Criticism and exegesis of sacred texts Books

Book SynopsisTrade Review"The Archaeology of Ancient Israelite Knowledge is a brilliant book, filled with insights and beautifully written, about the conceptual world of the Hebrew Bible."—Ronald Hendel, University of California, Berkeley"The Archaeology of Ancient Israelite Knowledge constitutes an important intervention in Hebrew Bible scholarship, but also in comparative literature and the study of ancient myth."—Austin Busch, State University of New York, Brockport"It is hard to think of any scholar I would rather read than Robert Kawashima. His work unfailingly reminds us of the way in which sustained and intelligent analysis can rearrange what we think we know. The present book synthesizes an extraordinary amount of learning and textual engagement in order to trace – with precision and rigor – the biblical "rupture in thought" which allowed for the emergence of the metaphysical dualism lying behind distinctions between God and world, mind and body, and myth and history. Really, this is a stunningly original work of scholarship with profound and far-reaching implications."—Tod Linafelt, Georgetown University"Kawashima invites us to consider the revolutionary conception of God in the Hebrew Bible by drawing insightful comparisons with Mesopotamian and Greek configurations. The Archaeology of Ancient Israelite Knowledge is a work of erudite and original scholarship."—Ilana Pardes, Author of The Song of Songs: A Biography"Many biblicists have compared ancient literatures to illuminate the Bible, but Robert Kawashima is arguably the main modern scholar to use the Hebrew Bible as a foundational text for comparative literature itself. From his groundbreaking first book, on how and why the Hebrew Bible presents the ancient Mediterranean's first extended works of imaginative prose, to regular publications in journals, he avoids simply applying preexisting interpretive techniques. Instead, his Archaeologyof Ancient Israelite Knowledge proposes a new kind of comparative history of ancient literature and, astonishingly, often succeeds."—Seth Sanders- University of California, Journal of ReligionTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsList of Abbreviations1. Introduction2. The Early History of "God"3. The House of God4. The Discovery of the Self in Israelite Literature5. Alienation and the Tragic Adventure of Biblical History6. From Autochton to Alien7. The Dawn of ApocalypticismBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"The Archaeology of Ancient Israelite Knowledge is a brilliant book, filled with insights and beautifully written, about the conceptual world of the Hebrew Bible."—Ronald Hendel, University of California, Berkeley"The Archaeology of Ancient Israelite Knowledge constitutes an important intervention in Hebrew Bible scholarship, but also in comparative literature and the study of ancient myth."—Austin Busch, State University of New York, Brockport"It is hard to think of any scholar I would rather read than Robert Kawashima. His work unfailingly reminds us of the way in which sustained and intelligent analysis can rearrange what we think we know. The present book synthesizes an extraordinary amount of learning and textual engagement in order to trace – with precision and rigor – the biblical "rupture in thought" which allowed for the emergence of the metaphysical dualism lying behind distinctions between God and world, mind and body, and myth and history. Really, this is a stunningly original work of scholarship with profound and far-reaching implications."—Tod Linafelt, Georgetown University"Kawashima invites us to consider the revolutionary conception of God in the Hebrew Bible by drawing insightful comparisons with Mesopotamian and Greek configurations. The Archaeology of Ancient Israelite Knowledge is a work of erudite and original scholarship."—Ilana Pardes, Author of The Song of Songs: A Biography"Many biblicists have compared ancient literatures to illuminate the Bible, but Robert Kawashima is arguably the main modern scholar to use the Hebrew Bible as a foundational text for comparative literature itself. From his groundbreaking first book, on how and why the Hebrew Bible presents the ancient Mediterranean's first extended works of imaginative prose, to regular publications in journals, he avoids simply applying preexisting interpretive techniques. Instead, his Archaeologyof Ancient Israelite Knowledge proposes a new kind of comparative history of ancient literature and, astonishingly, often succeeds."—Seth Sanders- University of California, Journal of ReligionTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsList of Abbreviations1. Introduction2. The Early History of "God"3. The House of God4. The Discovery of the Self in Israelite Literature5. Alienation and the Tragic Adventure of Biblical History6. From Autochton to Alien7. The Dawn of ApocalypticismBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisExamines speech, writing, and their interaction in the transmission of early Christian traditions, providing insights into Christian origins.Trade Review"A tightly argued and comprehensive treatment of an important area of New Testament studies." The Christian Century "By distinguishing oral from written modes of transmission, Kelber skillfully unlocks new doors for biblical interpretation." Theology TodayTable of ContentsAbbreviationsForeword by Walter J. Ong, S.J.PrefaceIntroduction1. The Pre-Canonical Synoptic Transmission2. Mark's Oral Legacy3. Mark as Textuality4. Orality and Textuality in Paul5. Death and Life in the Word of GodBibliographyIndex of PassagesIndex of Authors

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Book SynopsisA reader on the 2,000-year-old debate about the meaning of the story of Adam and Eve.Trade Review[A] unique collection of texts on the theme of Adam and Eve from the perspective of gender relations.Ju;ly 2002 * Religious Studies Review *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsGeneral Introduction1. Hebrew Bible Accounts 2. Jewish Postbiblical Interpretations (200s BCE-200 CE)3. Rabbinic Interpretations (200-600s CE)4. Early Christian Interpretations (50-450 CE) New Testament (c. 50-150 CE) Extracanonical Sources Church Fathers5. Medieval Readings: Muslim, Jewish, and Christian (600-1500 CE) Islam The Qur'an (c. 610-632) Muslim Interpretations Judaism Midrashic Themes Christianity6. Interpretations from the Protestant Reformation (1517-1700 CE)7. Societal Applications in the United States (1800s CE) Antebellum Debates on Household Hierarchies Women Make the Case for Equality New Religious Movements on Gender Relations8. Twentieth Century Readings: The Debates Continue Hierarchical Interpretations Egalitarian InterpretationsAppendix: The Preadamite Theory and the Christian Identity Movement: Race and Genesis 1-3 at the Turn of the MillenniumIndex

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Book SynopsisIllumines the power of the unspoken in a variety of texts from the Pentateuch, the Prophets, and the Writings. This work argues that reading with irony in mind creates a charged and open rhetorical space in the texts that allows character, narration, and authorial voice to develop in unexpected ways.Trade ReviewCarolyn J. Sharp suggests that many stories in the Hebrew Scriptures may be ironically intended. Interweaving literary theory and exegesis, Sharp argues that reading with irony in mind creates a charged and open rhetorical space in the texts that allows character, narration, and authorial voice to develop in unexpected ways. Main themes explored here include the ironizing of foreign rulers, the prostitute as icon of the ironic gaze, indeterminacy and dramatic irony in prophetic performance, and irony in ancient Israel's wisdom traditions. Sharp devotes special attention to how irony destabilizes dominant ways in which the Bible is read today, especially when it touches on questions of conflict, gender, and the Other. * Shofar *Author Carolyn J. Sharp, an associate professor of Hebrew Scriptures at Yale Divinity School, suggests that many stories in the Hebrew Scriptures may be ironically intended. In her new IU Press book, Irony and Meaning in the Hebrew Bible, she deftly interweaves literary theory and exegesis, while illuminating the power of the unspoken in a wide variety of texts from the Pentateuch, the Prophets and the Writings. She argues that reading with irony in mind creates a charged and open rhetorical space in the texts that allows character, narration and authorial voice to develop in unexpected ways. Main themes explored include the ironizing of foreign rulers, the prostitute as an icon of the ironic gaze, indeterminacy and dramatic irony in prophetic performance, and irony in ancient Israel's wisdom traditions. Sharp focuses on how irony destabilizes dominant ways in which the Bible is read today, especially when it touches on questions of conflict, gender and the Other. She is also the author of Prophecy and Ideology in Jeremiah: Struggles for Authority in the Deutero-Jeremianic Prose and Old Testament Prophets for Today. -- Steve Hinnefeld * IU News Room, Book Marks *'Universes hang in the balance with every act of reading an ironic sacred text'—this first line of the first chapter is the book's 'White Rabbit,' which instantly seduces the reader to follow the author into a newly-charted wonderland of biblical rhetoric. Highly recommended . . . .Sept./Oct. 2009 -- Dr. Yaffa Weisman * Hebrew Union College, Los Angeles, CA *[This book] offers a fascinating exploration of the the presence and the power of irony in the Hebrew bible.Summer 2009 -- Tony Cartledge * Campbell University Divinity School *Table of ContentsContentsPreface and AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Interpreting Irony: Rhetorical, Hermeneutical, and Theological Possibilities Irony and Contemporary Methodological Debates Method: Multiaxial Cartography Leaving the Garden: The Wisdom of Irony2. Foreign Rulers and the Fear of God Pharaoh and Abimelech as Innocents Ensnared "Am I in the Place of God?": Joseph the Pretender Belshazzar, Darius, and Hermeneutical Risk-Taking The Ending of Esther and Narratological Excess3. The Prostitute as Icon of the Ironic Gaze Tamar the Righteous Rahab the Clever Jael the Bold Gomer the Beloved Ruth the Loyal4. The Irony of Prophetic Performance Oracular Indeterminacy and Dramatic Irony in the Story of Balaam Hermeneutics of De(con)struction: Amos as Samson Redivivus Contested Hermeneutics and the Undecidability of Micah 2:12–13 Irony as Emetic: Parody in the Book of Jonah5. "How Long Will You Love Being Simple?" Irony in Wisdom Traditions Ironic Representation, Authorial Voice, and Meaning in Qohelet Rereading Desire as Doublespeak in Psalm 736. Conclusion Irony and Scriptural Signifying Leaving the Garden Again: New BeginningsNotesBibliographyIndex of Biblical PassagesAuthor IndexSubject Index

