Géza G. Xeravits - Böcker

This is an assessment of dualistic thinking in the Qumran material written by leading contributors in the light of two decades of Qumran research. The importance of dualistic thinking within the Dead Sea Scrolls has always been emphasised in Qumran Studies . Nevertheless, in the last two decades the research on Qumran dualism seems to have been on the margins of scholarly interest. The main result of contemporary research in this area is support for the conviction that one cannot postulate compelling doctrines in the 'theology of Qumran' - the group did not want to develop a sophisticated doctrinal system; rather, they collected and mediated various aspects of the theology of their times. Since virtually all the Qumran material has been published, it is now apposite to evaluate several oft-debated topics of scholarly research. The theme of 'dualism in Qumran' is one such area in need of fresh investigation. The contributors of the present volume begin this work and open up new fields that might stimulate further reflection on the problem, assessing such issues as: the origin of Qumran's dualism; the literary growth of the passages in question; and the social/ideological setting of the dualistic passages within the Qumran Library. The Library of Second Temple Studies is a premier book series that offers cutting-edge work for a readership of scholars, teachers, postgraduate students and advanced undergraduates in the field of Second Temple studies. All the many and diverse aspects of Second Temple study are represented and promoted, including innovative work from historical perspectives, studies using social-scientific and literary theory, and developing theological, cultural and contextual approaches.

This is an assessment of dualistic thinking in the Qumran material written by leading contributors in the light of two decades of Qumran research. The importance of dualistic thinking within the Dead Sea Scrolls has always been emphasised in Qumran Studies . Nevertheless, in the last two decades the research on Qumran dualism seems to have been on the margins of scholarly interest. The main result of contemporary research in this area is support for the conviction that one cannot postulate compelling doctrines in the 'theology of Qumran' - the group did not want to develop a sophisticated doctrinal system; rather, they collected and mediated various aspects of the theology of their times. Since virtually all the Qumran material has been published, it is now apposite to evaluate several oft-debated topics of scholarly research. The theme of 'dualism in Qumran' is one such area in need of fresh investigation. The contributors of the present volume begin this work and open up new fields that might stimulate further reflection on the problem, assessing such issues as: the origin of Qumran's dualism; the literary growth of the passages in question; and the social/ideological setting of the dualistic passages within the Qumran Library. The Library of Second Temple Studies is a premier book series that offers cutting-edge work for a readership of scholars, teachers, postgraduate students and advanced undergraduates in the field of Second Temple studies. All the many and diverse aspects of Second Temple study are represented and promoted, including innovative work from historical perspectives, studies using social-scientific and literary theory, and developing theological, cultural and contextual approaches.

This volume presents selected papers read at the first meeting of the Society for Jewish and Biblical Studies in Central Europe, in Piliscsaba, Hungary, February 2009, but does not publish the proceedings of this meeting (for a clarification see here). The papers investigate various aspects of the concept “Stranger” in Jewish tradition, from the Hebrew Bible to Mediaeval Jewish thought. The bulk of the material focuses on Early Jewish literature, which mirrors an intensive interaction with the Hellenistic system of thought, and the development of concurring Jewish interpretations of traditional values.The papers of the volume provide insightful case studies about the formation of Jewish identity in diverse periods of Israelite and Jewish history, as well as the different attitudes to strangers, being either outsiders, or belonging to opposing sects of Judaism itself. The reader finds essays of historical, literary, and hermeneutical attention; of interest also to scholars of various forms of ancient and mediaeval Judaism.

The volume publishes papers presented at the International Conference on the Deuterocanonical Books (Pápa, Hungary). This conference dealt with the deuterocanonical additions of the Old Testament books. As such, this was one of the most extended discussions of these writings that has ever taken place at a scholarly meeting. The volume contains articles on the traditions and theology of the additions, and demonstrates their relationship with the contemporary literature of early Judaism.Several writings of the Hebrew Bible – such as Esther, Daniel and Jeremiah – have different textual forms in the Greek Bible, and these forms display amplified material compared to the Hebrew versions. These additions testify to the creative reflection of early Jewish circles on the basic traditions of these Books and the textual fluidity of the writings in question.The essays of this volume explore these additions, their relationship to the Hebrew parent texts, and their impact on the effective history of the interpretation of later centuries.

