The Jewish Life Cycle Lore and Iconography by Sperber

The Jewish Life Cycle Lore and Iconography by Sperber

This volume describes the major "rites of passage" of the Jewish life cycle. From birth, through circumcision, to marriage, divorce, sickness, death and mourning, Daniel Sperber presents detailed descriptions of the major customs attending these events. These customs are examined in light of their original sources, their integration and evolution in varying Jewish communities, and the popular explanations given for their practice, both historically and today. This book draws on the whole spectrum of rabbinic literature, comparing its stories and explanations with folk beliefs of other cultures throughout the world. Sperber makes use of a wide range of resources--medieval and modern, legal, folkloristic, anthropological and literary-in his discussion of customs, proving that Jewish communities were never isolated from their environment. He also examines in depth the earliest origins of many of our well-known and commonly practiced Jewish customs. This book makes use of iconographic material found in illustrated books written by non-Jews describing Jewish practice. These illustrations are analyzed in detail, constituting yet another rich source for the understanding of the evolution of Jewish customs. Customs, by their nature, are often taken for granted. In this book, Daniel Sperber offers an expert, detailed, and lively analysis of some of the most and least commonly practiced customs in Jewish tradition.

Dan Sperber is the Director of Research of the Paris-based Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. He has taught at Princeton University, the London School of Economics, and the University of Michigan as a visiting professor. He is the author of Rethinking Symbolism, On Anthropological Knowledge, and Relevance: Communication and Cogntion (1995), co-authored with Deirdre Wilson.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780195307597
ISBN 10	0195307593
Title	The Jewish Life Cycle Lore and Iconography
Author	Sperber
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Oxford University Press Inc
Year published	2008-09-01
Number of pages	620
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.