In the first of four volumes on A History of the Jews and Judaism in the Second Temple Period, Lester Grabbe presents a comprehensive history of Yehud - the Aramaic name for Judah - during the Persian Period. Among the many crucial questions he addresses are: What are the sources for this period and how do we evaluate them? And how do we make them 'speak' to us through the fog of centuries? Grabbe argues that there is a danger of seeing everything from a Judaeocentric point of view, or using the biblical texts and out-of-date secondary material to provide the main perspective in understanding history, whereas any scholar writing about this period should also be familiar with the classical historians and the Near Eastern sources. This study brings together and analyses the original sources, sifts and evaluates the secondary sources, develops a substantial historical synthesis, and points to areas where further research is needed. This first volume, Yehud: A History of the Persian Province of Judah offers the most up to date and comprehensive examination of the political and administrative structures; the society and economy; the religion, temple and cult; the developments in thought and literature; and the major political events of Judah at the time.

Author Biography

Lester L. Grabbe is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Early Judaism at the University of Hull. His other books include Like a Bird in a Cage, Did Moses Speak Attic? and Judaic Religion in the Second Temple Period.