One of the great Jewish intellectuals of the twentieth century, Jacob Taubes (1923–1987) was a rabbi, philosopher of religion, and scholar of Judaism. Stanford published a translation of his Political Theology of Paul in 2004.

"[From Cult to Culture] include[s] elaborate contemplations about topics such as Jewish mysticism and Judeo-Christian messianism, Christian theology in both ancient and modern times, 'notes on Surrealism,' and relevant work on the relationship between culture and ideology, 'the current state of Polytheism,' or religion and psychoanalysis. The editors of the collection, which is organized thematically, are a group of loyal disciples and peers, some of whom later organized the Paul lectures. The essays demonstrate a powerful far-reaching analysis that Charlotte Fonrobert—who edited the English edition together with Amir Engel—characterizes as 'a battle against complacency and indifference'."—Nitzan Lebovic, H-Judaic "This collection of essays is an important introduction to the work of a writer and thinker who isn't widely discussed today . . . It belongs on the shelves of university and seminary libraries."—Morton J. Merowitz, AJL