Criticism and exegesis of sacred texts Books

Book SynopsisUntil recently, most non-biblical manuscripts attested in the Qumran library were regarded as copies of texts that were composed after the books of the Hebrew Bible were written. Students of the Hebrew Bible found the Dead Sea Scrolls therefore mostly of interest for the textual and interpretative histories of these books. The present collection confirms the importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls for both areas, by showing that they have revolutionized our understanding of how the text of the biblical books developed and how they were interpreted. Beyond the textual and interpretative histories, though, many texts attested in the Qumran library illuminate the time in which the later books of the Hebrew Bible were composed and reworked as well as Jewish life and law in the time when the canon of the Hebrew Bible developed. This volume gives important examples as to how the early texts attested in the Dead Sea Scrolls help to better understand individual biblical books and as to how the later texts among them illustrate Jewish life and law when the canon of the Hebrew Bible evolved. In order to find an adequate expertise for the seminar "The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Hebrew Bible", the editors invited both junior and senior specialists in the fields of Hebrew Bible, Second Temple Judaism, Dead Sea Scrolls and Rabbinics to Rome.

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Book SynopsisThis collection of essays is centred on the Gospel according to Matthew. It treats contemporary discussions of Matthew's origins, character, and place in the canon of the New Testament. It also discusses texts from the major sections of the Gospel: the Infancy narrative, the Sermon on the Mount and other parts of the public ministry, and the Passion narrative. It addresses major themes: the kingdom of God, revelation, the Sabbath, spirituality, ecclesiology, and the birth of Easter faith. It also includes aspects of Matthew's broader context: Qumran literature, the letters to the Galatians and of James, and John's reception of Matthew. In contrast to several recent studies which present Matthew and his community as gloomy and beleaguered, this work reveals a confident, cheerful evangelist.

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Book SynopsisThe long and complex history of reception and interpretation of the Hebrew Bible / Old Testament through the ages, described in the HBOT Project, is in the penultimate part volume three pursued to the nineteenth century's special situation with its new methods and problems. Due to an increased historical knowledge in many fields and an expanding cultural context, the phenomenon of history became the object of an as yet unsurpassed fascination; history was the new key concept partly in form of a historicism. With regard to biblical studies in general and the interpretation of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament in particular a decisive historical-critical approach came into focus, which generated tension between this new method and the traditional scriptural interpretation of the Church and in turn also relatively severe controversies between opposing fronts.

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Book SynopsisThe Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (T12P), one of the longest texts of the so-called Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, presents the fictitious farewell speeches that the twelve sons of Jacob held on their respective deathbeds. Tom de Bruin examines these twelve monologues as literary products in order to understand the function of the text for the setting in which it was composed. He approaches T12P from three directions: an analysis of the paraenetic parts, a discussion of the anthropology, and a comparative examination of other contemporaneous works documenting a world-view similar to T12P.These three approaches merge into a detailed discussion about the reasoning behind the admonition in T12P, and identifies the fundamental message of the text, namely that each person stands between the forces of good and evil and that this person is called to constantly decide which way to follow. Though T12P is still familiar with the apocalyptic origin and plays with the cosmological implications of this 'great controversy', the text clearly puts the emphasis on the battle inside each individual. It is thereby an important witness for reinterpreting and reapplying apocalyptic traditions through ethicizing them and focusing on the individual. Such an individualistic application of the 'great controversy' theme can be found in a number of other (mostly Christian) works, revealing a similar understanding of mankinds existence and development as in T12P. The analysis of the ethical reappropriation of apocalyptic traditions in T12P provides important insights into the foundations of early Christian ethics, ancient anthropology, and the Jewish and Christian understanding of the struggle between good and evil. The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (T12P), one of the longest texts of the so-called Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, presents the fictitious farewell speeches that the twelve sons of Jacob held on their respective deathbeds. Tom de Bruin examines these twelve monologues as literary products in order to understand the function of the text for the setting in which it was composed. He approaches T12P from three directions: an analysis of the paraenetic parts, a discussion of the anthropology, and a comparative examination of other contemporaneous works documenting a world-view similar to T12P.These three approaches merge into a detailed discussion about the reasoning behind the admonition in T12P, and identifies the fundamental message of the text, namely that each person stands between the forces of good and evil and that this person is called to constantly decide which way to follow. Though T12P is still familiar with the apocalyptic origin and plays with the cosmological implications of this 'great controversy', the text clearly puts the emphasis on the battle inside each individual. It is thereby an important witness for reinterpreting and reapplying apocalyptic traditions through ethicizing them and focusing on the individual. Such an individualistic application of the 'great controversy' theme can be found in a number of other (mostly Christian) works, revealing a similar understanding of mankinds existence and development as in T12P. The analysis of the ethical reappropriation of apocalyptic traditions in T12P provides important insights into the foundations of early Christian ethics, ancient anthropology, and the Jewish and Christian understanding of the struggle between good and evil.

