How can finite minds approach an infinite and ultimately unknowable God? Is it true that Christianity is a religion of love and Judaism a religion of law? Can a Jew accept the Orthodox Christian veneration of holy images? How much do Jews and Orthodox Christians have in common when they worship God? What can be done about Christian prayers that Jews find offensive? How much responsibility do Christians carry for antisemitism? These and other questions are addressed in this book which is intended as a major contribution to encounters between Judaism and Orthodox Christianity. In seventeen chapters, expert theologians and historians examine central issues of common concern relating to theology and worship as well as to the vexed historical question of anti-Semitism. The focus is on dialogue and deepened knowledge, as the contributors dispel widely-held misconceptions and identify a good deal of common ground.

The Nuremberg Miscellany [Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nürnberg, Bibliothek, 8° Hs. 7058 (Rl. 203)] is a unique work of scribal art and illumination. Its costly parchment leaves are richly adorned and illustrated with multicolour paint and powdered gold. It was penned and illustrated in southern Germany – probably Swabia – in 1589 and is signed by a certain Eliezer b. Mordechai the Martyr. The Miscellany is a relatively thin manuscript. In its present state, it holds a total of 46 folios, 44 of which are part of the original codex and an additional bifolio that was attached to it immediately or soon after its production. The book is a compilation of various Hebrew texts, most of which pertain to religious life. Others are home liturgies, Biblical exegeses, comments on rites and customs, moralistic texts, homiletic and ethical discourses, and an extensive collection of home liturgies, its major part being dedicated to the life cycle. The unparalleled text compilation of the Nuremberg Miscellany on the one hand, and the naïve, untrained illustrations on the other hand, are puzzling. Its illustrations are hardly mindful of volume, depth or perspective, and their folk-art nature suggests that an unprofessional artist, possibly even the scribe himself, may have executed them. Whoever the illustrator was, his vast knowledge of Jewish lore unfolds layer after layer in a most intricate way. His sharp eye for detail renders the images he executed a valid representation of contemporary visual culture. The iconography of the Nuremberg Miscellany, with its 55 decorated leaves, featuring 25 text illustrations, falls into two main categories: biblical themes, and depictions of daily life, both sacred and mundane. While the biblical illustrations rely largely on artistic rendering and interpretation of texts, the depictions of daily life are founded mainly on current furnishings and accoutrements in Jewish homes. The customs and rituals portrayed in the miscellany attest not only to the local Jewish Minhag, but also to the influence and adaptation of local Germanic or Christian rites. They thus offer first-hand insights to the interrelations between the Jews and their neighbors. Examined as historical documents, the images in the Nuremberg Miscellany are an invaluable resource for reconstructing Jewish daily life in Ashkenaz in the early modern period. In a period from which only scanty relics of Jewish material culture have survived, retrieving the pictorial data from images incorporated in literary sources is of vital importance in providing the missing link. Corroborated by similar objects from the host society and with descriptions in contemporary Jewish and Christian written sources, the household objects, as well as the ceremonial implements depicted in the manuscript can serve as effective mirrors for the material culture of an affluent German Jewish family in the Early Modern period. The complete Nuremberg Miscellany is reproduced in the appendix of this book.

This book addresses Judaism and Orthodox Christianity, and particularly their points of similarity and difference, congruence and conflict. The city of Jerusalem stands at the heart of both these age-old faiths, but today it is a divided city in which Jews and Orthodox Christians seem to find themselves on opposite sides of history. Must this story be one of continuing conflict, or is there scope for reconciliation and common effort? How do religions that cherish tradition face up to the challenges of a rapidly changing world? What place can they offer to women? Can they welcome lesbian and gay adherents? How do their traditional resources help them to face climate change and other environmental issues? How have they responded to the COVID pandemic? What contribution can they make to current debates about subjects like euthanasia and assisted dying? In seventeen chapters by expert theologians and historians this book examines central issues of common concern. The focus is on dialogue and deepened knowledge. The authors dispel some widely held misconceptions and identify a good deal of common ground. In this way the book aims to lay foundations for future engagement between the two religions.

The Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible (DDD) is the single major reference work on the gods, angels, demons, spirits, and semidivine heroes whose names occur in the biblical books. Book jacket.

This set covers over 400 archaeological sites in Israel, Jordan, and Sinai. Written by 180 leading archaeologists, The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land is an essential reference tool for archaeologists, historians, Bible scholars, and explorers. Arranged alphabetically by site name, the volumes cover all periods of human settlement in the Holy Land from the Stone Age to modern times. - Publisher.

This volume deals with historical and exegetical problems of the Abraham story in the book of Genesis. The first part describes the results of archaeological investigations at Hebron and Mamre in Southern Palestine including remarks on the status of the province of Judah in the first millennium BCE, especially in the Babylonian and Persian period. The second part presents exegetical comments on Genesis chapter 13 and 18. The concluding part of the volume relates the historical and exegetical aspects. The Abraham story is interpreted as a product of the Judaean people of the Babylonian and Persian Period.

THE ORTHODOX JEWISH TANAKH TORAH NEVI’IM KETUVIM BOTH TESTAMENTS The Orthodox Jewish Bible is an English language version that applies Yiddish and Hasidic cultural expressions to the Messianic Bible.