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Book SynopsisExplores the religious beliefs and devotional practices of laypeople in medieval Europe and grapples with some of the most difficult issues in medieval history: the nature of popular devotion, the role of religion in civic life, religious attitudes and practices, and the relationship between the intersecting spheres of lay and clerical culture.Trade Review"The translation is on the whole elegant, capturing Vauchez's own luminous prose with considerable grace. . . . The Laity in the Middle Ages is an invaluable witness to the work of the scholar who has done so much to awaken us to complexities of the religious experience of the laity in the Middle Ages." -- The Catholic Historical Review

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Book SynopsisBoyle examines influential readings on the Bible as literature—notably Herder, Schleiermacher, Hegel and Levinas—and then applies them to literary writings.Trade Review"Written with lucidity, vigor, and authority, Nicholas Boyle's 'Catholic Approach' is genuinely and generously catholic in spirit. Taking literature to be the site of theology where sacred and secular meet, Boyle examines influential readings on the Bible as literature—notably Herder, Schleiermacher, Hegel and Levinas—and then applies to literary writings—from Pascal, Goethe, Melville, and Austen to Tolkien—critical principles derived from theology. Boyle's reassessments of these major works challenge Catholics and non-Catholics alike to rethink their assumptions about the Bible and literature." —Theodore Ziolkowski, Princeton University"I have read Nicholas Boyle's book with immense satisfaction and, I hope, much profit as a reader and teacher of literature. The first part of it is a conspectus of the relevant field, a survey —responsive, responsible, and critical—of the major figures. The issue is the reading of the Bible and the reading of secular literature in the shadow (or under the auspices) of the Bible. The major figures are Herder, Schliermacher, Hegel, Hans Frei, Paul Ricoeur, Hans-Georg Gadamer, and Emmanuel Levinas. Boyle's commentaries are judicious: he holds his own without brow-beating his subjects. In the second part of the book he offers readings of Pascal's Pensees, Goethe's Faust. Melville's Moby-Dick and The Encantadas, Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, Rupert Brooke's "The Soldier," Ian McEwan's Atonement, and J.R.R.Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. The readings are conducted under the beliefs that 'Jesus is what the Law means' and that literature is language freed of purpose and need. Boyle is an acute reader, persuasive but not insistent. The only question he leaves urbanely open is: to read as sensitively as this, does one need to be a Roman Catholic? Or is it enough to be, as Boyle is, remarkably intelligent and just? Boyle wants to keep the discussion going: he never bangs the door or tells agnostics to stay out." —Denis Donoghue, New York University"Nicholas Boyle, professor of German literary and intellectual history at Cambridge University, has written a remarkable book. . . Boyle's distinctive proposal is that the site of theology. . . is occupied by both sacred and secular scriptures. Thus his book explores, in a creative and stimulating way, both the distinction and overlap between these scriptures. In doing so he elaborates a Catholic hermeneutical approach to literature. . . fine study. . . ." —Worship"This is a slow read but worth the effort, full of insights." —Mennonite". . . this work. . . demonstrate[s] the finer things that literary criticism can achieve when it seeks something of the divine in a body of writing. . . ." —First Things"This book is a welcome contribution. . . ." —Choice"Nicholas Boyle, a professor of German language and literature at Cambridge University, may not be a familiar name in North American intellectual circles, but he should be. Sacred and Secular Scriptures is a hugely ambitious work, but it never comes across as strained or overreaching. [T]he rewards of reading the book as a whole are plentiful, and Boyle's exquisite prose style and habit of pausing occasionally to summarize make even the most clotted stretches of Germanic thought clear. As a storyteller he never lets the reader forget how much has been at stake, theologically and culturally, in the struggle to understand the meaning and authority of Scripture. . . . his own synthesis is masterful." —Commonweal

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Book SynopsisBenedict XVI's writing as priest-professor, bishop, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and now pope has shaped Catholic theological thought in the twentieth century. In Explorations in the Theology of Benedict XVI, a multidisciplinary group of scholars treat the full scope of Benedict's theological oeuvre, including the Augustinian context of his thought; his ecclesiology; his theologically grounded approach to biblical exegesis and Christology; his unfolding of a theology of history and culture; his liturgical and sacramental theology; his theological analysis of political and economic developments; his use of the natural law in ethics and conscience; his commitment to a form of interreligious dialogue from a place of particularity; and his function as a public, catechetical theologian.Trade Review"This collection of essays on the theology of Benedict XVI offers a new apologetics founded ‘not so much on the desire to outdo one’s opponent in dialectical victory but to allow the Love in which the original Word was spoken . . . to make its own case, its own apologia, in the hearts of those who hear.’ It is, in short, an excellent presentation of what Benedict XVI means when he says that ‘love and reason are the twin pillars of all reality.' The essays sympathetically uncover the pontiff’s theological foundation stones." —Tracey Rowland, John Paul II Institute, Melbourne, Australia"If you're looking for a synoptic view of Benedict XVI's theological achievement, this is by a long way the best thing on offer in English. Each of the essays provides a detailed engagement with a central theme in Benedict's theology, treated not merely in isolation but also in terms of its relations to the whole. The result is a profound depiction of the range, scope, and integrated nature of Benedict's theology. This is a volume that honors the thinker it treats by taking him seriously not only as pope, but also as a theologian." —Paul J. Griffiths, Duke Divinity School"This is quite simply the best exploration of Pope Benedict's theology available in English. Some of these essays dig deep into the younger Ratzinger's Augustinian soil and reveal to us the roots of Benedict's papal teaching. Others trace the lines of growth from those roots out to his striking papal encyclicals, and to the apologetics of love that grounds his vision of the Church's task. The fruitfulness of the collection is perhaps most evident in the way that the authors do not simply repeat, but think with and in the light of Benedict’s theology. Above all, this collection displays Benedict’s theology as a personal, living faith and a reasoned faith, as a theology of divine and human love that invites humanity into faith’s re-imagining of human existence." —Lewis Ayres, Durham University"Shunning simplistic varieties of both caricature and adulation, these essays provide an appreciative but rigorous engagement with the breadth and depth of Benedict’s theology. The result is not merely a collection of summaries of different texts and themes but rather a convincing portrait of the vitality, integrity, and fecundity of Benedict’s theological vision and its prophetic witness to the evangelical message of God’s unfathomable love." —Khaled Anatolios, Boston College School Of Theology and Ministry“In this collection the theology behind the writings of Benedict XVI is examined by a group of scholars from a variety of different backgrounds. They reflect on his Augustine thought context, his ecclesiology, his Christology, his liturgical and sacramental theology, and more.” —U.S. Catholic.org“Explorations in the Theology of Benedict XVI explores the religious writing of the depart[ed] pope, detailing his studies into scripture and the writings of the countless monks before him. . . . A core addition to any Catholic theological discussion, highly recommended.” —Library Bookwatch“This festchrift is crafted out of love, and stands as an excellent synthesis of Benedict’s thoughts concerning the power of Advent, love and truth, and God’s love for humanity. . . . It is highly recommended for advanced students of theology, and institutions with collections dedicated to Ecclesiology, Ecumenism, Moral Theology, and Papal History.” —Catholic Library World“Certainly achieving [the contributors'] goal to appreciate and ‘to honor [Benedict XVI], as theologians,’ the essays contained therein provide much fodder for theological background and discussion around key themes of Benedict XVI’s writings as pope, especially his encyclicals, and on his writing prior to his election as he engaged currents of cultural thought more directly.” —Journal for Peace and Justice Studies“This volume stems from a conference held at the University of Notre Dame to honor Pope Benedict XVI’s 85th birthday in April 2012. . . . Most readers will learn many things from this book, which examines so many facets of Joseph Ratzinger’s writings. . . . Readers of this journal will be especially interested in a text that Beretta cites to illustrate the divine gratuitousness that always precedes the gratuity of human work and gifts.” —Cistercian Studies Quarterly“This volume is a truly beautiful and deep look at the theological work of one of the Church’s greatest living theologians. [It] is thorough and reflects the breadth of its subject.” —The Thomist

