapter bibliography. Translations of important mystical texts include Harry Sperling (trans.) and Maurice Simon (trans.), The Zohar, 2nd ed., 5 vol. (1984); Moses Cordovero, The Palm Tree of Deborah, trans. by Louis Jacobs, 3rd ed. (1981; originally published in Hebrew, 1623); R.J. Zwi Werblowsky, Joseph Karo: Lawyer and Mystic, 2nd ed. (1977); and L.I. Newman (compiler and trans.), The Hasidic Anthology: Tales and Teachings of the Hasidim (1934, reissued 1987).
Gershom Scholem, Sabbatai Sevi: The Mystical Messiah, trans. by R.J. Zwi Werblowsky (1973; originally published in Hebrew, 1956), is a penetrating and comprehensive study of the great false messiah. Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism (1955, reissued 1993), is a major work by a constructive theologian heavily influenced by Jewish mysticism. Moshe Idel, Kabbalah: New Perspectives (1998), emphasizes the experiential side of Jewish mysticism.
Jewish myth and legend
The legends of the Talmud and Midrash are considered in the classic by Louis Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews, trans. from German by Henrietta Szold and Paul Radin, 2nd ed., 2 vol. (2003), also available in a 1-vol. abridgment (1961). The Midrash Rabbah has been translated and edited by H. Freedman and Maurice Simon, 3rd ed., 10 vol. in 8 (1983).
Compilations and studies of medieval myth and legend include Eleazar ben Asher ha-Levi and Jerahmeel ben Solomon, The Chronicles of Jerahmeel, trans. from Hebrew by Moses Gaster (1899, reprinted 1972); and Curt Leviant (ed. and trans.), King Artus: A Hebrew Arthurian Romance of 1279 (1969, reissued 2003). Judeo-German (Yiddish) works on the subject include Moses Gaster (trans.), Maʾaseh Book: Book of Jewish Tales and Legends, 2 vol. in 1 (1934, reissued 1981). A study of Hasidic legend is Martin Buber (ed.), Tales of the Hasidim, trans. from German by Olga Marx, 2 vol. in 1 (1947, reissued 1991). Myths and legends of the Holy Land are treated in Dov Noy (ed.), Folktales of Israel, trans. from Hebrew by Gene Baharav (1963); Zev Vilnay, The Sacred Land, 3 vol. (1973–78); and Joshua Trachtenberg, Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in Folk Religion (1939, reissued 1987).