By
– January 10, 2012
This volume gathers sixteen scholarly essays written by leading researchers in the field of Second Temple Judaism. They seek to understand the topics of monarchy and power in the Hellenistic period by focusing attention on biblical and Jewish evidence, and reading that evidence in new ways. The essays consider the kings, queens, and power figures of the Hellenistic dynasties, as well as ancient Israelite kings, the Babylonian and Persian rulers of the Bible, Parthians, and Romans. One of the special features of this volume is its exploration of the development and perspectives of the Greek Bible (Septuagint) and of other Jewish literature of the period, such as the Letter of Aristeas (which purports to record how the Septuagint came to be written under the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus), and how this literature reflects, and reflects upon, the context of Hellenistic political thought and practice. Bibliography, indexes.
Mark D. Nanos, Ph.D., University of Kansas, is the author of Mysteryof Romans, winner of the 1996 National Jewish Book Award, Charles H. RevsonAward in Jewish-Christian Relations.