Description:
Explores the origins and development of the Jewish Sabbath and the rich and diverse range of theological and ethical meanings and characteristic practices it acquired over the centuries.
Brief description: Jon D. Levenson is Albert A. List Professor of Jewish Studies at Harvard University. Levenson's many books concentrate on the Hebrew Bible and its interpretations over the centuries, especially in rabbinic midrash, with a focus on theological matters.
Review Quotes:
"This is a masterful piece of scholarship. Levenson has somehow managed to combine a rigorous historical-critical analysis of the Sabbath with a theologically sensitive discussion of the meaning and value of the Sabbath as it has developed into the present day in a fresh, readable volume seasoned throughout with wit and good humor. I learned much reading this book. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to understand the historical development of the Sabbath and its continuing value in a modern culture characterized by individualism, burnout, exhaustion, and (often) the loss of a sense of purpose and meaning."
--Jason Staples, author of Paul and the Resurrection of Israel: Jews, Former Gentiles, Israelites