In this stellar study of what the works of patristic authors such as Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Eusebius, Ephraem the Syrian and Jerome reveal about the ancient form of the Aggadah, Samuel Krauss offers a remarkably favorable reading of the sources. The author’s interpretations of the portrayal of the Jewish people in these writers are provocative and insightful. Students of Early Christianity and Rabbinic literature alike will be intrigued by the depth of understanding of both traditions and the adept utilization of the patristic sources to illuminate early Rabbinic literature.

Samuel Krauss (1866-1948) was a prolific Rabbinic scholar and expert on the ancient synagogue, Byzantine Jewish life and literature and the relations between Judaism and Christianity. Many of his works were standards in the field for decades beyond his lifetime. Both his Talmudische Archäologie and his Synagogale Altertümer have demonstrated exceptional longevity. He taught at the Jewish Teachers’ Seminary in Budapest, the Jewish Theological Seminary, and later at Cambridge, after emigrating as a refugee.