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Cited by 48Biblical Studies and InterpretationClassical Antiquity StudiesReligion, Theology, History, Judaism, Christianity

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 134 of the 134 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Purity, Sacrifice, and the Temple: Symbolism and Supersessionism in the Study of Ancient Judaism

Klawans, Jonathan·2005·Oxford University Press
DOI 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195162639.001.0001
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Abstract

Abstract This book reevaluates modern scholarly approaches to ancient Jewish cultic rituals, arguing that sacrifice in particular has been long misunderstood. Various religious and cultural ideologies (especially supersessionist ones) have frequently prevented scholars from seeing the Jerusalem temple as a powerful source of meaning and symbolism to those ancient Jews who worshiped there. Such approaches are exposed and countered by reviewing the theoretical literature on sacrifice and taking a fresh look at a broad range of evidence concerning ancient Jewish attitudes toward the temple and its sacrificial cult. Starting with the Hebrew Bible, this work argues for a symbolic understanding of a broad range of cultic practices, including both purity rituals and sacrificial acts. The prophetic literature is also reexamined, with an eye toward clarifying the relationship between the prophets and the sacrificial cult. Later ancient Jewish symbolic understandings of the cult are also revealed in sources including Josephus, Philo, Pseudepigrapha, the Dead Sea Scrolls, New Testament, and Rabbinic literature. A number of ancient Jews certainly did believe that the temple was temporarily tainted or defiled in some fashion, including the Dead Sea sectarians and Jesus. But they continued to speak of the temple in metaphorical terms, and — like practically all ancient Jews — believed in the cult, accepted its symbolic significance, and hoped for its ultimate efficacy.

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Authors
Klawans, J.
Affiliations
Boston University (US)
Corresponding author
Klawans, Jonathan
ORCID
Klawans, Jonathan
Venue
Oxford University Press
Publisher
Oxford University PressNew York
Published
2005-11-24
DOI
10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195162639.001.0001
OpenAlex
W2997060837
Cited by
47
References
134
Citations by year
2026: 15 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 2
FWCI
0.00
Type
book
Language
en
Open access
closed
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Biblical Studies and Interpretation
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Classics › Classical Antiquity Studies
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Religion, Theology, History, Judaism, Christianity
Keywords
sacrifice, Jerusalem Temple, supersessionism, prophetic literature, Hebrew Bible, Josephus, Philo, pseudepigrapha, Dead Sea Scrolls, New Testament, rabbinic literature, symbolism, Jesus Christ, Second Temple Judaism

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