Judaism as Philosophy: The Method and Message of the Mishnah

The Mishnah is the first canonical writing of Judaism after the Hebrew Scriptures of ancient Israel—and the foundation of the two Talmuds and of all Judaism thereafter. According to Jacob Neusner, the key to understanding the Mishnah is to read it as philosophy, in accord with the generally accepted understanding of philosophy in its time and place. In Judaism as Philosophy, Neusner studies a large sample of evidence, meticulously translated and carefully explained, and identifies the philosophical side of the Mishnah’s system, method, and message alike.