Signs and Meanings explores the range of divinatory techniques that appear in Jewish texts of the Greco-Roman era, from lot oracles and death oracles to human physiognomy and use of the Scriptures. Pushing back against the view of divination as irrational and superstitious, Hanna Tervanotko looks beyond the Hebrew Bible to a broader range of ancient Jewish texts, including the Dead Sea Scrolls and the pseudepigrapha, and draws on anthropological frameworks that consider divination as a knowledge system in its own right. Considering Jewish divinatory practices in the broader context of ancient Eastern Mediterranean and Near Eastern cultures, this book demonstrates that ancient Jews did not live in isolation from neighboring cultures, but rather on a cultural continuum within the ancient Eastern Mediterranean world. This book focuses on individuals instead of institutions, highlighting marginalized people-including women-and lived traditions that show the efficacy of these ancient practices even in today's world. Tervanotko's lived religion approach provides a fuller and more equitable representation of divinatory practices in the ancient world.
| ISBN: | 9780520436312 |
| Publication date: | 22nd December 2026 |
| Author: | |
| Publisher: | University of California Press |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 190 pages |
| Genres: |
Bibles Judaism: life and practice Ancient history |
Signs and Meanings explores the range of divinatory techniques that appear in Jewish texts of the Greco-Roman era, from lot oracles and death oracles to human physiognomy and use of the Scriptures. Pushing back against the view of divination as irrational and superstitious, Hanna Tervanotko looks beyond the Hebrew Bible to a broader range of ancient Jewish texts, including the Dead Sea Scrolls and the pseudepigrapha, and draws on anthropological frameworks that consider divination as a knowledge system in its own right.
features in the following genres: Bibles, Judaism: life and practice, Ancient history
Paperback, Hardback, Book, Board book, Ebook, . £72.00, down from the £80.00 cover price. Not Available.
was written by and published by University of California Press
has 190 pages
£72.00, reduced from £80.00. Not Available.