Dongshin Don Chang examines 1 and 2 Maccabees, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Hebrews to see how the combined concepts of covenant and priesthood are defined and interlinked within various biblical and extra-biblical traditions. The three studies show the interesting and varying dynamics of the use of combined concepts of covenant and priesthood. The articulations of the two entities are shown to reflect, in part, the concern of the Second Temple Jewish authors; how significant the priestly institutions and priesthood were, not only in cultic matters, but also in relation to political and authoritative concerns. Chang's analysis makes clear that some of the Second Temple compositions have pursued ideas of the legitimacy of priestly identities by juxtaposing the concepts of covenant and priesthood from various traditions. Interpretation and representation of certain traditions becomes a way in which some Second Temple Jews, and some members of the early Jewish Christian communities, developed their priestly covenantal identities. It is with an understanding of this, Chang argues, that we can better understand these Second Temple texts.

Sons of Zadok—The Prequel to the Remnant Rescue Series is the story of a fictional brotherhood of Israelites (male descendants of Kohath from the tribe of Levi) who have sworn to guard the sacred Ark of the Covenant with their lives. In 944 B.C., Zadok, the High Priest of Israel, commissions loyal followers to build an intricate mechanism deep under King Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem to protect the Ark from harm. They fulfilled their sacred duty for over 400 years, during which time civil wars, ungodly kings, corrupt priests, national apostasy, and invasions from Syria, Assyria, and Egypt destroy the nation’s long history of faithfulness to their One True God. The Ark of the Covenant will remain hidden until Israel repents and turns back to the LORD. In 586 B.C., a massive Babylonian army is poised at Jerusalem’s gates intent on leveling the fortress-city and King Solomon’s Temple to their foundations. With no salvation in sight, the last Kohathites remove the Ark from its hiding place and carry it to a distant land for safekeeping. It will remain there until the Temple is rebuilt, Israelites regather from exile, and Messiah comes to establish His Kingdom. Sons of Zadok is the fictional background to Remnant Rescue—The Tapez Scroll in the Remnant Rescue series which is a modern-day thriller trilogy that takes place in a future seven-year period called the Tribulation, during which time God pours out His divine judgment on planet Earth and Satan wreaks havoc using the Antichrist whom the world knows as Constantine, Prince of Rome. The Antichrist demands that every human being on the planet worship him and his image in a rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. Anticipating the coming holocaust that the Bible calls the Great Tribulation, or the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, a brave group of Christians dare to risk their lives to rescue a remnant of Jews who look forward to their coming Messiah.

The T&T Clark Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism provides a comprehensive reference resource of over 600 scholarly articles aimed at scholars and students interested in Judaism of the Second Temple Period. The two-volume work is split into four parts. Part One offers a prolegomenon for the contemporary study and appreciation of Second Temple Judaism, locating the discipline in relation to other relevant fields (such as Hebrew Bible, Rabbinics, Christian Origins). Beginning with a discussion of terminology, the discussion suggests ways the Second Temple period may be described, and concludes by noting areas of study that challenge our perception of ancient Judaism. Part Two presents an overview of respective contexts of the discipline set within the broad framework of historical chronology corresponding to a set of full-colour, custom-designed maps. With distinct attention to primary sources, the author traces the development of historical, social, political, and religious developments from the time period following the exile in the late 6th century B.C.E. through to the end of the Bar Kokhba revolt (135 C.E.). Part Three focuses specifically on a wide selection of primary-source literature of Second Temple Judaism, summarizing the content of key texts, and examining their similarities and differences with other texts of the period. Essays here include a brief introduction to the work and a summary of its contents, as well as examination of critical issues such as date, provenance, location, language(s), and interpretative matters. The early reception history of texts is also considered, and followed by a bibliography specific to that essay. Numerous high-resolution manuscript images are utilized to illustrate distinct features of the texts. Part Four addresses topics relevant to the Second Temple Period such as places, practices, historical figures, concepts, and subjects of scholarly discussion. These are often supplemented by images, maps, drawings, or diagrams, some of which appear here for the first time. Copiously illustrated, carefully researched and meticulously referenced, this resource provides a reliable, up-to-date and complete guide for those studying early Judaism in its literary and historical settings.

The tale of the “zeal” of Phineas, expressed when he killed an Israelite man and a Midianite woman having sex and thus stopped a “plague” of consorting with idolatrous neighbors in the Israelite camp (Numbers 25), has long attracted both interest and revulsion. Scholars have sought to defend the account, to explain it as pious fiction, or to protest its horrific violence. Brandon R. Grafius seeks to understand how the tale expresses the latent anxieties of the Israelite society that produced it, combining the insights of historical criticism with those of contemporary horror and monster theory. Grafius compares Israelite anxieties concerning ethnic boundaries and community organization with similar anxieties apparent in horror films of the 1980s, then finds confirmation for his method in the responses of Roman-period readers who reacted to the tale of Phineas as a tale of horror. The combination of methods allows Grafius to illumine the concern of an ancient priestly class to control unsettled and unsettling community boundaries‒‒and to raise questions of implications for our own time.

A well-known characteristic of the sectarian Dead Sea Scrolls are their assertions that membership in the Qumran movement included present and eschatological fellowship with the angels, but scholars disagree as to the precise meaning of these claims. To gain a better understanding of angelic fellowship at Qumran, Matthew L. Walsh utilizes the early Jewish concept that certain angels were closely associated with Israel. Moreover, these angels, which included guardians and priests, were envisioned within apocalyptic worldviews that assumed that realities on earth corresponded to those of the heavenly realm. A comparison of non-sectarian texts with sectarian compositions reveals that the Qumran movement's lofty assertions of communion with the guardians and priests of heavenly Israel would have made a significant contribution to their identity as the true Israel.

Back cover: Kai Akagi considers what the speeches in Acts 10 and 17 say about Jesus when they speak of him as a judge. This historical and literary study reveals that Jesus' role as a judge both suggests that he judges with divine authority and expresses his identity as Jewish messiah.

This volume of essays on Ben Sira is a Festschrift on the occasion of the 65th birthday of Prof. Nuria Calduch-Benages. The volume gathers the latest studies on Ben Sira's relationship with other Jewish traditions. With a variety of methods and approaches, the volume explores Ben Sira's interpretation of received traditions, his views on the prevailing issues of his time, and the subsequent reception of his work.