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?
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 along 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.

Forward Acknowledgements Introduction I. Scholarship on Holiness II. Rabbinic Sources 1. The Holy One III. Holiness as Consuming Fire IV. Holiness as Goodness 2. The Holy House I. Holy Space II. Holy Personnel III. Holy Ritual 3. The Holy Land I. Sacred Centre II. Rabbinic System II. Graeco-Roman World IV. Goodness and the Holy Land 4. The Holy Word I. Holiness via Divine Word II. Transmission of Holy Word III. Studying Holy Word IV. Observance of Holy Word V. Purity Restrictions VI. Life via Holy Word VII. Holiness and Mystical Experience 5. The Holy People I. Divine Election II. Ritual III. Ethics IV. Ethics IV. Sexuality Conclusion Bibliography Index

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.