Abstract
‘Massive’ is probably the best adjective to describe this wide ranging work. The editors describe the two volumes in the following manner. ‘In total they contain 642 essays specifically written for this project. We have enlisted 407 contributors from 26 countries, representing 264 universities, colleges, and academic institutions’ (p. xxv). The editors are surely to be commended for bringing a project of this size to fruition. The editors designate the period they cover, Second Temple Judaism, as being ‘from Alexander the Great through Bar Kokhba’ (p. xxv). This definition cis discussed in some detail to explain the reason for varying from the typical definition of the Second Temple Period which usually includes the period from the foundation of the second temple to the end of the Persian period (ca. 516 bce to 322 bce, and ends with the destruction of the second temple in 70 ce. More is done to justify the extension of the period to the Bar Kokhba War, since it is argued that hope for restoration was not extinguished with the destruction of the temple, but by the time of the Bar Kokhba defeat such hope had virtually vanished (p. 4).
The two volumes are arranged in four parts of disproportionate length. The first three parts are housed in volume one. These include Loren Stuckenbruck’s introductory essay, ‘What is Second Temple Judaism?’ (pp. 1–19), Daniel Gurtner’s detailed essay, ‘The Historical and Political Contents of Second Temple Judaism’ (pp. 21–89), and then part three a series of short discussions of various texts from the period. These tend to range from one page to five pages in length. It is somewhat surprising to find an entry on the book of Amos included in the literature of the Second Temple period—or for that matter most of the books of the Hebrew Bible. Presumably they are included because of their reception history in the period and the way in which these texts shape Second Temple thought, rather than because of their dates. At the other end of the spectrum, the inclusion of 2 Peter might be problematic given a move in recent scholarship to date it after the Bar Kokhba War.
In volume two various topics are covered in the typical format of an encyclopedia. Each entry is typically one to three pages in length with a shorth bibliography. This is intended as a reference work where one samples entries of interest rather than reads the entire work cover to cover. The entries are helpful and balanced in their approach, and offer useful starting points to the topics under consideration. Given the cost of these volumes one expects that they will be consulted in libraries, rather than be purchased by individuals. As a whole they provide easy access to discussions of a range of topics covering Second Temple Judaism from the time of Alexander the Great to the Bar Kokhba War.