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Book SynopsisEkaterin Matusova offers a new approach to the old problems of interpretation of the “Letter of Aristeas”. Chapter 1 deals with the question of the structure of the narrative. Matusova argues that at the time of Aristeas compositions of the kind of the Reworked Pentateuch, or Rewritten Bible were circulating in Egypt in parallel with the LXX and were a source of interpretations of the Hebrew text different from the LXX and of specific combinations of subjects popular in Second Temple Judaism. In particular, Matusova further argues that the leading principle of the composition of the Letter is that of the Reworked Deuteronomy, where subjects referring to the idea of following the Law among the gentiles were grouped together. The analysis is based on a broad circle of Jewish sources, including Philo of Alexandria and documents from the Qumran library. The principle of the composition discovered in this part of the study is referred to as the Jewish paradigm. Chapter 2 offers a new interpretation of the frame story in the narrative, i.e. of the story of the translation in the strict sense. Matusova shows that two paradigms are skilfully combined in this split story: the Jewish one, based on the Bible, and the Greek one, which involves Greek grammatical theory. She further argues that the story, when read in terms of Greek grammar, turns out to be a consistent story not of the translation, but of the correction of the LXX, which is important for our understanding of the early history of the translation. The analysis involves extensive excurses into Greek grammatical theory, including a discussion of Aristotle, Dionysius Thrax and other Hellenistic grammarians. In Chapter 3 Matusova tries to find the reason for the combination of these two paradigms, namely the Jewish biblical paradigm and the Greek grammatical ones, and to interpret their interconnected meaning, by placing it in the broad historical context of the Ptolemaic state.

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Book SynopsisRecent theology has seen a renewed vigour in debates about the nature and character of God. Juan Cruz turns to one of the prophetic books in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Micah, to consider the metaphors it uses to portray the God of Israel and what they reveal about the deity. The book of Micah contains two dominant types of metaphor for Yahweh, namely the legal metaphors in 1:216 and 6:116 and the pastoral metaphors in 2:1213, 4:67, 5:14a and 7:1420. The former type of metaphors presents Yahweh in a courtroom setting, where he accuses his people of their sins, brings a lawsuit against them, and pronounces their judgement. The pastoral metaphors, on the other hand, describe Yahweh as the shepherd of his people, primarily concerned with the restoration and well-being of Israel. The two sets of metaphors therefore respectively present Yahweh in a positive and a negative light. Drawing on insights from philosophy and literary studies, and making particular use of the theories of Benjamin Harshav, Juan Cruz explores the divine metaphors by analysing the arguments they make within their respective literary units and in the context of the whole book, as well as the significant tensions that develop between the metaphors. The volume provides helpful tools to analyse metaphors for God, which may be also used for analysis of non-divine metaphors, and should contribute to our theological understanding of God in the Hebrew Bible, most especially in the book of Micah, a book whose title bears the meaning, "Who is like Yahweh?".

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Book SynopsisThis volume consists of fifteen of the author's essays, including two that have never been published before. The essays date to the last decade and a half, and all reflect in some manner the author's ongoing interest in literary operations of classification and their social implications, particularly the production of distinctions which create social inequality in the world of the text, and have the potential to generate hierarchical social relationships in contexts where biblical texts might have had an impact on real people. In these essays, the author explores themes such as gender, sexuality, purity and pollution, sanctification, death and afterlife, foreignness, and disability with particular attention to the roles distinctions such as honored/shamed, feminine/masculine, mourning/rejoicing, unclean/clean, alien/native play in creating and perpetuating social differences in texts. Rites of status change such as circumcision, shaving, purification, burial or disinterment, sanctification and profanation of holiness are a focus of interest in a number of these essays, reflecting the author's on going interest in the textual representation of ritual. Most of the essays examine texts in their historical setting, but several also engage the early history of the interpretation of biblical texts, including the phenomenon of inner biblical exegesis. The essays are divided into five sections: Rites and Social Status; Gender and Sexuality; Disability; Holiness, Purity, the Alien; Death, Burial, Afterlife and their Metaphorical Uses. The author introduces each of the sections, contextualizing each essay in his larger scholarly project, reflecting on its development and reception and, in some cases, responding to his critics.

