The nations that know thee not
Subtitle: ancient Jewish attitudes towards other religions
By: Robert Goldenberg.
Series: Reappraisals in Jewish social and intellectual history
Publisher: New York University Press
Published: 1998
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 214
Subjects: Bible. O.T. -- Theology; Gods -- Biblical teaching; Judaism -- Relations -- Paganism; Paganism -- Relations -- Judaism; Judaism -- History -- Post-exilic period, 586 B.C.-210 A.D
Description: The Bible is harshly opposed to participation by Israelites in the worship of other nations' gods. But was it legitimate and acceptable for other nations to worship their own gods? Robert Goldenberg here traces an ambivalent attitude toward foreign religions as it developed through the history of Judaism, and asks why Jewish outlooks on Gentile religions varied so much over time.

Further, as Jewish acceptance of paganism increased under rabbinic leadership, did Christianity become heir to other, harsher biblical attitudes towards other religions? In answering such questions, Goldenberg sheds a fascinating light on the ways in which ancient Jews understood the religious worlds in which they lived.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 177-187) and indexes.
"This book began as a paper delivered at a 1985 conference on 'Proselytism and Civility in a Pluralistic World' sponsored by the Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Denver"--Pref.