Overview

Containing nearly two million words in 37 volumes, the Talmud covers topics as diverse as law, faith, medicine, magic, ethics, sex, humour and prayer. It is a highly complex, profoundly logical and frequently impenetrable work with a history like no other. In its 1500 year history the Talmud has been banned, censored and burned, dissected by scholars and rabbis, probed by philosophers, poets, republicans and kings. In The Talmud – A Biography, Jewish scholar Harry Freedman tells the engrossing story of an ancient classic, the legal and mystical pillar of Judaism and recounts the story of a book which, in many ways, parallels the history of the Jewish people. From its origins as a record of discussions amongst scholars in towns and villages close to modern-day Baghdad, Freedman traces the spiraling paths of the Jewish diaspora and explores the story of the Talmud’s early origins in Babylon, its role during the Enlightenment and its influence over traditional Judaism. A compelling fusion of law, storytelling and spirituality, the Talmud’s story is a fascinating insight into the history of Judaism and Harry Freedman’s The Talmud – A Biography is a remarkable account of one of the most important cultural, historical and religious works of our time.

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9781472905949

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Reviews

While the Talmud itself may be impenetrable for many, in The Talmud - A Biography: Banned, censored and burned. The book they couldn't suppress, author Harry Freedman has written an engaging account of the book itself. For those who may be fascinated by the Talmud and at the same time intimidated by it, the book is a great resource that profiles what the Talmud is. -- Ben Rothke * The Times of Israel *

Freedman brings impressive research to the biography of a 2,000-year-old text that still excites scholars, inspires controversy and reflects turbulent events in Jewish history. -- Kirkus A biography of the Talmud--call it a bibliobiography--is welcome. Such a book could explain how the Talmud came to be and who reads it and why. Perhaps most important, it would explain to the uninitiated how to understand the Talmud's complicated logic. Harry Freedman's The Talmud: A Biography addresses almost all of these subjects . . . Mr. Freedman writes with evocative brio. -- Wall Street Journal

While the Talmud itself may be impenetrable for many, in The Talmud - A Biography: Banned, censored and burned. The book they couldn't suppress, author Harry Freedman has written an engaging account of the book itself. For those who may be fascinated by the Talmud and at the same time intimidated by it, the book is a great resource that profiles what the Talmud is. -- Ben Rothke The Times of Israel

Author Information

Dr Harry Freedman is a writer and academic with a PhD in Aramaic. His publications include The Gospels’ Veiled Agenda (O-Books). He contributed to the Encyclopedia of Modern Jewish Culture (Oxford University Press) and has written for the Jewish Chronicle, Jewish Quarterly, Judaism Today and the Huffington Post. He has two adult children, who both work in TV, and lives in London with his wife Karen, a textile designer.

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