Negotiating Identities: Conflict, Conversion, and Consolidation in Early Judaism and Christianity (200 BCE–600 CE)

This book explores the formation of early Jewish and Christian identities through negotiations of ethnicity, stereotyping, purity, commensality, and institution building, tracing their development in archaeological remains and texts from various sources. It offers a unique contribution to research on group identity, Jewish and Christian identity formation, and interactions between Jews and Christians.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 626 pages
Publication date: 15 May 2024
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

This book explores the formation of identity within early Judaism and Christianity from 200 BCE to 600 CE, highlighting the negotiations and processes that shaped group identities. It covers various aspects such as ethnicity, stereotyping, purity, commensality, and institution building. Over time, some Jewish group identities evolved into non-Jewish Christian identities, while others became rabbinic Jewish identities or remained in between. The contributors draw on archaeological remains, texts from the Qumran movement, the New Testament, rabbinic literature, and apocryphal and pseudepigraphical writings to trace these developments. The extensive timespan and diverse expertise of the scholars make this book a significant contribution to research on group identity, Jewish and Christian identity formation, the Partings-of-the-ways between Judaism and Christianity, and interactions between Jews and Christians.

Weight: 948g
Dimension: 228 x 152 x 44 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781978714755