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Book SynopsisBenedict XVI's writing as priest-professor, bishop, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and now pope has shaped Catholic theological thought in the twentieth century. In Explorations in the Theology of Benedict XVI, a multidisciplinary group of scholars treat the full scope of Benedict's theological oeuvre, including the Augustinian context of his thought; his ecclesiology; his theologically grounded approach to biblical exegesis and Christology; his unfolding of a theology of history and culture; his liturgical and sacramental theology; his theological analysis of political and economic developments; his use of the natural law in ethics and conscience; his commitment to a form of interreligious dialogue from a place of particularity; and his function as a public, catechetical theologian.Trade Review"This collection of essays on the theology of Benedict XVI offers a new apologetics founded ‘not so much on the desire to outdo one’s opponent in dialectical victory but to allow the Love in which the original Word was spoken . . . to make its own case, its own apologia, in the hearts of those who hear.’ It is, in short, an excellent presentation of what Benedict XVI means when he says that ‘love and reason are the twin pillars of all reality.' The essays sympathetically uncover the pontiff’s theological foundation stones." —Tracey Rowland, John Paul II Institute, Melbourne, Australia"If you're looking for a synoptic view of Benedict XVI's theological achievement, this is by a long way the best thing on offer in English. Each of the essays provides a detailed engagement with a central theme in Benedict's theology, treated not merely in isolation but also in terms of its relations to the whole. The result is a profound depiction of the range, scope, and integrated nature of Benedict's theology. This is a volume that honors the thinker it treats by taking him seriously not only as pope, but also as a theologian." —Paul J. Griffiths, Duke Divinity School"This is quite simply the best exploration of Pope Benedict's theology available in English. Some of these essays dig deep into the younger Ratzinger's Augustinian soil and reveal to us the roots of Benedict's papal teaching. Others trace the lines of growth from those roots out to his striking papal encyclicals, and to the apologetics of love that grounds his vision of the Church's task. The fruitfulness of the collection is perhaps most evident in the way that the authors do not simply repeat, but think with and in the light of Benedict’s theology. Above all, this collection displays Benedict’s theology as a personal, living faith and a reasoned faith, as a theology of divine and human love that invites humanity into faith’s re-imagining of human existence." —Lewis Ayres, Durham University"Shunning simplistic varieties of both caricature and adulation, these essays provide an appreciative but rigorous engagement with the breadth and depth of Benedict’s theology. The result is not merely a collection of summaries of different texts and themes but rather a convincing portrait of the vitality, integrity, and fecundity of Benedict’s theological vision and its prophetic witness to the evangelical message of God’s unfathomable love." —Khaled Anatolios, Boston College School Of Theology and Ministry“In this collection the theology behind the writings of Benedict XVI is examined by a group of scholars from a variety of different backgrounds. They reflect on his Augustine thought context, his ecclesiology, his Christology, his liturgical and sacramental theology, and more.” —U.S. Catholic.org“Explorations in the Theology of Benedict XVI explores the religious writing of the depart[ed] pope, detailing his studies into scripture and the writings of the countless monks before him. . . . A core addition to any Catholic theological discussion, highly recommended.” —Library Bookwatch“This festchrift is crafted out of love, and stands as an excellent synthesis of Benedict’s thoughts concerning the power of Advent, love and truth, and God’s love for humanity. . . . It is highly recommended for advanced students of theology, and institutions with collections dedicated to Ecclesiology, Ecumenism, Moral Theology, and Papal History.” —Catholic Library World“Certainly achieving [the contributors'] goal to appreciate and ‘to honor [Benedict XVI], as theologians,’ the essays contained therein provide much fodder for theological background and discussion around key themes of Benedict XVI’s writings as pope, especially his encyclicals, and on his writing prior to his election as he engaged currents of cultural thought more directly.” —Journal for Peace and Justice Studies“This volume stems from a conference held at the University of Notre Dame to honor Pope Benedict XVI’s 85th birthday in April 2012. . . . Most readers will learn many things from this book, which examines so many facets of Joseph Ratzinger’s writings. . . . Readers of this journal will be especially interested in a text that Beretta cites to illustrate the divine gratuitousness that always precedes the gratuity of human work and gifts.” —Cistercian Studies Quarterly“This volume is a truly beautiful and deep look at the theological work of one of the Church’s greatest living theologians. [It] is thorough and reflects the breadth of its subject.” —The Thomist

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Book SynopsisThe interpretation of Scripture has depended largely on the view of history held by theologians and exegetes. In Participatory Biblical Exegesis, Matthew Levering examines the changing views of history that distinguish patristic and medieval biblical exegesis from modern historical-critical exegesis.Levering argues for a delicate interpretive balance, in which history is understood both as a process that participates in God's creative and redemptive presence and as a set of linear moments. He identifies a split between theological and historical interpretations of scripture beginning in the high Middle Ages, considerably earlier than the emergence of historical-critical methods in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Instead, he offers a vision of Scripture that is rooted in the exegetical practice of St. Thomas Aquinas and his sources but embraces historical-critical research as well.Participatory Biblical Exegesis provides an original theological bTrade Review"Here one of the most prolific young Catholic theologians offers a stimulating diagnosis of what's missing from contemporary perspectives on biblical interpretation. Levering's focus on properly understanding the nature of 'history' can reorient not only Catholic interpreters but also other traditions, without denying the legitimate value of critical scholarship. His nuanced recovery of the church's classic wisdom abounds with theological richness and spiritual encouragement." —Daniel J. Treier, Wheaton College“Levering compellingly argues for the legitimacy of a type of biblical interpretation once prevalent among the Fathers of the Church and medieval theologians, one that includes a participatory encounter with the divine. . . . Written from a Roman Catholic perspective, the volume will appeal to anyone interested in biblical interpretation. While directed toward scholars, the *book is nonetheless accessible to the intelligent lay reader.” —Library Journal“Levering has written an engaging and fair-minded intellectual history which aims to return modern biblical interpretation to its philosophical and theological source in the practice of the Church Fathers and medieval interpreters. . . . Levering is to be credited, however, with advancing a Catholic approach to Scripture within the broadly ecumenical context of the ongoing public theology debate.” —Letter and Spirit“New methods in biblical interpretation have become something of a staple in the theological diet over the past decade, but the subject is so vast that a different angle is always possible, and Matthew Levering offers us just that. In this book, he explores the thesis that the interpretation of Scripture followed a particular path of development up to the late thirteenth century, when it suddenly diverged into something much more academic and distant from the life of the church.” —Themelios“[Levering] is keen to promote a reunion of premodern exegesis with historical criticism, and to do so without denying the important gains of historical criticism.” —The Catholic Biblical Quarterly“Interest in the patristic and medieval traditions of biblical interpretation has been growing in the last decade, in both Protestant and Catholic circles. Levering’s book is a sophisticated and detailed contribution to the approach.” —Theological Studies“Levering . . . contends that Christian biblical exegesis, in accord with the Christian and biblical understanding of reality, should envision history not only as a linear unfolding of individual moments but also as an ongoing participation in God’s active providence, both metaphysically and christologically-pneumatologically” —New Testament Abstracts“Participatory Biblical Exegesis stands out from the ever-growing mass of books on bibliography by offering a cogent pathology of contemporary biblical exegesis, which manages to free itself from the quagmire of hermeneutical theory. Yet it goes beyond the task of diagnosis and, by appealing to Aquinas, illustrates the way exegesis can be done, and indeed has been done, when unencumbered by the conventions of contemporary hermeneutics which have in large part been underwritten by a linear-historical view of reality.” —European Journal of Theology“In this lengthy monograph that consists of five solid chapters, Levering examines and integrates works of contemporary as well as ancient exegetes, philosophers, theologians, and historians in order to offer an original theological basis for critical and biblical interpretation. The basic argument of the book is that biblical exegesis must involve an understanding of historical reality, which is ongoing in the life of the Church and its people.” —Catholic Library World“At core, this is Levering’s notion of the participatory framework: we interpret out of the broader notion of God’s participation in human history, including God’s involvement in biblical revelation. . . . While this text is firmly written from the Roman Catholic perspective, its insights are well documented and have definite application to Protestant exegesis. It is well worth including in our broader dialogue of interpretation.” —Interpretation

