T&T Clark Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism, Volumes I and II ed. by Daniel M. Gurtner and Loren T. Stuckenbruck

Abstract

Reviewed by: T&T Clark Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism, Volumes I and II ed. by Daniel M. Gurtner and Loren T. Stuckenbruck Bradley C. Gregory daniel m. gurtner and loren t. stuckenbruck (eds.), T&T Clark Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism, Volumes I and II (London: T&T Clark, 2020). Pp. xcii + 1429. $400. This reference work is a major achievement that brings together a remarkable collection of scholars and represents the best of recent scholarship on Second Temple Judaism. There are two lengthy introductory essays and 640 encyclopedic entries. At the end of each of the encyclopedic entries there is a brief bibliography and a list of related entries. Many entries are enhanced by illustrations and photographs. After a series of sixteen periodized color maps of the eastern Mediterranean, Judea, Jerusalem, and Masada, the work is divided into four parts. Volume 1 contains the first three parts, while volume 2 contains part 4. The essay “What Is Second Temple Judaism?” by Loren T. Stuckenbruck (pp. 1–19) constitutes part 1. Stuckenbruck begins by considering the time frame that is in view in references to the Second Temple period. He argues that, although the temple was destroyed in 70 c.e., it is reasonable to include the period up to the mid-second century within the purview of the present work because a wrestling with the significance of the temple at its destruction continued through the Bar Kokhba revolt in 132–135 c.e. He then turns to issues of terminology and nicely demonstrates the inadequacy of terms such as “intertestamental,” “late Judaism,” and “post-biblical.” Next, he considers the features of the Second Temple period and points out how difficult it can be to define what is meant by “Judaism” in the Second Temple period without succumbing to reductionistic or anachronistic descriptions. In fact, Stuckenbruck offers a persuasive approach that “there is little need to opt for the binary or principled alternatives of a ‘mainstream Judaism’ or ‘Judaisms’ in the plural. Rather, the tension between these alternatives may be considered important in itself: a search for shared identity, even if not resolved, is necessary if one is to reconstruct fault lines and how, if at all, different ways of being Jewish could remain in conversation with one another” (p. 5). From there, he identifies three “pillars” that run through the Second Temple period: (1) the effect of ongoing sociopolitical and cultural influences on Judaism, (2) the modes of responding to these changes, along various continuums such as accommodation versus resistance, in ways that shaped a variety of Jewish identities, and (3) the [End Page 527] expansion, shaping, and reception of sacred tradition. Stuckenbruck’s introductory essay concludes by considering some of the main challenges confronting scholars of the Second Temple period. The essay “The Historical and Political Contexts of Second Temple Judaism” by Daniel M. Gurtner (pp. 21–89) constitutes part 2. In this contribution, Gurtner provides a recounting of the events from the Persian conquest of Babylon in 538 b.c.e. to the Bar Kokhba revolt in 132–135 c.e. However, because his chief intention is to provide a narrative framework for the entries in parts 3 and 4, Gurtner’s overview draws mainly on the presentation of the literary sources. He alerts the reader that “relatively little attention is paid to historical problems that emerge from literary and other sources, nor does the question of historical veracity in itself occupy much attention as critical assessments and reconstructions are left to the specialized contributions that are cross-referenced” (p. 21). Because of this, readers should consult the other entries on specific events, as Gurtner recommends. They also may wish to read this essay while referencing more critical histories of the period such as Lester L. Grabbe’s magisterial four-volume work A History of the Jews and Judaism in the Second Temple Period, the first three of which have been published (LSTS; London: T&T Clark, 2004, 2008, 2020). It should be noted that Gurtner spends less than two pages on the Persian period, a far briefer treatment than what is devoted to the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Nevertheless, this is a helpful overview of...