"Scholars have defined holiness in many ways. These range from the vague and ethereal adjective 'numinous' to practical matters of ritual purity. When both a sheaf of grain and God can be called 'holy', how should we understand the elusive meaning of this word?" "Hannah K. Harrington presents an in-depth exploration of holiness in the context of rabbinic Judaism, based on a holistic yet detailed understanding of the relevant texts and Scripture. The rabbinic concept of holiness is placed alongside other notions of the sacred in the Graeco-Roman world, providing a much-needed comparative view of this core subject during a key period in the development of the Jewish religion." Holiness will be of interest to students and scholars of biblical studies, Graeco-Roman religions and Jewish studies.