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Book SynopsisStandard accounts of the history of interpretation of Paul's Letter to the Romans often begin with St. Augustine. As Thomas P. Scheck demonstrates, however, the Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 CE) was a major work of Pauline exegesis which, by means of the Latin translation preserved in the West, had a significant influence on the Christian exegetical tradition. Scheck begins by exploring Origen's views on justification and on the intimate connection of faith and post-baptismal good works as essential to justification. He traces the enormous influence Origen's Commentary on Romans had on later theologians in the Latin West, including the ways in which theologians often appropriated Origen's exegesis in their own work. Scheck analyzes in particular the reception of Origen by Pelagius, Augustine, William of St. Thierry, Erasmus, Cornelius Jansen, the Anglican Bishop Richard Montagu, and the Catholic lay apologist John Heigham, as Trade Review“Scheck's book renders a valuable service in drawing attention to the recent recovery of Origen's exegetical legacy and highlighting the longevity of certain of his ideas, particularly the notion that justification stands in synecdoche for the life of grace-infused virtue. This is a real contribution, and not to be lightly overlooked.” —Journal of Theological Studies“The study investigates Origen’s understanding of justification in Paul’s Letter to the Romans, and the subsequent reception of that understanding in Latin Christian tradition. …this book will be of interest mostly to scholars of patristic exegesis and historians of Christian doctrine and biblical interpretation.” —Journal of Early Christian Studies“. . . this book . . . deserves to be described as a work of mature scholarship. It focuses on Origen’s interpretation of what St. Paul said about justification in his Letter to the Romans. . . . Scheck has convincingly shown that Origen’s exegesis of Romans and his interpretation of Paul on justification are well worth the attention of scholars and serious students engaged in those disciplines.” —Religious Studies Review“In the lively and sometimes rancorous debate over justification that has rippled throughout the Christian world, all roads, it seems, lead back to the sixteenth century. . . . Thomas Scheck’s book makes the case that all who think this conversation matters must travel much further back in the Christian story. Indeed, he argues that Origen’s Commentary on Romans has influenced Christian thought on justification into the 16th-century Reformation and beyond. Further, the third-century Alexandrian’s readings of Romans were both close to Paul and remarkably relevant to 21st-century discussions.” —The Conrad Grebel Review“Scheck has given us a highly readable and insightful introduction to Origen’s Commentary on Romans, its historical reception, and the major theological positions that have drawn from its pages and for which, remarkably, it continues to be a valuable, and perhaps ultimately indispensable, reference text.” —Erasmus of Rotterdam Society Yearbook“This book . . . is a welcome contribution to the history of Origen’s influence on the interpretation of the New Testament. . . . This book certainly deserves to be studied by historians, Biblical scholars, and systematic theologians . . . a valuable contribution to the study of the history of Biblical exegesis.” —Vigilae Christianae“According to Alister McGrath in . . . Justitia Dei: A History of the Christian Doctrine of Justification, justification was simply not an issue in pre-Augustinian patristic thought. Thomas Scheck decisively refutes and corrects that claim in this new monograph, which not only tracks the legacy of Origen’s commentary on Romans in the West but argues convincingly that already with Origen there was a lively debate about the very issues of law, righteousness, faith, works, freedom, and merit that so exercised Augustine, Pelagius, and their later commentators.” —Augustinian Studies“[T]his book is to be applauded for its boldness. . . . Second, this book provides a service for scholars by assembling such a significant portion of the essential primary evidence for the crucial issue of justification into one volume. Third, while not discussed in detail in the foregoing, this book is written in a style that is at once clear, concise and accessible.” —Augustiniana“This is a marvelous book. The standard wisdom when it comes to the doctrine of justification by faith has been that the writers of the early church fell short of its primary meaning: which was Paul’s true intention. . . . Thomas Scheck challenges this construction by looking carefully at how Rufinus’ Latin version of Origen’s Commentary on the Romans was received and interpreted by Augustine, Erasmus, Luther, and several writers from the post-reformation in the seventeenth century.” —Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology

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Book SynopsisTheologians today are facing a crisis of identity. Are they members of the academy or the church? Is it still possible to be members of both? In God and the Teaching of Theology, Steven Harris argues a way through the impasse by encompassing both church and academy within the umbrella of the divine economy. To accomplish this, Harris uses St. Paul's description of this economy in the opening chapters of his first letter to the Corinthians.Through Paul's discussion of wisdom, the Spirit, and the apostles' role in sharing that divine wisdom, theologians of the patristic, medieval, and Reformation eras found a description of their own work as educators; they discovered that they too had roles within the same divine economy.This book thus offers a rich description of the teaching of theology as part of God's own divine pedagogy, stretching from God the teacher himself, through the nature of students and teachers of theology, to the goal of this pedagogy: human salvaTrade Review“The book is a work of genius both in conception and execution. Steven Harris’s idea of canvassing a large number of commentaries on 1 Corinthians 1–4 from the earliest patristic period through the Reformation era shows how deeply insightful these commentators were; he weaves them together skillfully. . . . Harris understands deeply both the biblical text and the theological issues involved, and his judgments—both theological and historical—are sage and balanced. The level of scholarship here is high indeed, and this kind of ecumenical reception history on a crucial theological topic is much needed.” —Matthew Levering, James N. and Mary D. Perry, Jr. Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary"Harris’s book on God’s pedagogy and its human mediators within the church is a treasure to be gratefully received and shared. This rich exploration into the history of interpretation demonstrates the power of the volume’s thesis: God redemptively teaches divine truth in Christ through the faithful and humble teachers he gives us. In this case, Harris’s synoptic and ordered study of past readers of 1 Corinthians 1–4 yields, not a scholarly archive, but a vivid disclosure of divine wisdom’s formation of the Christian people. The result is a profound meditation, ecumenical in spirit, on theological learning and teaching that is incisively relevant to our own time. A remarkable achievement." —Ephraim Radner, Wycliffe College, University of Toronto"Theology is too important to be understood as an object of study to be prodded at by experts; its true, abiding nature as doctrine, that is, teaching, needs to be recognized, and that within an optimal context of teachers modeling lives under transformation. What we get from this refreshing and stimulating book is not just how God was understood in 1 Corinthians 1–4 but how human biblical science as part of a living and faithful tradition gave access to divine wisdom. A crystal clear thesis is accompanied by beautifully readable prose drawing on the length, breadth, and depth of Christian scriptural interpretation." —Mark Elliott, University of Glasgow"John Conley’s beautifully written and cogently presented study, The Other Pascals, ambitiously and sensitively inscribes these gendered female theologians into their appropriate and well-earned historical, cultural, and religious context. In so doing, Conley adds immeasurably to our understandings of the history, philosophy, and theology of the seventeenth century." —Catharine Randall, Dartmouth College"Harris writes in a Spirit-infused manner that brings conviction to theologians that their work is God’s work and that it is for others." —Religious Studies ReviewTable of ContentsAbbreviations Acknowledgments Introduction. Theologians in God’s Plan God the Teacher of His Wisdom The Divine Pedagogy in History Wisdom, Divine and Human The Students of the Divine Wisdom The Position and Authority of God’s Teachers The Method and Judgment of God’s Teachers The End of the Divine Pedagogy Conclusion. Knowing God Appendix. Chronological Table of Commentators Bibliography

