Purity, Holiness, and Identity in Judaism and Christianity

Susan Haber (1957-2006) was a graduate of York University (B.A.) and McMaster University (M.A.). At the time of her death, she was working on a doctorate from McMaster University, having already published articles on the Hebrew Bible, early Judaism, and early Christianity. The present volume consists of contributions in fields central to her own interests by her teachers, friends, and colleagues in memory of a brilliant scholar. The essays deal with issues of central concern to the theologies of Judaism and Christianity: purity, holiness, and identity. In the first part of this volume the former two topics within the context of the Hebrew Bible are introduced. The second part deals with all three within late Second Temple and early Rabbinic Judaism, as well as in the Christianity of the first three centuries C.E. The last part examines the subject matter of the volume within the context of medieval and modern Judaism, as well as in contemporary Christianity. Although it is not necessarily explicitly stated, the juxtaposition of these essays dealing with areas of mutual theological concern to Judaism and Christianity implicitly lays the groundwork for interreligious dialog and understanding.