A leading scholar of the formative age and writings of Judaism here
formulates a theory of the Mishnah (one of the earliest dated sources of
Judaism): what it is, how it should be read, and why it is of
considerable interest in the study of religious conceptions of the
social order. Each of the book's chapters are amply illustrated with
texts that have been freshly translated by the author. The result is a
relatively quick and easy entry into the sometimes difficult and complex
world of the Mishnah and its laws concerning agriculture, appointed
seasons, women and property, civil and criminal law, conduct of the cult
and the Temple, and preservation of cultic purity in the Temple and
under certain domestic circumstances, with special reference to the
table and the bed. Any valid description of early rabbinic thought - and
therefore of early Christianity - must begin with the Mishnah and must
focus on the subjects the sages considered important. This book
introduces the reader to the world of the Mishnah in a thoughtful,
engaging, and spirited manner.