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Book SynopsisExamines Milton’s identification with characters in Jesus’s parables. Connects Milton’s engagement with the parables to his self-representation throughout his poetry and prose.Trade Review“Urban’s book makes a valuable contribution to an understanding of the parables—of Milton’s use of them—as well as to a comprehension of a significant aspect of the Renaissance and the Reformation.”—Jonathan Locke Hart Renaissance and Reformation“A significant addition to Milton scholarship in its own right, the book’s detailed endnotes provide a working critical compendium of major studies of Milton over at least the last half-century, up to and including very recent publications. There is not a significant controversy over Milton’s work that David Urban is unwilling to engage, and he does so with judicious fair-mindedness even to scholars with whom he finds himself disagreeing.”—William Shullenberger Review of English Studies“Shrewdly engaging Milton criticism, both new and old, and fastidiously taking stock of Milton’s major works, early and late, Urban proves himself a faithful steward as well here. Subsequent studies on Milton’s debt to the parables will have to track through Urban’s house.”—Bryan Adams Hampton The Seventeenth Century“Urban’s chapters on the sonnets (especially 7 and 19) and the early poems, as well as his discussion of The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce and De Doctrina Christiana, make a persuasive case for Milton’s reliance on Jesus’s parables as means of ethical self-conception.”—Ryan Netzley SEL: Studies in English Literature“While Urban leaves more work to be done with Milton and parables, this book usefully extends the range of future conversations on that topic. I very much recommend it and urge readers to be sure to read all the notes.”—David Ainsworth Ben Jonson Journal“In this highly readable book, Urban offers a sharp focus on the relationship of the personal and the poetic by arguing that, over the course of his life, Milton found deep connections between his own concerns and four of Jesus’s parables from the book of Matthew.”—Elizabeth Skerpan-Wheeler Renaissance Quarterly“Perhaps Urban’s most evident strength is his extensive engagement with earlier scholarship and controversies within Milton studies, a prowess surely due at least in part to his role as cocompiler and coeditor of John Milton: An Annotated Bibliography, 1989–1999. With respect to the variety and extensiveness of the notes, Urban is a Miltonist’s Miltonist.”—Joshua R. Held Modern Philology“In seeing Milton through the spectacles of the parables and in projecting that vision into his dramatic and poetic works, Urban sheds light on Milton’s meta-narrative of the self, which is at once artistic, theological and existential. Miltonists and readers of Christianity and Literature may welcome Milton and the Parables of Jesus as a major contribution to the study of Milton’s hermeneutic of the Bible and of self.”—Filippo Falcone Christianity and Literature“Milton and the Parables of Jesus offers the most comprehensive critical discussion of Milton’s engagement with biblical parables and consequently provides a potential model for other studies of early modern engagement with biblical parables. . . . Urban’s study introduces a consistent clarity to the topic of early modern parabolic reading that results in a wide range of insights regarding each of Milton’s major poetic works.”—Phillip J. Donnelley Religion and LiteratureTable of ContentsContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Milton’s Hermeneutic of Parables, Milton’s Parabolic ImaginationPart 1: The Parable of the Talents and the Parable of the Laborers1. The Talented Mr. Milton: A Parabolic Laborer and His Identity2. Samson’s Late Call: Parabolic Tension and Resolution in Samson Agonistes3. Abdiel and the Son: Milton’s Ideal Relationship with the Two Parables in Paradise Lost and Paradise RegainedPart 2: The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins4. A “Virgin Wise and Pure”: Parabolic Self-Reference in Sonnet 95. The Wise Virgin in Action: The Lady of A Mask6. Wise Virginity Lost in Paradise Lost7. Perfect and Recovered Virginity in Paradise Regained and Samsom AgonistesPart 3: The Parable of the Householder8. “Out of His Treasury Things New and Old”: The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce and De Doctrina Christiana9. Milton’s Epic Narrators and the Son and Mary in Paradise Regained10. Internal and External Scripture in Samson AgonistesNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisA new release, covering the Books of Samuel, in this major series of guides to the books of the Old Testament, written in an accessible and anecdotal style. The series is suitable for personal or group use and the format is also appropriate for daily study.

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Book SynopsisThe guides in this series by Tom Wright can be used on their own or alongside his New Testament for Everyone commentaries. They are designed to help you understand the Bible in fresh ways under the guidance of one of the world's leading New Testament scholars.

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Book SynopsisDiscovering Revelation is a comprehensive, up-to-date introduction to Revelation that offers commentary on structure, content and interpretation that is ideal for students of theology.

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Book SynopsisThe first volume in a major new series, Old Testament Origins and the Question of God, The Old Testament and God offers a fresh examination of the Old Testament against its historical background.Trade Review‘Within the sometimes bewildering world of Old Testament scholarship, with its modern and postmodern presuppositions, Craig Bartholomew charts a new way forward, one that takes fully seriously the historical, literary and theological dimensions of the Old Testament, and above all takes the God of the Old Testament fully seriously as one who acts and reveals. For anyone who finds the Old Testament irrepressibly fascinating, this will be an exciting as well as a learned and coherently argued book.’ * Richard Bauckham, Emeritus Professor of New Testament Studies, University of St Andrews, Scotland *‘In this far-reaching and ambitious work, Bartholomew compellingly contends for an audacious notion: the Old Testament needs God and, above all else, enacts deific truth. This claim stands in sharp contrast with modernity reinforced by its tacit atheism and sardonic rejection of the supernatural. Consequently, the most central aspect of the Scriptures is absent in most post-Enlightenment biblical criticism. The Old Testament and God models an alternative, post-critical approach that is both overtly theistic and particularly Christian.’ * H. H. Hardy II, Associate Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary *‘In this introductory volume, Bartholomew makes an impressive start to a project that seeks to do for the Old Testament what N. T. Wright has done for the New Testament. A great strength of his approach is an in-depth philosophical and methodological awareness. This enables him to provide a sharp critical evaluation of a number of traditional scholarly views. His careful attention to the historical, literary and theological dimensions of the Old Testament sheds new light on many disputed issues, as well as illuminating the rich Old Testament portrayal of the living God.’ * Philip Jenson, Teaching Associate in Old Testament, Ridley Hall, Cambridge *‘Only Craig Bartholomew could have written this book! The range of interlocutors is vast; Old Testament scholars mingle with philosophers, literary theorists and historians of the Ancient Near East, and Bartholomew’s immensely creative and constructive mind orchestrates a powerful symphony by means of a running commentary upon the scholarship. At the heart of the matter is the possibility – indeed the firm conviction – that the living God has revealed himself to Israel. A joy to read, this book should fund a new and multifaceted conversation grounded in the question of God.’ * Matthew Levering, James N. Perry Jr and Mary D. Perry Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary *‘Craig Bartholomew brings his wide knowledge and insight to the question of God in the Old Testament. His training and sensibilities as both an Old Testament scholar and a philosopher are on full display here. This book, the first of four, is a big book in the best sense of the term. He considers the most important questions and utilizes the best approaches to study of the Old Testament. In my opinion, Bartholomew sets the study of God in the Old Testament on its proper foundation, which makes this essential reading for all scholars and serious students alike.’ * Tremper Longman III, Distinguished Scholar and Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies, Westmont College *‘Who but Craig Bartholomew could have imagined this book, much less actually written it? In The Old Testament and God, he takes the reader on an exhilarating quest to answer the biggest question not only in biblical studies, but in our lives: the question of God. Along the way, Craig introduces us to a vast array of voices, from philosophers and historians to narrative critics and specialists in the Ancient Near East. The end result is part manifesto, part invitation. The Old Testament and God is sure to guide and inspire students and scholars alike.’ * Michael J. Rhodes, Lecturer in Old Testament, Carey Baptist College, Auckland, New Zealand *‘This opus breathes intelligence, learning and creativity as it frames what it means – and could mean – to study the Old Testament. True to form, Bartholomew assesses the academy critically, with breadth of vision and philosophical rigour. He methodically advances a theological vision of the Old Testament that takes as fundamental its kerygmatic force. Faith and theology inform Bartholomew’s work as resources rather than obstacles, while he rightly pleads for genuine pluralism in the academy. Although it will be possible to interrogate Bartholomew’s argument, it will be impossible to ignore it. This volume exhibits the characteristics of a classic.’ * Heath A. Thomas, President and Professor of Old Testament, Oklahoma Baptist University *‘Many of us were apprenticed into the guild of Old Testament scholarship under the paradigm of alleged academic "objectivity" in which "God" could not be the subject of a sentence that presumed his living reality and power, other than as a fictive character in the narrative. Craig Bartholomew challenges that paradigm in a way that enables an encounter with the living scriptures to be an authentic encounter with the voice of the living God.’ * Chris Wright, Global Ambassador and Ministry Director, Langham Partnership *

