Synopses & Reviews
In 1897, Rabbi Solomon Schechter of Cambridge University stepped into the attic of the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo, Egypt, and there found the largest treasure trove of medieval and early manuscripts ever discovered. He had entered the synagogue's genizah its repository for damaged and destroyed Jewish texts, which held nearly 300,000 individual documents, many of which were over 1,000 years old. Considered among the most important discoveries in modern religious history, its contents contained early copies of some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, early manuscripts of the Bible, and other sacred literature. The importance of the Genizah's contents rivals that of the Rosetta Stone, and by virtue of its sheer mass alone, it will continue to command our attention indefinitely. Sacred Treasure: The Cairo Genizah is the first accessible, comprehensive account of this astounding treasure trove of documents and their discovery. It will delight readers with its fascinating adventure story — why this enormous collection was amassed, how it was discovered and the many lessons to be found in its contents. And it will show readers how Schechter's find, though still being unpacked today, forever transformed our knowledge of the Jewish past, Muslim history and much more.
Review
"Glickman brings the colorful story up to date with information about the post-Schechter work, the dispersal of the genizah's collection..., and the efforts to preserve and digitize the documents.... Anyone who loves books and history will relish this." Booklist
Synopsis
Indiana Jones meets The Da Vinci Code in an old Egyptian synagogue--the amazing story of one of the most important discoveries in modern religious scholarship.
In 1896, Rabbi Solomon Schechter of Cambridge University stepped into the attic of the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo, Egypt, and there found the largest treasure trove of medieval and early manuscripts ever discovered. He had entered the synagogue's genizah--its repository for damaged and destroyed Jewish texts--which held nearly 300,000 individual documents, many of which were over 1,000 years old.
Considered among the most important discoveries in modern religious history, its contents contained early copies of some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, early manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible, and other sacred literature. The importance of the genizah's contents rivals that of the Rosetta Stone, and by virtue of its sheer mass alone, it will continue to command our attention indefinitely.
This is the first accessible, comprehensive account of this astounding discovery. It will delight you with its fascinating adventure story--why this enormous collection was amassed, how it was discovered and the many lessons to be found in its contents. And it will show you how Schechter's find, though still being "unpacked" today, forever transformed our knowledge of the Jewish past, Muslim history and much more.
Synopsis
The amazing adventure story of one of the most important discoveries in modern religious scholarship. This astounding cache of nearly 300,000 early and medieval manuscripts has forever transformed our knowledge of Jewish and Muslim history and much more.
About the Author
Rabbi Mark Glickman, a popular speaker on Judaism and modern life, is rabbi of Congregations Kol Ami in Woodinville, Washington, and Kol Shalom on Bainbridge Island, Washington. He writes a regular religion column for the Seattle Times and has been featured in other books and journals.