“Simply nothing has escaped his eagle eye; even the most hidden remarks on a problem have been detected by him and entered in his book.” Carl Clemen, The Biblical World

Emil Schürer’s work is the authoritative study of Jewish history during classical times.

This work does not just cover the lifetime of Jesus, but instead it takes the reader from 175 B.C. through to the end of the rebellion under Hadrian in 135 A. D.

Schürer, in the first two volumes of his work, uncovers the political leaders of the Jewish people during this period as they struggled for freedom under the threat and oppression of the Roman Empire.

Through volumes three and four Schürer exposes the cultural and religious underpinnings of the Jewish people over these centuries: how the temple of Jerusalem functioned, how they related to the Hellenistic world that surrounded them, how their leaders created laws and ruled while remaining under Roman jurisdiction, as well as theological debates that were being made at this time.

Schürer also examines not just the Jewish society centred around Jerusalem, but also those spread further afield across Asia and the Mediterranean.

“Dr. Schürer has produced a work which has no parallel … a perfect and indispensable work.” Dr. Adolf Harnack

Emil Schürer was a German theologian, made famous for his study of the Jewish people during the time of Jesus Christ. He studied in Erlangen, Berlin and Heidelberg, and took his doctorate in Leipzig. A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ was first published in 1891 and Schürer died in 1910.