In late antiquity; as Christianity emerged from Judaism; it was not only the new religion that was being influenced by the old. The rise and revolutionary challenge of Christianity also had a profound influence on rabbinic Judaism; which was itself just emerging and; like Christianity; trying to shape its own identity. In The Jewish Jesus; Peter Schäfer reveals the crucial ways in which various Jewish heresies; including Christianity; affected the development of rabbinic Judaism. He even shows that some of the ideas that the rabbis appropriated from Christianity were actually reappropriated Jewish ideas. The result is a demonstration of the deep mutual influence between the sister religions; one that calls into question hard and fast distinctions between orthodoxy and heresy; and even Judaism and Christianity; during the first centuries CE.
#79662 in Books Princeton University Press 2011-07-25Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 10.00 x 1.60 x 7.00l; 2.45 #File Name: 0691152365528 pages
Review
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Empires and Power in World HistoryBy Shawn M. WarswickPublished in 2010; this award winning book is co-written by Jane Burbank; professor of Russian and Slavic Studies at New York University (Ph.D. Harvard 1981) and Frederick Cooper; a specialist in African history who is also currently at New York University (Ph.D. Yale 1974). In it the authors argue that; while today we see empires as passé and abnormal; the historical reality is that it is the nation-state that is a modern anomaly and empire is the most common political form throughout world history.The book is loosely divided into two halves; with the first half setting up the theoretical framework the authors will use and focusing mostly on empires prior to the modern period (chapters six and seven deal with the early portion of what is traditionally seen as the modern era). Discussed in the first chapter; the conceptual framework is based on the idea that empires maintain distinction and modes of hierarchy as they incorporate new peoples. To prove their argument the authors use five themes: differences within empires (and how they deal with them); Imperial intermediaries (sent out to take charge of new territories); Imperial intersections (the relationship between and among empires); Imperial imaginaries (i.e. imperial context); and repertoires of power (empire; according to the authors; is an ambiguous type of state which can and often does redefine its allocation of power depending on the situation).The major criticism with this work is that while the authors have big ideas and patterns; these patters are based on specific locations and interactions; thus fall apart when applied to locations outside of those chosen by the authors. The second criticism is that the authors do make mistakes when dealing with empires outside of their own areas. An example is when they suggest the Byzantine empire had an army of over 600;000 men. Modern scholars put the number at half of this; and this mistake makes one wonder if there were others in the book when dealing with areas outside of the author's expertise. The strengths of this book lay in it's weakness: the big ideas and framework lend themselves to using this as the basis for a class comparing empires. The fact that it is broken down into 14 chapters even makes one wonder if perhaps they have done just that. Either way; even with its weaknesses; this book represents a great achievement and is an interesting read.32 of 34 people found the following review helpful. Empires Molders of Nation-StatesBy Serge J. Van SteenkisteProfessors Jane Burbank and Frederick Cooper deviate from the traditional narrative about the birth and development of the nation-state. Both authors contend that a world of bounded and unitary states interacting with other equivalent states dates from 1948 C.E. rather than 1648 C.E. and the Treaty of Westphalia. For this reason; professors Burbank and Cooper explore instead the rise and fall of specific empires; their imaginary; their interaction with each other; and their respective repertoires of power.Professors Burbank and Cooper demonstrate convincingly that throughout history; most people have lived in empires that did not aim to represent a single nation. Unlike nation-states that tend to homogenize those inside their polity; empires treat different nations within their polity differently. Conflicts among empires; resistance of conquered people; and rebellions of settlers were some key factors in any cost-benefit analysis of empire-building and sustenance.To their credit; professors Burbank and Cooper clearly explain the vertical nature of power relations within empires; as leaders try to recruit reliable intermediaries to manage distant territories and achieve contingent accommodation to their rule. Empires used a wide variety of repertoires of rule such as reliance on a class of loyal; trained officials; empowerment of (select) citizens; marriage politics; and tribal allegiances to secure these essential intermediaries. Both authors also explore in much detail how empires vied with each other to become or remain the top "dog" over time. Imperial strategies such as restriction of competitive empires' connections; imperialism of free trade; and alliance of different empires against one or more other empires were in use at the intersection of empires.In conclusion; professors Burbank and Cooper give their audience a great opportunity to broaden their horizon by considering an alternative read on the history of humanity. As a side note; History could produce a new series on empires; states; and political imagination as a complement to its existing series "Engineering an Empire."2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Empires in World HistoryBy LarryWhile over the Xmas holidays I didn't have time to do a careful reading of this interesting book; my skimming scanning of it assures me that this book will satisfy my earlier expectations from other reviewers' comments. I would certainly recommend this scholarly work to anyone interested in understanding how empires have risen and fallen throughout historical period.
