The Jews in Their Land in the Talmudic Age

Gedaliah Alon was a most original, distinguished historian. His erudition in rabbinic sources as well as classical literature, supported by absolute clarity of thought, intuition, and imaginativeness, enabled him to produce historical writing of the highest order. -- Isadore Twersky

This paperback reproduces in one volume the two-volume translation of Alon's classic work published in Jerusalem in 1980 and 1984.

This is a masterly narrative of the land of Israel from 70 to 640 CE by an eminent Israeli historian. It is a comprehensive record of Jewish life under Roman rule: economic conditions and social welfare; Jewish law and courts; political repression and resistance; religious controversies; the Diaspora and relations between the national center in Palestine and the communities abroad. Gedaliah Alon describes the rebuilding of national life after the defeat in 70; the emergence of the Sages as community leaders; the extent of autonomy under the Roman Empire; the towns and cities of Jewish Palestine; armed uprisings and the Bar Kokhba Revolt; the decades of decline and large-scale emigration; the traditions of learning that produced the Mishnah and Talmud. It is a rich, vividly told story.

This paperback reproduces in one volume the two-volume translation of Alon’s classic work published in Jerusalem in 1980 and 1984.