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Book SynopsisThis volume presents the proceedings of an international and interdisciplinary symposium on the intertextuality of ancient literature and its medieval and modern receptions. It engages with the topic of intertextuality in four regards:1. What constitutes a Text and what constitutes an Intertext: text texture - textuality in archaeology, iconography and literature? 2. Forms of Intertextuality: including the aspect of oral and written text. 3. Tradition and Transmission of Texts and Intertexts: examples of intertextuality. 4. Intertextuality and Canon: aspects of the specificity of intertextuality in canonical contexts.

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Book SynopsisAlthough termed the little Genesis, the Book of Jubilees is significantly engaged with Exodus. It reworks key Exodus narratives, develops modules of Exodus law, and highlights Exodus motifs. The most fundamental connection to Exodus is the grounding of the two narrational structures of Jubilees in the scenario of Moses receiving a revelation on Mt. Sinai. In the frame an anonymous narrator develops the Mt. Sinai setting of the work. In the body an angel employs that setting as the present-time pivot for a retrospect that moves backward and forward in time.Focusing on the intersection of structure and content, the study explores the relationship between the retrospective design of the angel narration and the exegesis. The approach is a literary one that treats Jubilees as a unitary text that may reflect the work of a single author or of a final editor. The analysis draws particular attention to manipulations of temporal and textual perspective that transform Exodus narratives, facilitate the hermeneutical elaborations of Exodus law, and effect cohesion in the revelation that is the Book of Jubilees.Halpern-Amarus study makes a significant contribution to our understanding of biblical interpretation in Second Temple Judaism. For example, the reading of the Jubilees narrative of the exodus as a revelation of how God uses His heavenly forces, i.e., Mastema and his demons as well as the angels of the presence, on behalf of Israel, has implications for the understanding of strategies that temper dualism in Second Temple Judaism.

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Book SynopsisWord of God, words of men. The book presents many aspects of the phenomenon of translation and commentary work of the Bible in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 16th and 17th centuries. It contains studies of eminent scholars as well as of some young adepts, coming mainly from Poland, but also from Lithuania and Czech Republic. The texts present various aspects of the researches conducted on this phenomenon nowadays. As it was an exceptional movement, extremely varied and long-time lasting, it would be difficult to offer its complete synthesis in one volume. Though, the exhaustive presentation of the historical and linguistic contexts allows the reader to understand the phenomenon. Intensified interest in translations of the Bible is closely connected with the interest in the Polish language, its literary expression as well as its grammatical and orthographic standardisation that occurred just in the same time. The intellectual activity related to the Bible contributed simultaneously to the development of the Polish literary language and even inspired the translations of the sacred texts of other religions present in the country. Moreover, contacts between different languages of Central and Eastern European area, where many attempts of new translations appeared, are very important. A quick rise of the different Reformation movements contributed to a "natural" need for new translations and commentaries to be used by community members. These new currents, first easily accepted and spread in the country, even when suppressed, could not stop this activity, and later new Catholic translations and commentaries of the post-Trident period, both in Polish and Lithuanian, proved it. Big part of study is also dedicated to particular typographical realizations of this activity and an interesting example of the musical expression directly inspired by the biblical translation, is also provided.

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Book SynopsisThis volume brings together contributions from the ongoing conversation among New Testament scholars from the Nordic Countries, namely Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The aim is to challenge the New Testament texts and their interpretations but also to be challenged by these texts and interpretation (ie: how to read, interpret and contextualise the impact of these texts, and how to conceptualise the power and authority attributed to them). As neighbours in peripheral Europe, partly sharing language and history, scholars of this region also aim to participatie in the broader international discourse. The fact that their common academic language is English begs the question whether many of the current essays could have been written in different settings, since they do not explicitly reflect on contextual issues. Or is this the case? What characterises that part of the world are social democracies with relatively high standards of living, a strong protestant past but an increasing multicultural population, public welfare systems, and gender equality. Public universities still have money and can prioritize mobility and internationalisation.