The present volume contains papers delivered at the International Conference on the Deuterocanonical Books, held at the Sapientia College of Theology, Budapest, Hungary, 14–16 May, 2009. The contributions explore various aspects of the Book of Judith: its textual versions, historical background, theological ideas and literary afterlife.The conference, on which this volume is based, was the most comprehensive scholarly meeting devoted recently to the Book of Judith. The contributors reopened several basic questions concerning the writing, such as the identification of concrete historical personalities reflected in the book, or some aspects of the halakhic system of the author.The scope of the contributions extends also to the late mediaeval use of the book by European playwrights.

The impact of earlier works to the literature of early Judaism is an intensively researched topic in contemporary scholarship. This volume is based on an international conference held at the Sapientia College of Theology in Budapest, May 18­­–21, 2010. The contributors explore scriptural authority in early Jewish literature and the writings of nascent Christianity. They study the impact of earlier literature in the formulation of theological concepts and books of the Second Temple Period.

The volume publishes papers read at the tenth International Conference on the Deuterocanonical Books, Budapest, 2013. The authors explore various aspects of this literature, with pre-eminent emphasis on their relation to diverse early Jewish texts and traditions; their reactions on Hellenism; and the way they treated as a canonical collection within their history of interpretation.

The volume publishes papers read at the ninth International Conference on the Deuterocanonical Books, Budapest, 2012. The title of the conference and the issuing volume covers an, on the one hand, extremely important and, on the other hand, regrettably neglected aspect particularly of the ancient Jewish and Christian traditions. Traditional manifestations of both Judaism and Christianity are predominantly masculine theological constructions. Despite their harsh masculine orientation, however, neither Judaism nor Christianity lacks elaboration on the female principle. When an ancient author chooses female imagery in order to make his message more emphatic, the female body as such forms an integral part of their metaphors. The contributions in this volume explore this phenomenon within the literature of early Judaism, and within its broad environments.

the volume researches Baruch chapters 4–5 in the following successive steps. The first step is a structural analysis of the three different units of the chapters, 4:5–29; 4:30–5:6; 5:7–9, during which the structure of the greater units (strophes, cantos) will be investigated, together with the structural relationship of these units with each other. After this, the biblical background of the passages is explored. The Scriptural passages that prove to be authoritative or influential for the author(s) of the Baruch passages give clues as to the particular interest and intention of the author(s). This step is supplemented by an inquiry into the tradition historical background of the prophetic psalms. Finally, I close this short monograph with some basic comments on several formative issues of Baruch 4:5–5:9.The book is written for the interest of scholars of Second Temple Judaism, biblical interpretation, and the effective history of Scripture.

The volume contains papers read at the International Conference of the ISDCL, held in Budapest in 2015. The contributors explore various aspects of worship as reflected in the literature of Judaism from the Second Temple period to Late Antiquity. The volume provides a fresh reading of various crucial issues especially within Old Testament Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, Rabbinic literature, Gnostic traditions, and the emerging synagogue. The papers analyse texts and artefacts that reveal how various groups of Judaism understood the concept of worship—a pre-eminent form of expressing religious identity and interpreting fundamental traditions.

The impact of earlier works to the literature of early Judaism is an intensively researched topic in contemporary scholarship. This volume is based on an international conference held at the Sapientia College of Theology in Budapest, May 18­­–21, 2010. The contributors explore scriptural authority in early Jewish literature and the writings of nascent Christianity. They study the impact of earlier literature in the formulation of theological concepts and books of the Second Temple Period.

The papers of the volume investigate how authoritative figures in the Second Temple Period and beyond contributed to forming the Scriptures of Judaism, as well as how these Scriptures shaped ideal figures as authoritative in Early Judaism. The topic of the volume thus reflects Ben Wright’s research, who—especially with his work on Ben Sira, on the Letter of Aristeas, and on various problems of authority in Early Jewish texts—creatively contributed to the study of the formation of Scriptures, and to the understanding of the figures behind these texts.

This volume collects papers written during the past two decades that explore various aspects of late Second Temple period Jewish literature and the figurative art of the Late Antique synagogues. Most of the papers have a special emphasis on the reinterpretation of biblical figures in early Judaism or demonstrate how various biblical traditions converged into early Jewish theologies. The structure of the volume reflects the main directions of the author’s scholarly interest, examining the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, and Late Antique synagogues. The book is edited for the interest of scholars of Second Temple Judaism, biblical interpretation, synagogue studies and the effective history of Scripture.