Stone (emeritus, comparative religion and Armenian studies, Hebrew U. of Jerusalem) challenges scholars to venture beyond orthodox thinking on ancient religious documents and histories relating to Second Temple Judaism and the origins of Christianity. Emphasizing the complexity of issues involved in such historiography, he draws on multiple sources to shed light on the authorship, transmission, and interpretations of the Hebrew Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, apocryphal, and pseudepigraphic literature. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)