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Book SynopsisFor 60 years Qumran research has been focused on epigraphy, exegesis, and the historical sources of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The manuscripts are now published and accessible, and research is turning in a positive way to the archaeology of the site and its context. The time has come to provide researchers with a complete documentation. The excavator, Roland de Vaux, had given preliminary reports and a valuable interpretation made in the immediate aftermath of the excavations. Since considerable progress has been made in the archeology of Hellenistic and Roman Palestine, however, Qumran has to be reassessed and the interpretation objectively verified.Volume IIIA presents an up-to-date archaeological reconsideration: a shorter and more precise chronology, in which the earthquake of 31 BC is deleted; the concept of an Essene community is challenged, owing to the lack of a suitable infrastructure; the cemetery itself is connected with a Jewish diaspora scattered around the Dead Sea. Other facilities strengthen the Jewish character of the site, however. The function of Qumran fits better with the rites of a pilgrimage on the occasion of the festivals of Passover and Pentecost.In the second part, the peripheral Essene facilities, expanded around an earlier Hellenistic center, are analyzed and described. The essay seeks to outline their internal consistency and to determine their function. The restoration of a stratigraphy, by cross-checking the excavation archives, leads to a redistribution of pottery in four levels in a more precise chronology.The reconsideration makes use of anthropology, which opens up the archaeological field and throws additional light on the manuscripts.

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Book SynopsisThe Great Canon of St Andrew of Crete â a timeless liturgical tool for the spiritual transformation of man

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Book SynopsisFrom the beginning many of the early Christian communities led an ascetic lifestyle, although a good number of New Testament texts do not seem suitable for justifying radical ascetic and encratite practice. The question thus arises how the different forms of asceticism could be justified on the basis of those scriptures.The articles of the volume focus on the interpretation and application of New Testament texts in various ascetic milieus and in the works of several early Christian authors and on the reception history of New Testament texts either supporting or resisting an ascetic relecture.

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Book SynopsisWhile the so-called New perspective in Paul has been in the focus of New Testament exegesis for more than 25 years now, ancient interpretations of Pauline texts and ideas have been neglected widely. The present volume aims to fill this gap. Its articles concentrate on three different foci of modern exegesis: interpretations of Pauls conversion, his ideas about the relation of grace and works and the fate of Israel. Several additional articles contrast these ancient perspectives with answers of modern exegesis.

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Book SynopsisErich Gruen's small study, the revised and extended Felix Jacoby Kiel lecture on the Jewish historians of the Hellenistic period, shows that their writings, which have survived only fragmentarily, displayed a remarkable breadth and diversity. Their handling of the biblical texts was at the same time very playful, consciously connected with a certain amount of idiosyncrasy and with the intention of placing Jewish traditions in a broader cultural context. The historians saw their task primarily not to elucidate it. To the biblical narratives they offered instead compelling twists, alternative versions and provocative variants. Almost always their representations also had a certain entertainment value. The sacredness of Scripture remained untouched.

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Book SynopsisThe authority of the Bible is one of the defining features of Christianity. However, the origins of the Biblical canon, both as an idea and as a composition still pose many unresolved questions and the nature of the bible''s authority, including the many ways in which that authority has been tapped throughout history, are important and vast areas of investigation. The essays in this book discuss such crucial issues as the history of the formation of the biblical canon, examples of the canonisation of books in Antiquity outside Christianity, and the nature and function of canonical texts in general. Several essays, furthermore, deal with the numerous ways in which biblical canonicity has been construed and utilised in more recent European history. The essays, written by specialists in religious studies, ancient history, classical philology, church history and literary theory, should be of great interest to students, scholars and general readers concerned with scriptural and literary canon formation.

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Book SynopsisRabbi Dr. Nathan Drazin was a born storyteller. In his synagogue, every Saturday evening, just before the end of the Sabbath, a huge crowd of people would sit down at a very long table for the traditional seudah shelishit meal. When they finished eating, Rabbi Dr. Drazin would tell them a story. This book, written in the 1940s and brought to the reading public now for the first time, records some of those enthralling stories of our ancestors, bringing Jewish lore alive in an animated recounting of the origin and lifetime of the father of the Jewish people. Children will enjoy these fascinating midrashic tales about Abrahams birth and miraculous upbringing, his struggle against the worship of idols, his survival of attempts to kill him, his dealings with his mother Amtaelai and his father Terah the seller of idols as well as the wicked King Nimrod, and much more.