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Book SynopsisDiscovering Isaiah is a comprehensive, up-to-date introduction to the Old Testament book of Isaiah, offering commentary on structure, content and interpretation that is ideal for students of theology.

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Book SynopsisAn introduction to the Bible, requiring no previous knowledge and written to be easily accessible.Trade ReviewA wonderful book, full of wisdom and wit, that will really help you discover the impact the Bible can have on our your life * Mark Russell, CEO, Church Army *Thoroughly original and inspiring * The Right Reverend James Jones KBE *

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Book SynopsisIn-depth studies on the Jesus and the Gospels by the most influential New Testament interpreter of our time.Trade ReviewThe world's leading New Testament scholar. * Newsweek *One of the great theologians of our time. * Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks *Again and again, he manages to bring his colossal intelligence and immense scholarship together in an extraordinarily accessible manner. * Church Times *

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Book SynopsisIn-depth studies on Paul and his letters by the most influential New Testament interpreter of our time.Trade ReviewThe world's leading New Testament scholar. * Newsweek *One of the great theologians of our time. * Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks *Again and again, he manages to bring his colossal intelligence and immense scholarship together in an extraordinarily accessible manner. * Church Times *

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Book SynopsisThis comprehensive chapter-by-chapter study guide to John Lennox's richly detailed account of the life and times of Abraham adds depth to our understanding of this pivotal figure in God's plan of salvation.

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Book SynopsisLaced with brilliant insights, broad in its view of the interaction of culture and theology, this book gives new resonance to old and important questions about the meaning of the Bible.

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Book Synopsis"Exodus" is the heart of the Hebrew Bible, the defining moment in Israel's birth as a people, the dramatic triumph of their God. This volume offers an exploration and analysis of the book's first eighteen chapters.

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Book SynopsisDistilled over centuries, the biblical book of "Ecclesiastes" offers us the time-tested advice of Israel's sages. This book offers an interpretation of this collection of ancient wisdom.

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Book SynopsisDiscusses the issues that divide the community, from concerns about the efficacy of religious practices to questions about who may claim the name of Israelite and under what conditions, to what kind of relations should be maintained with outsiders.

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Book SynopsisOffers a history of the interpretation of the "Letter of James", highlighting the vast appreciation for it over the centuries. This book identifies the first-century authors as none other than James, the brother of Jesus Christ.

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Book SynopsisOffers a look at how archaeological research contributes to our understanding of the connections between history and the stories recounted in the Bible. This book includes photographs and illustrations of rare ancient relics ranging from household pottery to beautifully crafted jewelry and sculpture.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisA companion to the masterful two-volume The Gospel According to John. It examines controversies that have long troubled both biblical scholars and lay readers. It discusses questions of authorship, composition, and dating, as well as the debate over source theories.

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Book SynopsisFor well over two centuries the question of the composition of the Pentateuch has been among the most widespread and hotly debated issues in the field of biblical studies. This title presents a synthesized history of these disagreements and the varying methodologies each school has defended.

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Book SynopsisA new translation and commentary on the book of Amos, forgoing speculation about his life to provide an innovative analysis of the book itself

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Magisterial”—Eric Ormsby, Wall Street Journal“Enormously helpful as a way not just into an unknown text but into another religious tradition.”—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker“[A] clear analysis of the debates within the communities of religious scholars concerning the relationship of these scriptures, providing a new lens through which to view the powerful links that bond these three major religions.”—Salzburger Theologischen Zeitschrift journal“Gabriel Reynolds’ The Qur’an & the Bible fills a gaping hole to revelatory effect. . . It contributes hugely to the ongoing project of anchoring the qur’anic texts to the bedrock of late antiquity. The impossibility of understanding the Qur’an’s origins without reference to the context provided by Jewish and Christian scripture has never been more painstakingly demonstrated.”—Tom Holland, History Today (The Best History Books 2018)“Consistently with his well-known scholarly approach, Reynolds concentrates his research and his analysis on the Qur’ānic text seen as a Late Antiquity product [. . .] This book would have attained its goal even if it simply managed to encourage students to get deeply involved with both Qur’ānic and Biblical literature.” – Valentino Cottini, Islamochristiana“This book fills a gaping hole to revelatory effect. Essential reading for anyone interested in the relationship between the Qur’ān and the religious context of late antiquity.”—Tom Holland, author of In the Shadow of the Sword"Gabriel Reynolds’s concise commentary on the Qur’ān text offers an indispensable key to many parallel Biblical and para-Biblical traditions and clarifies the Qur’ān’s unique relationship to these earlier traditions and texts."—Fred M. Donner, University of Chicago“Gabriel Reynolds is one of the world’s leading Qur’ānic scholars, and this learned and readable commentary sheds great light on the religious impulses that shaped Islam at its beginnings and on the relationship between Muslims, Jews, and Christians in Muhammad's day.”—Gary A. Anderson, author of Charity: The Place of the Poor in the Biblical Tradition“This important and unprecedented book demonstrates that the Qur’ān cannot be fully appreciated without an awareness of its Biblical backdrop.”—Suleyman Dost, Brandeis University“This major contribution to our understanding of the Qur’ān makes a powerful argument for the profound influence of Biblical traditions, and especially Christian traditions, on the Qur’ān.”—Devin Stewart, Emory University

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Book SynopsisThe first comprehensive study of friendship in the Hebrew BibleTrade Review“Saul Olyan has written a truly original work that not only opens up a new area in biblical studies, but creates a full-blown synthesis of the socio-literary field of biblical friendship.”— Ronald Hendel, University of California, Berkeley“Saul Olyan is one of the world’s most consistently insightful scholars of the Hebrew Bible. Here he offers a study of friendship that will prove a helpful companion for anyone curious about what biblical texts reveal about the history of human relationships."—Steven Weitzman, University of Pennsylvania“A learned yet affecting study of a much-overlooked topic by a world-class scholar. Olyan brilliantly demonstrates how in the Hebrew Bible family and friends (and to a lesser extent, treaty partners) manifest similar behaviors. This comprehensive survey will become the standard work on the subject.”—Mark S. Smith, Princeton Theological Seminary“Through an insightful and sensitive reading of the vocabulary of friendship along with an astute analysis of its function in a variety of biblical passages, Olyan illuminates with striking clarity this important but oft-ignored concept.”—Carol Meyers, Duke University“Another groundbreaking study from one of the finest scholars in the field of biblical studies. With Olyan as our expert guide, we learn to rethink our assumptions not only about the biblical texts but also about what it means to be human.”—Jacob L. Wright, Emory University

