Two Words, One Answer.
Caiaphas
 From Joshua to Caiaphas: High Priests after the Exile $35.00 This book is not is a history of the development of Judaism from 537 BCE to 70 CE. And, it is also not a history of the second Judean state. It will inform the reader about both these broad topics only as collateral matter pertaining to its main concern which is the high priests of the second temple in Jerusalem. Therefore, this book is definitely not a starting point for students interested in second temple Judaism. I believe to get the most out of this book a reader should come equipped with an in depth knowledge of the topics described above as well as a substantial grasp of the history of the ancient near east. With this in mind, a reader possessed of the above prerequisites will find this book an extremely challenging explication of almost all the material available on the topic as of its date of publication. Vanderkam nearly exhausts every known source on the high priests of the second temple, and his meticulous presentation of this material will be invaluable to any serious researcher in the area. The bibliography at least contains the name of almost every modern scholar who has written on second temple Judaism in English, German, and Hebrew, and the author is fully engaged with their scholarship throughout this work. The ancient sources and their languages are handled with expertise including the Tannaitic and Rabbinic literature. This is a dense work by a mature scholar who displays an easy grasp of the subject material under discussion. The organization is chronological and is sensibly broken up into five chapters. The first of which is actually an introduction followed by chapters on the Persian period, the early Hellenistic period, the Hasmonean period, and finally the Herodian Age. After the introductory material, each chapter averages well over one hundred pages and is heavily footnoted. The footnotes are extensive and contain important information that demands hours of attention if one is to fully appreciate the text. Every imaginable scholarly interpretation of the sources is considered. And, seeing that the sources themselves are often contradictory and obscure definitive interpretations are sometimes difficult to arrive at and justify. Lengthy excursuses on both sides of contentious points are provided with the author often supporting minority interpretations. Where Vanderkam deems no definitive answers available or worthy of support, ambiguity results. For example, do not expect any startling observations on the import of the Dead Sea Scrolls regarding the high priests. The author finds suggestive references pertaining to certain high priests in the DSS who served circa 154 BCE and 76 BCE. You, the reader, will often be left to reflect on conflicting interpretations parsed very finely. A controlling concern in this work is the apportionment of power between the high priests and secular authorities. In the Persian period the author finds the power of the high priest far greater than in the pre-exilic monarchies. However, he does find a continuous civil authority of some significance vested in governors answerable to the Persian Empire. In the early Hellenistic period, Vanderkam finds the high priests at the zenith of their powers with Judea a virtual theocracy, and the high priests directly answerable only to either their Seleucid or Ptolemaic overlords. With the advent of the Hasmoneans, the priestly and civil power becomes co-joined with ultimately disastrous results. The Herodian period marks the nadir of high priestly power. The high priests were reduced to political appointees who were only able to exert limited control even of the temple cult. There are of course somewhat different interpretations of these matters that have been argued by other scholars. However, any future work on second temple Judaism will have to carefully take Vanderkam's reading of this material into account. Regardless of the level of agreement with the author's conclusions an informed reader may find, they should most certainly be awed by the sheer magnitude of this undertaking and the exemplary erudition displayed by Vanderkam. This is a major reference work which is absolutely mandatory reading for all advanced students of second temple Judaism.  The Greatest Story Ever Told (Score) $19.98 Varese Sarabande has again done credit to the genre of great film scores with their recent release of the expanded (if not full) Alfred Newman score for George Stevens' production of "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (Newman and Stevens had also worked together on "Gunga Din," one of Newman's best efforts). The film title missed the mark a bit as far as the film is concerned. This is probably not the greatest of the Bible epics, but it is an interesting entry nevertheless. For those of us who live in the area of Lake Powell and southern Utah it is a trip to view this film with its very familiar Red Rock backdrops filling in for Palestine. And the acting was in many cases first rate. Newman's score was also an enormous plus. Perhaps not one of his best, it was certainly a great score. Based largely on a major theme that is clearly reminiscent of his earlier score for "The Robe," this is a major triumph, as is this three disc presentation. Nicely packaged and produced at an unbelievable price, this is a must for film score buffs. Disc one contains the original soundtrack recording (with updated sound)including Handel's chorus from "The Messiah" which Stevens' insisted upon using instead of Newman's own ending. Curiously, Newman's choral "Exit Music" would have been a much better fit for the film and is included here. Discs two and three include the majority of Newman's original score, as he intended it. It is really majestic stuff, although much of the score took a sombre tone. I cannot wait to enjoy this score driving down the Burr Trail. It is music that mataches the grand landscape, and the greatest story ever told. |
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