Social and Economic Life in Second Temple Judea By Samuel L.Adams. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2014. Pp. xiii + 231; plates, map. Paper, $35.00.

Abstract

This readily accessible and highly informative monograph will prove to be an invaluable resource for both students and scholars of the Second Temple period. The book is helpfully arranged by theme, addressing frequently under-discussed socioeconomic issues during this period in Judea. Adams begins with the familial unit, discussing social and financial aspects of the household including size, structure, marriage and divorce. His second chapter is a particularly important examination of the socio-economic status of women and children. Despite the paucity of explicit attention to these more marginalized figures in many sources, Adams employs incidental references to reconstruct their plausible lived experience, and his work is to be particularly commended for his attention to this. Topics such as inheritance, the roles of wives, daughters, and sons in the household and the status of widows are addressed. In the remaining three chapters Adams broadens his scope, examining occupations, borrowing and lending practices, taxation under a succession of foreign and domestic powers, and finally the varied ethical discourses of wealth and poverty in Wisdom and apocalyptic literature. He draws heavily on canonical material for his evidence, yet when applicable these are supplemented with a variety of other ancient literary and documentary sources. This examination of socioeconomics as both lived experience and a component of ethical instruction is further enhanced by Adam's thoughtful engagement with contemporary theories such as gender studies and postcolonialism. The work is highly recommended.