Articles by Yonatan Adler
Between Yahwism and Judaism
1 Introduction This Element aims to characterize key aspects of the cult and culture of the Judeans, both in their ancestral homeland and throughout their diaspora communities, during the Early Hellenistic period (332–175 BCE).
When did Jews begin calling themselves 'Israel'?
As Israel celebrates 77 years of independence this week, it bears exploring how the name "Israel" itself first came to be associated with the Jewish people. "Israel" is not just the name of a modern nation-state – it is a term laden with deep historical, religious, and symbolic significance. But when did Jews begin identifying themselves as "Israel"? The answer is more complex, and more revealing, than commonly assumed.
Black surfaces on ancient leather tefillin cases and straps from the Judean Desert: Macroscopic, microscopic and spectroscopic analyses
Loading metrics Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article Citation: Adler Y, Cohen-Ofri I, Maor Y, Emmerich Kamper T, Pinkas I (2024) Black surfaces on ancient leather tefillin cases and straps from the Judean Desert: Macroscopic, microscopic and spectroscopic analyses. PLoS ONE 19(6): e0303635. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0303635 Editor: Carlos P.
When Judaism became Judaism
Yonatan Adler posits a convincing thesis, tightly and compellingly argued, that widespread observance of Pentateuchal legislation by Judeans—or what we now call Judaism—emerged no earlier than the Hellenistic period.
'The Origins of Judaism': Finding how far back rabbinic tradition goes
Did the Jews of ancient Israel, say 2,500 years ago, know about and practice a Judaism that looked similar to the Judaism of today with, for example, dietary laws, tefillin, circumcision, and mikveh? Prof. Yonatan Adler of Ariel University, an erudite researcher and experienced field archaeologist, seeks to answer this in his new book, using archaeological finds and ancient texts. The Origins of Judaism is an engrossing read, well written and extensively documented.
Christendom: The Triumph of a Religion
Peter Heather. Knopf, $35 (736p) ISBN 978-0-45149-430-6 In this sweeping, ambitious history, Heather (The Fall of the Roman Empire), a history professor at King’s College London, surveys 1,000 years of European Christianity in exacting detail. He argues Christianity’s rise wasn’t inevitable, and that instead a complex series of historical accidents, religious innovations, and political maneuvers led to its eventual status as the continent’s dominant religion.
The Consuming Fire: The Complete Priestly Source, from Creation to the Promised Land
Liane Feldman. Univ. of California, $19.95 trade paper (296p) ISBN 978-0-520-38365-4 Feldman (The Story of Sacrifice), a Judaic studies professor at NYU, presents the first full translation of the biblical priestly source in this seminal volume.
Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement that Failed a Generation
In this enlightening memoir, Ward (Camelot’s End), senior political correspondent for Yahoo! News, recounts a life caught between Christian and secular worlds. Ward grew up in the 1980s and ’90s as an evangelical pastor’s son, going to protests outside abortion clinics and embarking on mission trips.
On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living
Alan Noble. IVP, $20 (120p) ISBN 978-1-5140-0443-2 Noble (You Are Not Your Own), an English professor at Oklahoma Baptist University, takes a clear-eyed look at emotional suffering in this illuminating entry.
Jewish Ritual Immersion in the Longue Durée From Earliest Manifestations until Today
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The Other Evangelicals: A Story of Liberal, Black, Progressive, Feminist, and Gay Christians—and the Movement That Pushed Them Out by Isaac B Sharp
Isaac B. Sharp. Eerdmans, $34.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-80288-175-5 Sharp, a professor of theological studies at Union Theological Seminary, debuts with a richly detailed history of forgotten progressive evangelical figures.
Worth It & Wonderful: Inspiration for Christian Women to Live Bravely and Boldly by Caitlyn Scaggs
Caitlyn Scaggs. Morehouse, $27.95 (256p) ISBN 978-1-64065-602-4 In this confident debut, Scaggs, executive manager of a nonprofit that fights human trafficking, empowers women to love themselves through God. Calling on readers to reject the usual ways of self-categorization, Scaggs suggests embracing one’s inner “dualities,” such as being “strategic and spontaneous” or “independent and supported,” in order to honor their God-given complexities.
Turning Words: Transformative Encounters with Buddhist Teachers
Hozan Alan Senauke. Shambhala, $18.95 trade paper (152p) ISBN 978-1-64547-131-8 In this touching treasury of Buddhist wisdom, Zen priest and musician Senauke (Mental Revenge) examines the “turning words”—loosely, “words [and moments] that cause you to pivot”—of 30 spiritual teachers, guides, and friends from nearly four decades of Buddhist practice.
Sober Spirituality: The Joy of a Mindful Relationship with Alcohol by Erin Jean Warde
Erin Jean Warde. Brazos, $18.99 (192p) ISBN 978-1-587-43567-6 Episcopal pastor and recovery coach Warde debuts with an eye-opening account of seeking sobriety in a booze-soaked church culture. For years, Warde knew she had an alcohol problem, but recovery attempts stalled partly because, having attended “too many conferences full of Episcopalians where the real community happened over booze,” she believed alcohol was essential to her church identity.
