Ronald L. Eisenberg is a Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School and on the faculty at Beth Israel Medical Center in Boston. Dr. Eisenberg has been awarded Masters and Doctoral degrees in Jewish Studies from Spertus Institute in Chicago and has published six critically acclaimed books on Jewish topics, including The Jewish World in Stamps (Schreiber, 2003), The JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions (Jewish Publication Society, 2004), The 613 Mitzvot (Schreiber, 2005), Dictionary of Jewish Terms (Schreiber, 2008), and What the Rabbis Said (Praeger, 2010). He has authored more than 20 books in his medical specialty and is also a non-practicing attorney.

Although Essential Figures in the Bible and Essential Figures in the Talmud were not published as a set, they complement one another nicely. The first presents information on roughly 250 individuals named in the Bible whom Eisenberg considers most important to understanding the text. Though useful, this tool is highly selective....And it is important to note that Bible here refers to the sacred texts of Judaism, known to Christianity as the Old Testament without the books of the Apocrypha. These A-Z volumes are concise and informative and are recommended for theological and research libraries as well as academic and large public libraries with extensive Judaica collections.

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsList of AbbreviationsEssential Figures in the BibleAppendix: Chronological Listing of Figures According to First Biblical AppearanceGlossaryBibliographyAbout the Author

Ronald L. Eisenberg is a Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School and on the faculty at Beth Israel Medical Center in Boston. Dr. Eisenberg has been awarded Masters and Doctoral degrees in Jewish Studies from Spertus Institute in Chicago and has published six critically acclaimed books on Jewish topics, including The Jewish World in Stamps (Schreiber, 2003), The JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions (Jewish Publication Society, 2004), The 613 Mitzvot (Schreiber, 2005), Dictionary of Jewish Terms (Schreiber, 2008), and What the Rabbis Said (Praeger, 2010). He has authored more than 20 books in his medical specialty and is also a non-practicing attorney.

Although Essential Figures in the Bible and Essential Figures in the Talmud were not published as a set, they complement one another nicely. The first presents information on roughly 250 individuals named in the Bible whom Eisenberg considers most important to understanding the text. Though useful, this tool is highly selective....And it is important to note that Bible here refers to the sacred texts of Judaism, known to Christianity as the Old Testament without the books of the Apocrypha. These A-Z volumes are concise and informative and are recommended for theological and research libraries as well as academic and large public libraries with extensive Judaica collections.

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsList of AbbreviationsEssential Figures in the BibleAppendix: Chronological Listing of Figures According to First Biblical AppearanceGlossaryBibliographyAbout the Author