The Savage in Judaism: An Anthropology of Israelite Religion and Ancient Judaism

The Savage in Judaism: An Anthropology of Israelite Religion and Ancient Judaism by Eilberg-Schwartz, Howard. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780253205919.

The Savage in Judaism exposes and challenges the opposition between Judaism and "savage" religions that has shaped the conceptualization of Judaism in the discourses of modernity. Since the Enlightenment, Judaism has typically been regarded as superior to other religions. This judgment gave rise to the conviction that interpreters of Judaism had little if anything to learn from either the discipline of anthropololgy or comparative inquiry. This book, by contrast, aligns itself with a growing trend that is seeking to collapse the distinction between Judaism and savage religions. It does so, by recounting the history of that opposition and by a series of studies showing how differently Judaism appears when passed under the gaze of anthropological inquiry and cross-cultural analysis. Topics includes circumcision, impurity, and dietary restrictions.