Criticism and exegesis of sacred texts Books

Book SynopsisAs the Bible tells us, ancient Israel''s neighbours worshipped a wide variety of Gods. It is now widely accepted that the Israelites'' God, Yahweh, must have originated as among these many, before assuming the role of the one true God of monotheism. Mark Smith here seeks to discover more precisely what was meant by ''divinity'' in the ancient near-East, and how these concepts apply to Yahweh. Part One of the book offers a detailed examination of the deities of ancient Ugarit, known to us from the large surviving group of relevant extra-biblical texts. In Part Two, Smith looks closely at four classic problems associated with four Ugaritic deities, and considers how they affect our understanding of Yahweh. At the end of the book he returns to the question of Israelite monotheism, seeking to discover what religious issues it addressed, and why it made sense at the time of its emergence. He argues that within the Bible, monotheism is not a separate ''stage'' of religion but rather represenTrade ReviewIt is...a valuable book...The substantial introduction alone is a notable achievement of reflection upon the questions of method which such a study raises. * Graham Davies, Journal of Theological Studies *

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Book SynopsisThrough a close and critical reading of biblical texts, ancient history, and recent archeological discoveries, Steven L. McKenzie concludes that David was indeed a real person. This David was not the humble shepherd who slew Goliath and became king, however, but was a usurper, adulterer, and murderer--a Middle Eastern despot of a familiar type. McKenzie shows that the story of humble beginnings is utterly misleading: shepherd is a metaphor for king, and David came from a wealthy, upper-class background. Similarly, McKenzie reveals how David''s ascent to power, traditionally attributed to popularity and divine blessing, in fact resulted from a campaign of terror and assassination. While instituting a full-blown Middle Eastern monarchy, David was an aggressive leader, a devious politician, and a ruthless war chief. Throughout his scandalous reign, important figures who stood in his way died at convenient times, under questionable circumstances. Even his own sons were not spared. David''sTrade ReviewMcKenzie is little short of brilliant. * The New York Times Book Review *A provocative look at a complex biblical figure....McKenzie uses biblical texts and recent archaeological discoveries to paint a searing portrait of the 'real' King David. * The Sunday Star-Ledger *[A] remarkable book....McKenzie brings to bear all the analytical tools of the modern historian....We see a darker and more realistic David and a more troubling biblical history..... McKenzie's portrait of David is both convincing and disturbing. * Bible Review *Mckenzie...uses historical analysis of the texts, augmented by archaeology and the immense body of scholarship about the ancient Middle East, to create a plausible real-life portrait of the figure who gets more space in the Bible than anybody, Moses and Jesus included....A spirited analysis. * The Fayetteville Observer *The conventional, laudatory image of David as a simple shepherd boy who courageously slew Goliath and rose to become Israel's greatest king despite some human failings is disputed by McKenzie. * Publishers Weekly *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Images: The Need for a Biography of David; 1. Was there a historical David? Extrabiblical Sources; 2. Royal Propaganda: The Bible's Account of David's Life; 3. Was David a Shepherd? David's origins and youth; 4. Who killed whom? The Goliath story and David's career as a soldier; 5. Holy terrorist: David and his outlaw band; 6. Assassin: David's reign as King of Judah; 7. The cost of kingship: the policies and changes of David's administration; 8. Like father, like son: the Bathsheba Affair and Absolom's revolt; 9. Poetic justice: the last days of King David; 10. Finished portrait: a synopsis

