Stone and Dung, Oil and Spit: Jewish Daily Life in the Time of Jesus [Paperback]

Jodi Magness (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 2011

In Stone and Dung, Oil and Spit Jodi Magness unearths “footprints” buried in both archaeological and literary evidence to shed new light on Jewish daily life in Palestine from the mid-first century b.c.e. to 70 c.e. — the time and place of Jesus’ life and ministry.

Magness analyzes recent archaeological discoveries from such sites as Qumran and Masada together with a host of period texts, including the New Testament, the works of Josephus, and rabbinic teachings. Layering all these sources together, she reconstructs in detail a fascinating variety of everyday activities — dining customs, Sabbath observance, fasting, toilet habits, burial customs, and more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Jodi Magness brings literary evidence from both Jewish and New Testament writings together with extensive archaeological material to produce a literally ‘down to earth’ picture of the conditions and customs of daily life in the late Second Temple period. Essential reading for all who are interested in that period.”
— Fergus Millar
Oriental Institute, Oxford

“A superb handbook on Jewish daily life in the late Second Temple period. Magness demonstrates how texts and archaeology, with careful scholarship, can illuminate each other. This book will be valuable for undergraduates, graduate students, and all scholars of the period for a long time to come.”
— Sidnie White Crawford
University of Nebraska-Lincoln

“Magness’s originality and her mastery of the sources make this a major contribution to our field.”
— Lawrence H. Schiffman
New York University

About the Author

Jodi Magness is Kenan Distinguished Professor for Teaching Excellence in Early Judaism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls, her research interests include ancient pottery, ancient synagogues, and the Roman army in the East, and she has published and lectured extensively on these subjects. She has participated in twenty different excavations in Israel and Greece, including serving as codirector of the 1995 excavations in the Roman siege works at Masada. Her works include the award-winning books The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls and The Archaeology of the Early Islamic Settlement in Palestine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 375 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; First Edition edition (April 12, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802865585
• ISBN-13: 978-0802865588
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #137,316 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Very instructive, but somewhat flawed May 31, 2011

By R. J. Karris

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

In this fine book there are twelve chapters: Footprints in Archaeology and Text; Purifying the Body and Hands; Creeping and Swarming Creatures, Locusts, Fish, Dogs, Chickens, and Pigs; Household Vessels: Pottery, Oil Lamps, Glass, Stone, and Dung; Dining Customs and Communal Meals; Sabbath Observance and Fasting; Coins; Clothing and Tzitzit; Oil and Spit; Toilets and Toilet Habits; Tombs and Burial Customs; Epilogue: The Aftermath of 70. There are 48 black and white figures that help illumine discussions in the body of the text.

The most satisfying chapter is "Tombs and Burial Customs" while the least satisfying is "Dining Customs and Communal Meals." "Dining Customs" would have been stronger if materials discussed in the previous chapter (pp. 59-62 'Village Dining and Pottery') had been included.

In my opinion the subtitle should have been "Jewish Daily Life at Qumran" since Magness, a Qumran expert, dedicates so many pages to Qumran. In other words, there might have been more about Jesus of Nazareth and the Jewish Christian communities behind the four Gospels. Perhaps I carp too much since Magness is not a New Testament scholar and must rely on scholars in that field. But sometimes she misses important NT input. For example, in her chapter on "Oil and Spit" (p. 129) she is so intent to make her point that spit was viewed as impure that she misses the significance of Mark 7:33: "Jesus ... spat and touched his tongue." Jesus' action is curative, as one of Magness' frequently cited NT scholars, Joel Marcus, says on p. 473 of his Anchor Bible Commentary on Mark's Gospel: "Spittle was extremely popular as a folk remedy in antiquity ... the idea of its medicinal effectiveness was widespread among Jews as well."

The most significant flaw in this most instructive book is its lack of methodological sophistication when dealing with Jewish sources. In my viewpoint Mangess should have spent a significant part of her introduction arguing how a scholar can responsibly and reasonably use Jewish rabbinic materials dating from centuries after the period in question. Periodically in individual chapters Magness enters into a discussion of this necessary methodology, but has no extensive treatment. For example, on p. 105 she talks about the use of small bronze coins for the nullification of the second tithe: "Although the rabbinic rulings relate to the period after the temple's destruction, Eshel and Zissu suggest tht they have their roots in a common practice among dissident Jewish groups such as the Essenes before 70."

All in all, this is a great book on archaeology that should have had better editing in its use of later rabbinic materials.

4.0 out of 5 stars Palestine? What Palestine?! April 5, 2013

By Bunclody Senator

Format:Paperback

I don't know who wrote the 'blurb', but he or she should go back to school. There was NO Territory called 'Palestine' in the period referred to (up to 70 CE). There was such a territory from 135 CE till 1099, and from 1917 to 1948.
As a result, I have to wonder the quality of the book on offer, if such an egregious error could be presented before I've even opened it. These anachronisms are wearying.
Having said all that, I know from studying it that the book is very good indeed.

5.0 out of 5 stars Covers a lot. February 10, 2013

By Susan

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

While the title of this book may seem more exciting than the contents, the book did discuss each of the mentioned subjects. Utilizing archeological artifacts and ancient literature the author seeks to enlighten the reader on certain aspects of purity practices during Second Temple Judaism. While I did not always agree with the authors conclusions, the author did do a thorough job of scholarly research to back up these conclusions.