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Book SynopsisThis eye-opening and thought-provoking book covers what the Torah states about life after death, the soul, the world to come, sin, repentance, rational and mystical views on immortality, resurrection, and the age of the universe, what if anything we must believe, changes that occurred in our concept of God, multiple violations of Torah laws by biblical persons (even prophets), misunderstandings about the Ten Commandments, prophecies that were not fulfilled, biblical and other ancient Jewish books that were neglected or rejected, humor in the Bible, the portrayal of biblical figures with their faults, and changing biblical laws and rabbinical customs. It explains that the siddur is not what people think it is and contains mystical additions, and it offers different views about the value of prayer. It talks about Judaisms first philosopher, contacts with non-Jewish cultures that changed Judaism, surprising elements in Ecclesiastes, and the nontraditional views of Orthodox thinkers such as Rashbam, Nachman Krochmal, J. B. Soloveitchik, David Hartman, Nathan Lopes Cardozo, and others. It describes what most people do not know about Maimonides and clarifies his view on Midrashim, why they were written and their value today. It reveals that people are punished despite repentance and that false prophets can still prophesy. It examines the Torah and holy books, conversion, and intermarriage, and the impact of foreign cultures on Jewish practices and halakha. It analyses mysticism and atheism; the values of secular culture; the views of Moshe Chaim Luzzatto and his Mesillat Yesharim, and of Arnold Ehrlich; and it explores Nietzsche, Gersonides, and Maimonides views on faith and the Bible.

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Book SynopsisThe Book of Ruth is one of the most appealing to modern biblical interpreters, touching as it does on so many subjects of current concern: the emergence of female equality, the significance of legal evolvement, the acceptance of the outsider, to name a few. Benjamin Segal, author of earlier biblical commentaries (on the Song of Songs, Psalms, and Ecclesiastes,) here undertakes the difficult and controversial task of deciphering the original literary import of this exciting engaging book. Following a verse- by- verse commentary, this volume offers a new overview of the Book of Ruth, framed as: a series of revolutionary changes described via a once-upon-a-time ideal; a former time when all seemed perfect, if only for a moment. At that time and place, women assumed an equal role in societal leadership, foreigners were to be accepted, welcomed, historical precedents represented faults to be overcome (not rather than permanent stains), the law bent yielded to humane societal concerns, kindness was rewarded, and God''s will was carried out by men and women. Rabbi Segals suggests that in each case the book text itself indicates that change did not endure. As is true in idealistic literatures of other societies, every two steps forward brought one step back (as is the case in idealistic literatures of other societies). However, biblical tradition would never be the same, as a glimpse of the ideal moment became a permanent cultural inheritance. Historical idyll became ongoing challenge. This commentary is an invitation to the reader to re-enter the dialogue between modernity and ideals.

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Book SynopsisThe Bible has a style that most people do not know and as a result they fail to understand what the Bible is saying. In many cases this causes them to misunderstand Judaism. Below are some examples. The Torah does not tell us everything and leaves much to the readers imagination. Stories often have other, unrelated stories mixed in regardless of the insertion not having any relationship to the main tale. Scripture frequently repeats itself. Most numbers in the Torah are arguably exaggerated to highlight the event. Repetition often seems to conflict with a prior description in a significant manner. Differences in spelling occur frequently. A good example is in the two versions of the Decalogue. We can only guess at the meaning of many biblical words. The Torah was divided into chapters by Christians. The Jews accepted most of these divisions even though they are not always rational. Rabbi Akiva, Rashi, most synagogue sermons, and others insist that the Torah is in divine language, with God saying exactly what God wants said. Rabbi Ishmael, Maimonides, ibn Ezra, and many others take the view of the Torah speaking in human language, with repetitions not teaching new lessons, but only repeated for emphasis or a similar reason. Some commentators, such as Nachmanides, are convinced that the Torah is composed in a mystical code. Scripture frequently, yet briefly describes an event, leaving out details, which it later adds when the story of the event is repeated. Both rabbis and scholars differ among themselves whether certain biblical stories or events are actually history or a dream or parable. One can better understand Biblical stories by comparing them with other similar tales in the Bible and outside the Bible. The numbers 3, 7, and 10 (being a combination of the first two), occur frequently.

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Book SynopsisSefer Bereishit -- the Book of Genesis -- relates the stories of our Patriarchs and Matriarchs. So little is known about their struggles and achievements, and their spiritual stature is beyond our comprehension. Nonetheless, the Torah invites each reader to attempt to understand -- inasmuch as the text allows -- the motivations and emotions of these great men and women so we may come to understand ourselves and strive to emulate them. Learning Torah must, first and foremost, begin with careful and close reading. Here to aid the English-speaker with such study, THROUGH THE PRISM is an original inquiry framed by observations from the great classic commentators as well as more recent scholars. This book attempts to transmit some of the richness of the language of the Torah -- its allusions as well as its wordplay -- so that the reader can begin to appreciate the unplumbed depths of its messages.

