The Origins of Judaism. An archaeological-historical reappraisal

When did Judaism become Judaism? More precisely, when did the dietary and purity laws, circumcision, the Sabbath regulations, holidays, etc. become the hallmarks of Jewish religious identity? Reviewing the available textual and archeological evidence, Yonathan Adler, associate professor in the department of Land of Israel Studies and Archeology at Ariel University in Israel, comes to the astonishing conclusion that the adoption of these religious traditions as well as of the Pentateuch itself dates back not earlier than the rule of the Hasmonean dynasty in the 2^nd century BCE as a tool of unification.

This thorough and comprehensive scholarly work is considered a major contribution to the understanding of the emergence of Judaism as well as of the decisive significance of the early Hellenistic period in the formation of the Jewish faith and practice.