Building on the exegetical foundation and hermeneutical framework laid out in The Sabbath Presence in the Hebrew Bible: Origins and Meanings, this book extends the earlier work’s exploration of the Sabbath, viewing it from the perspective of human engagement with the divine presence. Bringing together biblical exegesis and Jewish interpretative traditions, it evaluates sacred time, Sabbath observance and Sabbath law in the light of the part they play in fostering a relationship with ‘the Presence’. Moving beyond the biblical tradition, this volume explores how the Sabbath was interpreted and reshaped within Second Temple literature and compares these developments with the original intent of the Sabbath as reflected in the Hebrew Bible, thereby providing a framework for evaluating later models of Sabbath observance and experience. Through in-depth analysis of key texts and interpretative methods, the book provides scholars, theologians, and students with a new perspective on the Sabbath's enduring significance within both Jewish thought and the broader religious discourse, thereby appealing to specialists in biblical studies, theology, and religious studies, as well as graduate students, academics, and the clergy.

Beniamin Laurențiu Chircan (b. 1981, Romania) is a pastor in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He has an academic background in biblical studies, religious studies, and Christian theology, with particular expertise in the Hebrew Bible. He holds a BA in Theology from Adventus University and an MA in Religion from Andrews University (USA). He also completed coursework in the MA programme in Religious Studies at the University of Bucharest. He was awarded a PhD in Philology (Biblical Literature) by the University of Bucharest in 2022. He was an associate lecturer at the University of Bucharest, where he taught in the Jewish Studies programme and the MA programme in Religious Studies. He has also taught Biblical Hebrew at Adventus University.