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Book SynopsisFrom New York Times bestselling author and pastor Timothy Keller, a book about facing the death of loved ones, as well as our own inevitable deathSignificant events such as birth, marriage, and death are milestones in our lives in which we experience our greatest happiness and our deepest grief. And so it is profoundly important to understand how to approach and experience these occasions with grace, endurance, and joy.In a culture that does its best to deny death, Timothy Keller--theologian and bestselling author--teaches us about facing death with the resources of faith from the Bible. With wisdom and compassion, Keller finds in the Bible an alternative to both despair or denial.A short, powerful book, On Death gives us the tools to understand the meaning of death within God's vision of life.

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Book SynopsisWhether on a national or a personal level, everyone has a complex relationship with their closest neighbors. Where are the borders? How much interaction should there be? How are conflicts solved? Ancient Israel was one of several small nations clustered in the eastern Mediterranean region between the large empires of Egypt and Mesopotamia in antiquity. Frequently mentioned in the Bible, these other small nations are seldom the focus of the narrative unless they interact with Israel. The ancient Israelites who produced the Hebrew Bible lived within a rich context of multiple neighbors, and this context profoundly shaped Israel. Indeed, it was through the influence of the neighboring people that Israel defined its own identity-in terms of geography, language, politics, religion, and culture.Ancient Israel''s Neighbors explores both the biblical portrayal of the neighboring groups directly surrounding Israel-the Canaanites, Philistines, Phoenicians, Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, and Arameans-and examines what we can know about these groups through their own literature, archaeology, and other sources. Through its analysis of these surrounding groups, this book will demonstrate in a direct and accessible manner the extent to which ancient Israelite identity was forged both within and against the identities of its close neighbors. Animated by the latest and best research, yet written for students, this book will invite readers into journey of scholarly discovery to explore the world of Israel''s identity within its most immediate ancient Near Eastern context.Trade ReviewReaders of BAR will doubtlessly enjoy this engaging, accessible, andaffordable introduction to ancient Israels closest neighbors. * Ann E. Killebrew, BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY SOCIETY *I highly recommend Doak's book to students looking for an outline of ancient Israel from ancient Near Eastern texts and archaeology that takes into consideration its neighbors. * Ronaldo da Silva, Berrien Springs, Michigan , Andrews University Seminary Studies *This is a study that many lecturers will want to include in their recommended texts. * Lester L. Grabbe, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament *Table of ContentsList of Figures Chapter One: Israel's Neighbors and the Problem of the Past Chapter Two: The Canaanites Chapter Three: The Arameans Chapter Four: The Ammonites Chapter Five: The Moabites Chapter Six: The Edomites Chapter Seven: The Philistines Chapter Eight: The Phoenicians Conclusion Sources and Research Tools