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Book SynopsisA novel approach to Israelite kinship, arguing that maternal kinship bonds played key social, economic, and political roles for a son who aspired to inherit his father's householdTrade ReviewCo-winner of the 2017 Biblical Archaeology Society Publication Award in the Best Book Relating to the Hebrew Bible category.“In this extraordinarily important study, Cynthia Chapman sheds light on numerous enigmatic biblical passages and has made a major contribution to our understanding of Israel’s social world. Chapman is a pioneer in the study of women’s kinship.”—Robert R. Wilson, Yale Divinity School “With methodological sophistication, Cynthia Chapman explores evidence of maternal kin from the Hebrew Bible and ancient Levant. Her work is both wisely cautious and creatively daring, an exciting new contribution to both biblical studies and the wider field of cultural studies.”—Susan Niditch, Amherst College“A methodological tour de force reassessing ancient Israelite social history, informed by keen exegeses and new insights, expressed in crystalline prose, a major new contribution to understanding how women’s lives shaped biblical narratives—Chapman’s book qualifies as a landmark in the field.”—David S. Vanderhooft, Boston College

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Book SynopsisAn award-winning translation brings new immediacy to these beloved books of the Bible. Read them for the first time, again.Trade Review"Encountering these books in this form—as ancient literature, laid out as poetry, with copious footnotes—allows you to be dazzled by their range, from the frank eroticism of the Song of Songs to the bucolic idyll of Esther and the downright weirdness of Daniel." -- New Statesman"Robert Alter's continuing project of translating the Old Testament is perhaps one of the most important literary/religious endeavours of recent times...Alter adds new levels of richness and poetry to the text, while adding an illuminating commentary to untangle the snuggles of time." -- Catholic Herald"In each of the Biblical books in this volume a balance of explanation, translation and commentary is offered. In each of them the reader is made a partner in an adventure of scholarship and clarification which is both rare and exemplary. " -- Eavan Boland - The Irish Times

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Book SynopsisThe vividness and beauty of the language emerge in a fresh way... with evocative simplicity.Robert AlterTrade Review"...fascinating new volume..." -- Herald Scotland

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Book SynopsisThe Second Edition of this perennially popular Norton Critical Edition is based on the Today’s New International Version of Paul’s letters, a new translation that is heralded for its inclusiveness and accuracy in representation of gender.

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Book SynopsisJason Boyett''s Pocket Guides are smart and hilarious. And they''re sneaky too: You don''t realize how much you''re learning because you''re having so much fun. ?AJ Jacobs, author, The Year of Living Biblically Americans consistently identify the Bible as the most influential book in history, but seriously: are you really reading it? Probably not. If all you know about the Bible are a few Psalms and the Christmas story, then you''re missing out on a book that''s wilder, weirder, and more entertaining than you ever imagined. With a stealthy combo of entertainment and insight, Jason Boyett''s Pocket Guide to the Bible fills the gaps in your religious education. It introduces you to the characters you must know, reveals the thrilling development of the biblical canon, and details the less-churchy parts of Scripture (hello, sex and violence!). Don''t miss out on discovering How God employs talking donkeys, mentally unstable prophets, and helpful prostitutes inTable of ContentsINTRODUCTION VII Chapter one BIBLICABULARY (A Glossary of the Good Book) 1 Chapter Two CAST OF CHARACTERS (A TO J) 31 Chapter Three CAST OF CHARACTERS (K TO Z) 63 Chapter four WHAT HAPPENS, PART 1 (The Old Testament at Breakneck Speed) 87 Chapter five WHAT HAPPENS, PART 2 (The New Testament at Breakneck Speed) 117 Chapter six THE BRIEF HISTORY OF HOLY WRIT (A Timeline) 133 Chapter seven VERSIONS AND PERVERSIONS (A Selective Survey of Translations) 157 Chapter eight LIST YE BE SMITTEN (Biblical Flotsam and Jetsam) 173 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 189

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Book Synopsis* * Presents an innovative, reception history approach to the study of Ecclesiastes, by tracing its influence on religion, culture, literature, art and social thought. * Explores a fascinating range of Jewish and Christian readings.Trade Review"Christianson's study of Ecclesiastes's cultural impact is rich and rewarding. [He] beautifully exposits the material that he treats, and suggests by brief reference some other avenues of fruitful exploration. In these ways, Ecclesiastes Through the Centuries serves both as an excellent treatment of the title theme and a good model for other reception histories to follow. The book may be heartily recommended, without reservation." (Bible and Critical Theory) "A fundamental resource on biblical interpretation, especially in the modern world, this book is a winner." (International Review of Biblical Studies) "Students of Ecclesiastes have been waiting a good many years for a book like Eric Christianson's study … Not since the time of Christian David Ginsburg's magisterial commentary Coheleth (commonly called the Book of Ecclesiastes) in 1861 has there been such a thorough survey of the reception history of Ecclesiastes." (Lutheran Theological Journal) "With the text's many difficult and provocative passages, the reception history of Ecclesiastes is always going to be more interesting than that of many biblical books, and in this erudite but entertaining commentary, Christianson takes full advantage of the rich materials at his disposal...The introduction and commentary proper cover many topics, from patristic and rabbinic exegesis through to modern science-fiction, with numerous stops on the way...Christianson is a genial guide throughout, and his own enthusiasm is clear; the book is very well written and accessible, moreover, so that it should appeal to both specialists and a wider public...Overall an excellent book." (Society for Old Testament Study Book List)Table of ContentsSeries Editors’ Preface xi Preface xiii Preface to the Paperback Edition xvii Testimonia 1 The Vagaries of Interpreting Ecclesiastes 1 Charting a Harsh Terrain 4 Qoheleth the Philosopher 5 Wrought by Melancholy 7 Preacher of Joy 9 True to Life 10 Qoheleth and Christianity 14 Qoheleth and Justice 15 Introduction 17 1 A History of Reception Histories 19 2 Reading Strategies and Lines of Influence 22 Pre-Modern Reading: –1500 23 Early Modern Reading: 1500–1800 40 A. Renaissance and Reform 40 B. Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century Verse 51 C. On the Way to Modernity 57 Modern Reading: 1800– 65 A. Literature 65 B. Visual Art, Music and Film 75 C. Comparative Studies 84 Ecclesiastes 1 87 The Life and Death of Solomon the Author: 1:1 et passim 89 A. Alive and Well in Pre-Modernity (–1500) 89 B. Embattled in Early Modernity (1500–1800) 95 C. Dead in Modernity – Solomon’s Ghost (1800–) 96 Vanitas Vanitatum: 1:2 et passim 98 A. Despising the World through Vanitas (–1500) 100 B. Renaissance Vanitas: Despising Jerome and Suspecting the Sciences (1500–1800) 106 C. Literary Vanitas: New Points of Reference (1800–) 125 D. The Breadth of Vanitas 140 The Overture Played Out: 1:3–18 142 Ecclesiastes 2 156 Wrestling with the Test of Pleasure: 2:1–10 157 Understanding Wisdom, Folly and God’s Gifts: 2:11–24 161 Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 164 The Totality of Times 165 Ecclesiastes 3:9–6:12 174 On Fate, Knowledge and Anthropology: 3:9–22 175 On Oppression and the Value of Companionship: 4:1–12 180 On Conducting Oneself in the House of God: 5:1–8 183 On the Possibility of Profi t and Relief from hebel: 5:10–6:12 184 Ecclesiastes 7–8 188 The Curious Values of Wisdom: 7:1–12 189 The Incongruity of Experience and the Inaccessibility of Wisdom: 7:13–29 192 About Wisdom, Power and Authority: 8:1–17 201 Ecclesiastes 9:1–12 206 The Wisdom of Death and Life 207 Ecclesiastes 9:13–11:10 216 Wise Conduct in the Light of Uncertainty: 9:13–11:6 217 The Final Call to Joy: 11:7–10 221 Ecclesiastes 12:1–7 225 The Rule of Allegory 227 Beyond Allegory 232 Ecclesiastes 12:8–14 247 The Final Word 249 A Hermeneutical Postscript 256 Understanding the Pervasive Appeal of Qoheleth 256 The Exegetical ‘Fidelity’ of Ecclesiastes’ Reception History 259 How Might This Reception History Inform the Discipline? 261 Bibliography 264 Primary Sources 265 1. Pre-1500 265 2. 1500–1800 267 3. Post-1800 271 Reception Histories of Ecclesiastes 275 1. Jewish and Christian 275 2. Surveys of Academic Approaches 280 3. Literature 281 Specialist Comparative Studies 283 Ecclesiastes General Secondary Sources 285 Other Secondary Sources 291 Appendix – The Quotable Qoheleth: Ecclesiastes in Popular Discourse 296 List of Illustrations 300 Acknowledgements 302 Name Index 303 Subject Index 312

