Vines Intertwined: A History of Jews and Christians from the Babylonian Exile to the Advent of Islam

Recognizing that Judaism and Christianity are what they are because of each other and were not formed in isolation, Sandgren provides readers and researchers with a comprehensive generation-by-generation political history of the Jews--from the fall of the First Temple and the Babylonian Exile through the rise of Christianity out of Judaism--to the conquest of Jerusalem by Muslim Arabs and the rise of Christianity out of Judaism, to the point where both are fully defined against each other at the start of the Middle Ages.

With a good subject index and a strong chronological framework, this book is a convenient reference work to this extended period of antiquity, with sufficient "bookends" of history to show where it began and how it ends. Making use of numerous contemporary studies as well as often neglected classics, Sandgren thoroughly develops the concept of "the people of God "and the core ideology behind Jewish and Christian self-definition. A ready reference for both students and scholars, pastors and laypeople, this accessible resource includes a bibliography and an ancient sources index as well as a CD. The CD includes the entire book as a searchable PDF and a list of names of emperors, rabbis, and church fathers.