The Four Stages of Rabbinic Judaism [Paperback]

This concise volume provides a lucid introduction to the genesis and development of Rabbinic Judaism.
Jacob Neusner outlines and examines the four stages in which the initial period of the historical development of Rabbinic Judaism divides, beginning with the Pentateuch and ending with its definitive and normative statement in the Talmud of Babylonia. He traces the development of Rabbinic Judaism by exploring the relationships between and among the cognate writings which embody its formative history.This concise yet comprehensive volume provides a lucid introduction to the genesis and development of Rabbinic Judaism.Jacob Neusner is Distinguished Research Professor of Religious Studies at the University of South Florida and Professor of Religion at Bard College, New York. He is the author of numerous publications, the most recent being The Intellectual Foundations of Christian and Jewish Discourse.'... the reader is invited to engage himself in a provocative world of arguments and statements.' - Wout J. van Bekkum, Journal for the Study of JudaismPreface 1. The Pentateuchal Stage 2. From Scripture to the Mishnah 3. The Mishnah on its own: The Initial Statement 4. The Mishnah in Pentateuchal Context: Continuity and Change 5. The Talmuds: The Conclusive Statement 6. The Talmuds in Pentateuchal Context: Israel in History Acknowledgements and Bibliography IndexUS? 1999 Jacob Neusner