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Book Synopsis"This magnificent collection completely re-imagines the vast and well-trodden field of the Bible and Literature. From Chaucer to T.S. Eliot, The Blackwell Companion to the Bible in English Literature offers a compelling narrative of how the English literary tradition has itself used, re-written and re-visioned sacred texts.Trade Review"This is indeed a true companion, one that succeeds in its aim of being both scholarly and accessible to all lovers of English literature. In short, all students of English literature ought to put aside a month to read and study this book before going up to university." (Church Times) "Probably what comes across most clearly is how, and that, many of the writers chose deliberately to draw on the Bible, and for students increasingly unfamiliar with the Bible, this approach challenges as well as informs." (Reference Reviews) "An extremely useful volume." (The Year's Work in English Studies)Table of ContentsList of Contributors ix Part I Introduction 1 1 General Introduction Rebecca Lemon, Emma Mason, and Jonathan Roberts 3 2 The Literature of the Bible Christopher Rowland 10 3 Biblical Hermeneutics and Literary Theory David Jasper 22 Part II Medieval 39 4 Introduction Daniel Anlezark 41 5 Old English Poetry Catherine A. M. Clarke 61 6 The Medieval Religious Lyric Douglas Gray 76 7 The Middle English Mystics Annie Sutherland 85 8 The Pearl-Poet Helen Barr 100 9 William Langland Sister Mary Clemente Davlin, OP 116 10 Geoffrey Chaucer Christiania Whitehead 134 Part III Early Modern 153 11 Introduction Roger Pooley 155 12 Early Modern Women Elizabeth Clarke 169 13 Early Modern Religious Prose Julie Maxwell 184 14 Edmund Spenser Carol V. Kaske 197 15 Mary Sidney Rivkah Zim 211 16 William Shakespeare Hannibal Hamlin 225 17 John Donne Jeanne Shami 239 18 George Herbert John Drury 254 19 John Milton Michael Lieb 269 20 John Bunyan Andrew Bradstock 286 21 John Dryden Gerard Reedy, S.J. 297 Part IV Eighteenth Century and Romantic 311 22 Introduction Stephen Prickett 313 23 Eighteenth-Century Hymn Writers J. R. Watson 329 24 Daniel Defoe Valentine Cunningham 345 25 Jonathan Swift Michael F. Suarez, S.J. 359 26 William Blake Jonathan Roberts and Christopher Rowland 373 27 Women Romantic Poets Penny Bradshaw 383 28 William Wordsworth Deeanne Westbrook 397 29 S. T. Coleridge Graham Davidson 413 30 Jane Austen Michael Giffin 425 31 George Gordon Byron Wolf Z. Hirst 438 32 P. B. Shelley Bernard Beatty 451 Part V Victorian 463 33 Introduction Elisabeth Jay 465 34 The Brownings Kevin Mills 482 35 Alfred Tennyson Kirstie Blair 496 36 The Brontës Marianne Thormählen 512 37 John Ruskin Dinah Birch 525 38 George Eliot Charles LaPorte 536 39 Christina Rossetti Elizabeth Ludlow 551 40 G. M. Hopkins Paul S. Fiddes 563 41 Sensation Fiction Mark Knight 577 42 Decadence Andrew Tate 587 Part VI Modernist 601 43 Introduction Ward Blanton 603 44 W. B. Yeats Edward Larrissy 617 45 Virginia Woolf Douglas L. Howard 629 46 James Joyce William Franke 642 47 D. H. Lawrence T. R. Wright 654 48 T. S. Eliot David Fuller 667 49 The Great War Poets Jane Potter 681 Index 696

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Book SynopsisTraces Herman Melville's response to an array of nineteenth-century writings that includes literary scriptures, biblical scholarship, Holy Land travel narratives, political sermons, and women's bibles. This book shows how Melville raised with verve the question of what counts as Bible and what counts as interpretation.Trade Review“A fascinating account.” * Review of Biblical Literature *“A well-researched, attractively written examination of the larger biblical context of Melville’s masterpiece, and it provides a capable overview of a variety of nineteenth-century exegetical and hermeneutical traditions on the five Old Testament figures it scrutinizes.” * Christianity and Literature *“Well argued and well written, this is a book for all students of Melville.” * CHOICE *“Each of the book’s five chapters is deftly written and certainly demonstrates Pardes’ proficiency in the fields of literary criticism and biblical exegesis.” * Missiology *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Playing with Leviathan: Job and the Aesthetic Turn in Biblical Exegesis 2. "Jonah Historically Regarded": Improvisations on Kitto's Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature 3. "Call Me Ishmael": The Bible and the Orient 4. Ahab, Idolatry, and the Question of Possession: Biblical Politics 5. Rachel's Inconsolable Cry: The Rise of Women's Bibles Epilogue Notes Index

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Book SynopsisEphrem the Syrian was one of the founding voices in Syriac literature. While he wrote in a variety of genres, the bulk of his work took the form of madrashe, a Syriac genre of musical poetry or hymns. In Bible and Poetry in Late Antique Mesopotamia, Jeffrey Wickes offers a thoroughly contextualized study of Ephrem's magnum opus, the Hymns on Faith, delivered in response to the theological controversies that followed the First Council of Nicaea. The ensuing doctrinal divisions had tremendous impact on the course of Christianity and led in part to the development of a uniquely Syriac Church, in which Ephrem would become a central figure. Drawing on literary, ritual, and performance theories, Bible and Poetry shows how Ephrem used the Syriac Bible to construct and conceive of himself and his audience. In so doing, Wickes resituates Ephrem in a broader early Christian context and contributes to discussions of literature and religion in late antiquity. Trade Review"Wickes is an astute guide through the often-heated scholarly debates about the relationship between Syriac and Greek, and about the place of Syriac Christianity in the eastern Mediterranean world. His command of the scholarship is as solid as his mastery of the texts; he is deft, incisive, and original in his discussions. This is work of exceptional substance and significance." * Journal of Orthodox Christian Studies *"Bible and Poetry demonstrates once again the potential of Syriac literature to reshape and deepen our historiog-raphy of the formative centuries of Christianity." * Journal of Early Christian Studies *"Wickes has guided the reader securely with a light through the labyrinthine paths and icons of Ephrem’s poetry, revealing the poet’s mind and personality, along with imaginative biblical landscapes and interpretations unparalleled in late antique Christian literature." * Biblical Literature *"Wickes’s study contains many helpful and good insights into the way Ephrem works as a poet, interweaving different biblical allusions for a particular purpose, and also into the ways in which he relates himself and his audience to the biblical text." * Journal of Theological Studies *Table of ContentsAbbreviations Acknowledgments Note to the Reader Introduction PART ONE. EPHREM AND THE LATE ANTIQUE WORLD 1. Ephrem’s Madrashe on Faith in Context 2. Investigation PART TWO. THE BIBLICAL POETICS OF THE MADRASHE ON FAITH 3. Bible, Polemics, and Language 4. The Poet’s “I” 5. Audience and the Vision of the Text 6. A Divine Son Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index of Bible References General Index

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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