In this monumental book, Paul Heger attempts to explain how synagogue recital of biblical texts replaced the sacrificial cult (p. 366). He posits that gradual disaffection with the Temple enabled the rabbis to institute synagogue ritual for sacrifice even while the second Temple stood. The work is wide-ranging, yet focused, and provides a detailed history of the cult from the Bronze Age until the destruction of the second Temple. The first half is a diachronic study of the three biblical altar laws. The second half investigates the impact of Ahaz, Josiah, Ezra and Nehemiah, the Maccabees, and finally the rabbis on attitudes toward temple sacrifice.