Ishay Rosen-Zvi, *How to Read the Mishnah and Midrash: An Introduction to Early Rabbinic Literature*. Daniel Tabak, trans. Oakland, California: University of California Press, 2026.

Ishay Rosen-Zvi, *How to Read the Mishnah and Midrash: An Introduction to Early Rabbinic Literature*. Daniel Tabak, trans. Oakland, California: University of California Press, 2026.

The early rabbinic era produced two main literary forms—the Mishnah and Midrash—which have since become fundamental pillars of Jewish textual tradition. This monograph serves as the first comprehensive introduction to these two crucial works of Jewish thought in the English language. In many ways, all later rabbinic literature can trace its roots back to the framework established by these two genres. The Mishnah established a complete legal system that operates independently of the Bible, covering a remarkably broad spectrum of legal topics—from ritual law to civil disputes, capital legislation, marital status, and beyond—woven into a coherent and self-sustaining legal corpus. The Midrash is acknowledged as the first extensive commentary on the Pentateuch, characterized by its interpretive freedom and creative engagement. This practical guide offers a deep understanding of how the two texts function and provides essential tools for thorough engagement with them. With translations, detailed readings, and analyses of hundreds of primary source materials, this book grants readers a deeper understanding of the structure, methodology, and enduring significance of the Mishnah and Midrash.

Hindy Najman, *Scriptural Vitality: Rethinking Philology and Hermeneutics*. New York: Oxford University Press, 2025.

This study contests the perspective that the Persian and Hellenistic periods signify a decline, often referred to as "late Judaism," situated between a once-vibrant Judaism and the rise of Christianity.  Conversely, Hindy Najman contends that the Second Temple period was distinguished by unrestrained creativity and poetic imagination, characterized by philosophical translation, poetic composition, and a convergence of ancient Mediterranean cultures that encouraged hermeneutic innovation. By building on Friedrich Nietzsche's critique of classical philology and exploring new interpretative methods for the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Najman initiates a radical rethinking of biblical studies.  Rather than attempting to reconstruct the original text or identify its original author or context, Najman celebrates the diversity and transformation of texts, tracing how meanings and texts proliferated within interpretive communities through innovative performances and new articulations of the past.  Engaging with thinkers such as Friedrich Schlegel and Peter Szondi, who are rarely acknowledged by biblical scholars, biblical philology is reimagined as a forward-moving study of the poetic processes through which Jewish communities re-created their past and revitalized their present.  The Second Temple period emerges as an extraordinary age of creativity, whose influences may still be observed in contemporary Judaism and Christianity.

Joseph Scales, *Galilean Spaces of Identity: Judaism and Spatiality in Hasmonean and Herodian Galilee*. Leiden: Brill, 2024.

We interpret the world surrounding us through the constructed spaces we inhabit. These spaces are formed by human activities and, in turn, shape the way people live. This book delves into an analysis of archaeological and textual evidence from the inception of Hasmonean influence in Galilee to the outbreak of the First Jewish War against Rome, exploring how Judaism was socially articulated: in bodily, communal, and regional dimensions. Within each articulation, certain elements of Jewish identity are present, including ideas of purity, communal gatherings, and Galilee's ties with the Hasmoneans, Jerusalem, and the Temple during its last days.

Lindsey Davidson, *Scribal Culture in Ben Sira*. Leiden: Brill, 2018.

This monograph explores the concept of scribal culture as a lens for analyzing the characteristics of textual referencing in the Book of Ben Sira (c.198-175 BCE), offering fresh perspectives on how Ben Sira crafted his wisdom literature. While the term "scribe" is frequently attributed to Ben Sira, this label brings with it certain interpretive difficulties. By employing comparative analysis, this study situates the sage’s writing style within various historical, literary, and socio-cultural contexts. It illuminates aspects of Ben Sira’s text and the early Jewish practice of textual reuse. Utilizing both physical and material evidence related to reading and writing, this book uncovers the skill and intricacy involved in Ben Sira’s ongoing textual reuse. Consequently, Ben Sira’s work exemplifies outstanding writing that resonates with an appreciative audience.

Emmylou Grosser, *Unparalleled Poetry: A Cognitive Approach to the Free-Rhythm Verse of the Hebrew Bible*. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023.

For over two and a half centuries, the study of biblical Hebrew poetry has largely been influenced by metrical theories and the concept of parallelism. Although there is a growing agreement that biblical poetry does not adhere to metrical norms, a cohesive understanding of parallelism itself, or the features that classify biblical poetry as 'verse' or 'poetry' in the absence of meter, graphical lineation, and line-ending markers, has not yet been achieved. This monograph argues for the necessity of a new paradigm for biblical poetry, one that separates itself from both parallelism and meter. By employing the Cognitive Poetics framework developed by Reuven Tsur, Emmylou Grosser shifts the conversation regarding the structure of biblical poetry towards the auditory and perceptual experiences of the listener or reader. She contends that the line-units of biblical poetry emerge within the cognitive experience of the audience and offers a comprehensive analysis of the free-rhythm versification system that is intrinsic to biblical poetry. Grosser's cognitive perspective on biblical poetry tackles the extensive variety of lines and poems found in the Bible, shedding light on both the structural elements of biblical poetry and the artistic effects that can be achieved. This book presents a promising new paradigm for those who engage with the Bible, while also opening avenues for new investigations into nonmetrical poetries and the notion of 'parallelism' observed globally.