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Book SynopsisPaul and the Gentile Problem provides a new explanation for the apostle Paul''s statements about the Jewish law in his letters to the Romans and Galatians. Paul''s arguments against circumcision and the law in Romans 2 and his reading of Genesis 15-21 in Galatians 4:21-31 belong within a stream of Jewish thinking which rejected the possibility that gentiles could undergo circumcision and adopt the Jewish law, thereby becoming Jews. Paul opposes this solution to the gentile problem because he thinks it misunderstands how essentially hopeless the gentile situation remains outside of Christ. The second part of the book moves from Paul''s arguments against a gospel that requires gentiles to undergo circumcision and adoption of the Jewish law to his own positive account, based on his reading of the Abraham Narrative, of the way in which Israel''s God relates to gentiles. Having received the Spirit (pneuma) of Christ, gentiles are incorporated into Christ, who is the singular seed of AbrahamTrade ReviewThe answers that Thiessen offers to perennial Pauline puzzles are elegant in their simplicity, but they are embedded within a rich appreciation of the historical and methodological complexities of interpreting late Second Temple texts and traditions. As important as it is innovative, Paul and the Gentile Problem belongs on your bookshelf - and on your syllabus. * Paula Fredriksen, Reading Religion *Thiessen presents a rich volume in which he offers a systematic understanding of Paul's solution to 'the gentile problem.'...This is a bold volume, which certainly provides food for thought for further debates...[A] creative and stimulating contribution to the important conversation about the role of the apostle to the nations within his first century context. * The Enoch Seminar *Matthew Thiessen's re-reading of Paul - bold, learned, and comprehensive - presents an apostle compelled by his apocalyptic convictions to reimagine the relationship of the nations to Israel's god, to the patriarch Abraham, and to Abraham's seed, the Christ. Seemingly intractable passages of Galatians and of Romans shift suddenly into sharp focus. With Paul and the Gentile Problem, Thiessen moves New Testament scholarship into a new age. * Paula Fredriksen, Distinguished Visiting Professor of Comparative Religion, the Hebrew University, Jerusalem *Matthew Thiessen demonstrates the implications of reading Paul within Second Temple Judaism; moreover, he eschews the traditional impulse to find something wrong in Judaism to understand Paul. By maintaining a historically responsible reading of Paul, one that identifies his target audience as Christ-following non-Jews, Thiessen delivers on several central issues in Pauline studies, including how Paul defined his non-Jews as Abraham's seed and conceptualized their receipt of pneuma, identifying the so-called Jew in Romans 2, and decoding the enigmatic allegory of Galatians 4. Uniquely illuminating is Thiessen's interpretation of Paul's understanding of the promise to Abraham that his seed would be like the stars. * Mark D. Nanos, co-editor of Paul within Judaism: Restoring the First-Century Context to the Apostle *Drawing on his wide knowledge of ancient Judaism, Thiessen here reframes Paul's theology of his gentile mission, insisting that his polemics are directed only against gentiles attempting the impossible, not against Jews, Judaism, or Jewish practices as such. This combination of fresh thinking and deep research is exactly what we need: it generates many original proposals which are bound to provoke new and important debate. * John Barclay, Lightfoot Professor of Divinity, Durham University *This book poses a noteworthy challenge to traditional construals of the apostle's theology. The chapters are sequenced to build on one another ... this is a volume that deserves widespread attention. * John K. Goodrich, Religious Studies Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction Part One: Jewish Universalism and the Gentile Problem Chapter One: Jewish Solutions to the Gentile Problem Chapter Two: The Gentile Identity of the "So-Called Jew" in Romans Chapter Three: "Do You Not Hear the Law?" Part Two: Abraham's Seed and the Gentile Solution Chapter Four: Gentile Sons and Seed of Abraham Chapter Five: Abraham, the Promised Pneuma, and the Gentile Solution Conclusion

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Book SynopsisNidditch here deals with a wide spectrum of war ideologies in the Hebrew Bible, seeking to discover why and how these views might have made sense to biblical writers. She challenges the stereotype of the violent `Old'' Testament. She argues that to understand attitudes about war in the Hebrew Bible is to understand war in general, and how human beings attempt to justify killing and violence.Trade Review`a unique contribution ... I find Dr. Niditch's work thought-provoking and worthy of publication ... [it] provides new ways of thinking about biblical ideologies of war and should initiate useful debate on the issues.' Theodore Hiebert, Old Testament/Hebrew Bible Harvard Divinity School`both timely and instructive ... Susan Niditch argues her case well ...Susan Niditch has read very widely in the literature of war in general as well as within the Old Testament, and this increases the value of this study ... much to offer to all of our readers The Expository Times''Susan Niditch argues her case well ... Susan Niditch has read very widely in the literature of war in general as well as within the Old Testament, and this increases the value of this study.' The Expository Times, Volume 104, September 1993'intricately argued, scholarly and illuminating book' Lawrence Freedman, King's College, London, Manna, Spring 1994This is a short but dense book which creatively explores many of the differing traditions of war in te Bible...this is in my opinion probably the most sophisticated book on war in the Bible which I have had the pleasure of reading. It certainly should take its place alongside T.R. Hobbs's A Time for War: A Study of War in the Old Testament (Wilmington, Delaware, 1989) as one of the two indispensable books on the subject in biblical studies...Niditch has written amost interesting book, full of excellent insights into the text and containing much stimulating and provocative discussion of difficult texts. Journal of Theological Studies Vol 46 no 1

