In Transformations, Jacob Neusner reasons that the Jewish canonical writings - the Hebrew Bible, Mishnah, Talmuds, and Midrash - illustrate Judaism's response to these three social, cultural, and political crises. Faced with these catastrophic events, the Rabbinic sages explored anew the paradigms of piety and practice which they had received from previous generations. The result was that they discovered a truth both continuous with the past and responsive to the unanticipated crisis - a truth that carved out a path for the future. This process, represented in the Jewish canon, continues to define modern Judaism. Jacob Neusner's thesis is this: When faced with defeat, Judaism reaches a turning point and, in an act of stubborn affirmation, Judaism is transformed.
