A new explanation of the beginnings of Jewish angelology and demonology, drawing on non-canonical writings and Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls.

This milestone study is a thorough examination of the various cultic and social phenomena connected with the temple--activities connected with the temple's inner sphere and belonging to the priestly circle. The book also seeks to demonstrate the antiquity and the historical timing of the literary crystallization of the priestly material found in the Pentateuch. Contents: Prologue, The Israelite Temples, Temples and Open Sacred Places, The Priesthood and the Tribe of Levi, The Aaronites and the Rest of the Levitical Tribe, The Distribution of the Levitical Tribe, The Centralizations of the Cult, The Priestly Image of the Tabernacle, Grades of Sanctity in the Tabernacle, Temple and Tabernacle, The Ritual Complex Performed Inside the Temple, Incense of the Court and of the Temple Interior, The Symbols of the Inner Sanctum, The Non-Priestly Image of the Tent of Mo'ed, The Emptying of the Inner Sanctum, Pilgrim-Feasts and Family Festivals, and The Passover Sacrifice.

“The Israeli Century is one of the most important books of our generation, emphasizing how Israel is becoming the center of the Jewish People’s existence and is laying the solid foundations for its future.” —Isaac Herzog, President of Israel In this important breakthrough work, Yossi Shain takes us on a sweeping and surprising journey through the history of the Jewish people, from the destruction of the First Temple in the sixth century B.C.E. up to the modern era. Over the course of this long history, Jews have moved from a life of Diaspora, which ultimately led to destruction, to a prosperous existence in a thriving, independent nation state. The new power of Jewish sovereignty has echoed around the world and gives Israelis a new and significant role as influential global players. In the Israeli Century, the Jew is reborn, feeling a deep responsibility for his tradition and a natural connection to his homeland. A sense of having a home to return to allows him to travel the wider world and act with ease and confidence. In the Israeli Century, the Israeli Jew can fully express the strengths developed over many generations in the long period of wandering and exile. As a result, Shain argues, the burden of preserving the continuity of the Jewish people and defining its character is no longer the responsibility of Diaspora communities. Instead it now falls squarely on the shoulders of Israelis themselves. The challenges of Israeli sovereignty in turn require farsighted leaders with a clear-eyed understanding of the dangers that confront the Jewish future, as well as the incredible opportunities it offers.

Did the Twelve Tribes of Israel really exist? Are the scattered groups of modern Jews really the direct descendants of the ancient Hebrews of the Bible? This extraordinary book chronicles the latest discoveries in the cutting-edge field of Molecular Population Genetics that add empirical evidence and scientific confirmation to Biblical tradition.

Among the ancient Near Eastern peoples, the Hebrews uniquely contributed to man's knowledge and understanding of the cosmos. Since their attitude towards the external world reveals the profound conviction that nature plays an integral role in the drama of religious history, the physical universe was hardly a neutral world between Yahweh and Israel. Through their awareness of Yahweh's dealings with his people and of cosmic realities the ancient Hebrews gradually came to discover the attributes of God. They realized, even in the world of nature around them, the broad outline of the plan to which their own destiny was to conform. Hence, the study of their world view is less an inquiry into an intangible cosmic concept than an analysis which discloses their insights into the realities of the physical universe. In order to appreciate the Hebrews' unique world view we shall investigate the creation narratives against the wider background of the ancient Near Eastern literature. We shall journey into all the levels of the universe: the heavens with their luminaries and the meteorological phenomena; the earth with its topographical features; the geophysical phenomena which challenge the very stability of the universe; the waters welling up as springs, or furrowing the earth's surface as rivers, or dotting it as seas, lakes and swamps; the division of the earth into four segments, known as the cardinal points, where the different countries are located; the relation of all these segments to the navel of the earth; finally, the underworld in which are located the subterranean ocean, the foundations of the mountains, and the realm of the dead.