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Book SynopsisIn this paperback reprint (which includes a new Afterword, responding to critics), noted Rabbinic scholar David Weiss Halivni offers a new explanation for the willingness of the early Sages to attribute to scripture meanings nowhere suggested in the text itself. He posits a sharp discontinuity between what the sages considered a valid meaning and our own modern understanding of textual meaning. He argues that the original meaning of the very work peshat was actually context rather than literal meaning, thus explaining the Rabbis'' expressions of respect for peshat in the face of their evident unconcern for literal meaning in the text.Trade ReviewReviews from the hardback: Weiss Halivni's latest volume is ... particularly timely ... Weiss Halivni has given us a valuable tool for the understanding of rabbinic hermeneutics, and one which will interest all students of legal texts, literary hermeneutics, and scriptural method. * SOAS Bulletin *

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Book SynopsisThis re-examination of "Genesis" 1-11 is based on a strongly positive evaluation of the "Septuagint" as a reliable witness to the original Hebrew. The author presents evidence and gives his analysis as the first step towards an eclectic critical edition of the books of the Hebrew Bible.Trade ReviewHendel lucidly and sharply discusses general principles of textual criticism, in dialogue with the specialists, and applies these principles to the establishing of an 'eclectic' critical text of Genesis 1-11. There are many delightful nuggets. In many ways the book is a model which students learning textual criticism could profitably work with. * R.W.L. Moberly, Journal of Theological Studies, Vol.51 No.1 *

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Book SynopsisThe Kalacakratantra is the latest and most comprehensive Buddhist Tantra that is available in its original Sanskrit. This will be the first thorough academic work to be published on this Tantra. The Kalacakratantra''s five chapters are classified into three categories: Outer, Inner, and Other Kalacakratantra. The present work concentrates on the Inner Kalacakratantra, which deals with the nature of a human being. It focuses particularly on the second chapter of the Kalacakratantra, called ''The Chapter on the Individual''. Noting that this crucial chapter is closely related to the other chapters of this Tantra, however, Wallace discusses its topics in their relationship to the larger concepts of the Kalacakratantra''s view of the individual which is shown to be inseparable from its view of the universe, discussed in the first chapter. Similarly, the understanding of the person becomes clear only when examined in the light of the tantric yoga practices described in the third, fourth, anTrade ReviewThis book, which is the first scholarly overview of the Kalacakra to appear in a Western language, is an essential source not only for scholars of the Vajrayana, but for any scholar of Buddhism. Though written at the highest scholarly level, it is very readable, making it also an ideal source for pratitioners who wish to extend their knowledge of the Kalacakra system. Buddhist Studies ReviewWallace's immaculate work is outstanding not only in providing a broad outlook on the Buddhist context of the themes she explores, but also where the discussion takes her into other religious traditions. * Buddhist Studies Review *Ground-breaking research on the Kalacakra tradition ... Wallace's in-depth acquaintance with the Kalacakra literature and the Vimalaprabha in particular is reflected throughout the work in the detailed and illuminating cross-referencing which she provides. * Buddhist Studies Review *

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Book SynopsisThe Tibetan Book of the Dead is one of the texts that, according to legend, Padma-Sambhava was compelled to hide during his visit to Tibet in the late 8th century. The guru hid his books in stones, lakes, and pillars because the Tibetans of that day and age were somehow unprepared for their teachings. Now, in the form of the ever-popular Tibetan Book of the Dead, these teachings are constantly being discovered and rediscovered by Western readers of many different backgrounds--a phenomenon which began in 1927 with Oxford''s first edition of Dr. Evans-Wentz''s landmark volume. While it is traditionally used as a mortuary text, to be read or recited in the presence of a dead or dying person, this book--which relates the whole experience of death and rebirth in three intermediate states of being--was originally understood as a guide not only for the dead but also for the living. As a contribution to the science of death and dying--not to mention the belief in life after death, or the belieTrade ReviewDr. Evans-Wentz, who literally sat at the feet of a Tibetan lama for years in order to acquire his wisdom...not only displays a deeply sympathetic interest in those esoteric doctrines so characteristic of the genius of the East, but likewise possesses the rare faculty of making them more or less intelligible to the layman. * Anthropology (on the previous edition) *Table of ContentsForeword by Donald S Lopez Jr ; Suggested Readings ; Preface to the 1960 Paperback edition ; Preface to the Third Edition ; Preface to the Second Edition ; Preface to the First Edition ; Book I, Part I: The Bardo of the Moments of Death ; Book I, Part II: The Bardo of the Experiencing of Reality ; Book II, Part I: The Sidpa Bardo ; Book II, Part II: The Process of Rebirth ; Afterword: The Long Life of 'The Tibetan Book of the Dead' by Donald S Lopez Jr. ; Index

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