Finding the Fool: A Tarot Journey to Radical Transformation by Meg Jones Wall
Meg Jones Wall. Weiser, $18.95 trade paper (288p) ISBN 978-1-57863-787-4 Autostraddle columnist Wall debuts with an introspective introduction to tarot card reading, positioning it as a tool for self-discovery. Raised in a hyperreligious family in which “ ‘magic’ was considered a dirty word,” Wall came across tarot in her mid-20s after a bout of depression sent her looking for meaning. What she found was “a sacred tool used by people of all backgrounds...
By Bread Alone: A Baker’s Reflections of Hunger, Longing, and the Goodness of God
Kendall Vanderslice. Tyndale Momentum, $17.99 trade paper (272p) ISBN 978-1-496-46134-6 Vanderslice (We Will Feast), founder of the Edible Theology Project, uses the metaphor of baking bread to reflect on life and faith.
Glamour Witch: Conjuring Style and Grace to Get What You Want
Sophie Saint Thomas. Weiser, $16.95 trade paper (208p) ISBN 978-1-57863-775-1 Saint Thomas (Finding Your Higher Self) returns with a punchy guide to glamour magic for the millennial and Gen-Z witchcraft set. Arguing that “glamour is power,” Saint Thomas urges readers to harness its possibilities and “wield [it] to [their] advantage.” The bulk of the book concerns historic and modern beauty culture with a focus on queer identity.
Queens and Prophets
Emran Iqbal El-Badawi. Oneworld, $35 (320p) ISBN 978-0-86154-445-5 In this enlightening history, University of Houston professor El-Badawi (The Qur’an and the Aramaic Gospel Traditions) chronicles female power in Arabia before the dawn of Islam.
Reason to Return: Why Women Need the Church and the Church Needs Women
Ericka Andersen. NavPress, $16.99 trade paper (288p) ISBN 978-1-64158-566-8 This persuasive plea by journalist Andersen (Leaving Cloud 9) encourages women to return to the Christian church. Andersen uses personal anecdotes and women’s stories to argue that attending church provides community and spiritual enrichment not found by those practicing outside a church setting. She points to the Covid-19 pandemic, harsh pastors, and lack of time as contributing to declines in women’s church attendance.
The Cross in Context: Reconsidering Biblical Metaphors for Atonement
Jackson W. IVP Academic, $25 trade paper (240p) ISBN 978-1-5140-0028-1 In this dense analysis, pseudonymous author W. (Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes), a theologian in residence at the missionary organization Global Training Network, unpacks what scriptural metaphors for atonement reveal about the practice. Atonement, W. posits, binds Christian followers with God, noting that the negated form of the Hebrew word [em]ht’, [/em] often used to refer to sinning, denotes a repaired relationship.
Reorganized Religion: The Reshaping of the American Church and Why It Matters
Bob Smietana. Worthy, $27 (256p) ISBN 978-1-5460-0161-4 Smietana (The Breath of Life), a reporter for Religion News Service, delivers a superb examination of the future of Christian institutions. He suggests that the pan-denominational decline in church membership that began in the 1960s is the result of white churches’ reluctance to diversify as the population of nonwhite Americans grows.
Beyond Welcome: Centering Immigrants in Our Christian Response to Immigration
Karen González. Brazos, $18.99 trade paper (176p) ISBN 978-1-58743-560-7 González (The God Who Sees), a Guatemalan-American immigrant advocate, urges Christians to welcome immigrants in this incisive appeal.
Celebrities for Jesus: How Personas, Platforms, and Profits Are Hurting the Church
Katelyn Beaty. Brazos, $24.99 (208p) ISBN 978-1-58743-518-8 Celebrity worship has inundated the evangelical church, journalist Beaty (A Woman’s Place) warns in this biting critique. Using case studies of scandal-ridden celebrity pastors—including Bill Hybels, Ravi Zacharias, Mark Driscoll, and Carl Lentz—Beaty suggests that wealth and narcissism are “tearing up the house of God from the inside out.” Starting with Dwight L.
The Origins of Judaism
Yonatan Adler’s The Origins of Judaism: An Archaeological-Historical Reappraisal offers much to readers interested in ancient Judaism. In the introduction Adler outlines his methodology, followed by six main chapters that cover dietary laws, ritual purity, figural art, tefillin and mezuzot, miscellaneous practices, and the synagogue. The concluding chapter brings together the main through-arguments of the book.
Biblical Archaeology Review, Spring 2021
Biblical Archaeology Review, Spring 2021 BAS Staff March 01, 2021 Print Take a pilgrimage to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the revered site of Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection, in the Spring 2021 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. Readers get a look at the church’s history and tradition in light of new archaeological research. Then explore how Jewish ritual purity concerns found their expression in stone vessels and stepped pools in Roman Palestine.
The Origins of Judaism
Description Praise Groundbreaking research that utilizes archaeological discoveries and ancient texts to revolutionize our understanding of the beginnings of Judaism “A bravura study.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) Throughout much of history, the Jewish way of life has been characterized by strict adherence to the practices and prohibitions legislated by the Torah: dietary laws, ritual purity, circumcision, Sabbath regulations, holidays, and more.
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