Jewish Messiahs in a Christian Empire

“In a striking new monograph, Martha Himmelfarb offers the first book-length study of the oft-ignored Jewish text, Sefer Zerubbabel. This work, steeped in eschatology and messianism, is an important example of Jewish literary and intellectual activity at the end of the late antique era. With Himmelfarb’s book, it is now finally receiving the scholarly attention it deserves.”—Joshua A. Blachorsky, Reading Religion

“With admirable erudition, this wonderful book fills a gap in the history of Jewish messianism. It is an exceptional contribution to scholarship.”—John J. Collins, Yale University

“In the process of analyzing the most famous and detailed medieval Jewish apocalypse work and unraveling its many puzzles, Himmelfarb develops a striking new account of the history of Jewish messianism from the Bible to the Middle Ages. This book is groundbreaking and innovative, opening the way for a whole new era in the study of post-Christian Judaism.”—Annette Yoshiko Reed, University of Pennsylvania