Holiness

Scholars have defined holiness in many ways. These range from the vague and ethereal adjective ‘numinous’ to practical matters of ritual purity. When a bunch of grain and God can both be called ‘holy’, how should we understand the elusive meaning of this word? Dr Harrington presents an in-depth exploration of holiness in the context of rabbinic Judaism, based on a holistic yet detailed understanding of the relevant texts and Scripture. The rabbinic concept of holiness is placed alongside other notions of the sacred in the Graeco-Roman world, providing a much-needed comparative view of this core subject during a key period in the development of the Jewish religion. Holiness will be of interest to students and scholars of biblical studies, Graeco-Roman religions and Jewish Studies.

Author Biography

Dr Hannah K. Harrington is professor of Old Testament at Patten College, Oakland, CA, USA. She received her Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and has written numerous articles on the Dead Sea Scrolls and rabbinic Judaism.