Sketches of Jewish Social Life in the Days of Christ

Alfred Edersheim's well-researched account of everyday Jewish life at the time the New Testament Gospels took place remains one of the best texts on the subject ever authored. This edition includes the author's appendixes.

The reader is taken back to Israel and the surrounding areas more than 2,000 years ago. How the society would appear to the casual traveler, what customs the people practiced, how everyday life proceeded in the Jewish homestead and towns, and how women were treated are topics which Edersheim examines. The author goes into much detail, presenting an evocative picture of a sophisticated ancient society.

We also hear of the political landscape of the era, particularly concerning the Pharisees - the leading social and political movement of the time - and its interactions with rival movements such as the Sadducees and Essenes. Religious rites and customs, the typical layout and ceremonies of ancient Jewish synagogues and temples, and the creation of the ancient religious Talmudic literature, are also related.

As a Jewish convert to Christianity, Alfred Edersheim was well acquainted with the sacred texts and rituals of Judaism and modern Christianity. Although he struggled financially during study, he nevertheless proved himself at an early age to be a talented and keen scholar of religion - after managing to conclude his formal study, he enjoyed a long and successful career as a Christian minister.