Book Review: Jewish Liturgy: A Guide to Research. By Ruth Langer (original) (raw)

2017, Theological Studies

Few scholars have made the field of Jewish liturgy their central area of research, and among them Langer stands out. Among other things, she holds a unique position of regularly teaching Jewish liturgy to Christians, among them seminarians. She is an expert, therefore, at comparing, defining, and explaining Jewish worship and its attendant scholarship not just to Jews but to Christians as well. She points out the paucity of Jewish scholarship in liturgical theology relative to liturgical history, for example, calling it "one of the most significant cultural and intellectual differences between Judaism and Christianity" (233)-just one example of her expertise. Above all, however, L. is a scholar of international repute, well known for such publications as To Worship God Properly: Tensions between Liturgical Custom and Halakhah in Judaism (1998), and, more recently, Cursing the Christians: A History of Birkat Minim (2012). She is indeed a master of her field, with a reputation for thorough research as well as precise and plain wording in presenting it. We are fortunate therefore to see that she has compiled an annotated bibliography of the most important books and articles published in English in the field of Jewish liturgical research up to 2015-a worthy successor to the earlier work by Joseph Tabory (Jewish Prayer and the Yearly Cycle. A List of Articles. Supplement to Kiryat Sefer [1992-1993]). Unlike Tabory's prototype, L.'s bibliography is geared primarily to a Christian and seminary context, so it carefully introduces Jewish liturgical research to readers unfamiliar with the field of Jewish studies. It therefore begins with introductions to rabbinic Judaism and Jewish liturgy in general, lists trends and earlier bibliographies of Jewish liturgical scholarship, and only then continues with the literature on Judaism's central liturgical prayers. Within the first nine of fourteen chapters, the bibliography covers the historical development of Jewish liturgy: its emergence in late antiquity and its historical development through the Middle Ages until contemporary times. It also provides literature on the origins, history, and functions of the synagogue, the variety of rites and streams within Judaism, and an overview of Judaism's main rubrics and prayers for weekday, Shabbat and festival liturgies, as well as lifecycle rituals and liturgical poetry, known as piyyutim. With the second part of the book, chapters 10 to 14, L. expands her focus to include questions of embodiment, music, liturgical vestments, and objects-although she omits synagogue art and architecture; she then turns to elitist and popular spiritual practice, contemporary challenges, and a particularly welcome and comprehensive