The book is dedicated to the Russian period in the life of the great ancient historian Elias (Ilya) Bickerman (1897–1981). In 2010, A. Baumgarten published his biography in English. However, an important part of Bickerman’s life remained in the shadows: Baumgarten does not speak Russian and did not have access to the Russian archives, which contain documents that shed light on the events in Bickerman’s life before emigration in 1922. This work is filled in on the basis of archival documents The lacuna is especially annoying, since the Russian period had a formative significance for Bickerman’s work; it was to the years of his youth and apprenticeship in St. Petersburg that he owed the basis of his extensive intellectual foundation. The second objective of the book is to refute Baumgarten's theory, according to which, in Bickerman's famous book The God of the Maccabees, rigorous scientific analysis was replaced by personal emotions and ideological considerations rooted in the scientist's Russian origins. The book ends with a translation of one of Bickerman's articles and a bibliography of his works. The book describes the Russian period of the life of Elias Bickerman (1897-1981) who was among the greatest historians of the ancient period of his generation. In 2010 A. Baumgarten published a biography of Bickerman. However, Baumgarten did not know the Russian language and had no access to documents in the Russian archives, therefore, he neglects an important part of Bickerman's life – the period before he emigrated from Russia in 1922. This book, which draws on archival documents, aims to fill this lacuna. It is particularly valuable because the Russian period had an enormous importance for Bickerman’s scholarly work. It was his youth in St. Petersburg and his study at Petrograd University that laid the foundation stone for his intellectual development and thus was crucial for his future scholarly achievements. The second aim of the book is to challenge Baumgarten’s theory that in Bickerman’s famous book “The God of Maccabees” personal emotions and mental considerations, rooted in Bickerman’s Russian background, were substituted for rational historical analysis. The book includes the bibliography of Bickerman’s works and a translation of one of his articles.