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Book SynopsisMore people read the Bible than any other book. Indeed, many try to live their lives according to its words. The question is, do they understand what they''re reading? As Steven McKenzie shows in this provocative book, quite often the answer is, No. McKenzie argues that to comprehend the Bible we must grasp the intentions of the biblical authors themselves--what sort of texts they thought they were writing and how they would have been understood by their intended audience. In short, we must recognize the genres to which these texts belong. McKenzie examines several genres that are typically misunderstood, offering careful readings of specific texts to show how the confusion arises, and how knowing the genre produces a correct reading. The book of Jonah, for example, offers many clues that it is meant as a humorous satire, not a straight-faced historical account of a man who was swallowed by a fish. Likewise, McKenzie explains that the very names Adam and Eve tell us that these are notTrade Review...the author has produced a worthwhile taster for the fruits of the historical-critical method and How to Read the Bible would be a valuable textbook to accompany biblical studies introductory modules. * Paul Middleton, Theology *...a remarkably readable, balanced, and clear set of arguments that can appeal as much to the non-theologian as to the biblical scholar...a very useful book, which this reviewer can warmly recommend to anyone interested in finding out how to read the Bible. * Reviews in Religion and Theology *Table of ContentsIntroduction JONAH AND GENRE Chapter One - NOT EXACTLY AS IT HAPPENED: Historiography in the Bible Chapter Two - FORTHTELLING, NOT FORETELLING: Biblical Prophecy Chapter Three - LIFE'S REAL QUESTIONS: Wisdom Literature in the Bible Chapter Four - NOT THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT: Apocalyptic Literature in the Bible Chapter Five - ISSUES IN THE CHURCHES: The Letters of the New Testament Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisAs the bible tells us, ancient Israel''s neighbours worshipped a wide variety of gods. It is now widely accepted that the Israelites'' God, Yahweh, must have originated as one among these many, before assuming the role of the one true God of monotheism. Mark Smith here seeks to discover more precisely what was meant by divinity in the ancient near-East, and how these concepts apply to Yahweh. Part One of the book offers a detailed examination of the deities of ancient Ugarit, known to us from the largest surviving group of relevant extra-biblical texts. In Part Two, Smith looks closely at four classic problems associated with four Ugaritic deities, and considers how they affect our understanding of Yahweh. At the end of the book he returns to the question of Israelite monotheism, seeking to discover what religious issues it addressed and why it made sense at the time of its emergence. He argues that within the Bible, monotheism is not a separate stage of religion but rather represents a kind of rhetoric reinforcing Israel''s exclusive relation with its deity.Trade Review"Brilliant, well-documented, well-organized, and very discomforting. Biblical scholars now recognize that in the pre-exilic era Asherah worship, infant sacrifice, solar veneration, and other religious practices attacked by biblical authors represented normal Israelite worship, while monotheism was a late development in the Babylonian Exile and subsequent years. Smith and others led the charge in this new scholarly perception of Israelite religion. But with this volume Smith has thrown down a gauntlet to challenge our understandings even more. Smith has produced a seminal work with which scholars must come to grips for years."--Journal of Hebrew Scriptures

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Book SynopsisThis essential alphabetical guide offers approximately 325 articles that describe people and places that appear in the New Testament and Hebrew Bible, from prophets, apostles, and groups (such as Hebrews, Angels) to kingdoms and countries and cities and mountains where biblical events took place.Trade Review...a quick, concise up-to-date reference tool that should find its way onto many a library's and student's shelves. * Religion and Theology *

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Book SynopsisAccording to an old tradition preserved in the Palestinian Targums, the Hebrew Bible is ''the Book of Memories.'' The sacred past recalled in the Bible serves as a model and wellspring for the present. The remembered past, says Ronald Hendel, is the material with which biblical Israel constructed its identity as a people, a religion, and a culture. In Israel''s formative years, these memories circulated orally in the context of family and tribe. Over time they came to be crystallized in various written texts. The Hebrew Bible is a vast compendium of writings, spanning a thousand-year period from roughly the twelfth to the second century BCE, and representing perhaps a small slice of the writings of that period. The texts are often overwritten by later texts, creating a complex pastiche of text, reinterpretation and commentary. The religion and culture of ancient Israel are expressed by these texts, and in no small part, also created by them, as various texts formulate new or altered coTrade ReviewHendal has written a lucid and cogently argued book...Hendal has not simply made the case for the relevance of collective memory, but has demonstrated its potential to yield new insights into Israel's book of memories. * Martien A. Halvorson-Taylor Journal of American Academy of Religion *

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Trade ReviewThis volume is a treasure house from which one may draw riches old and new. As an Orthodox priest, Pentiuc is immersed in his ancient tradition; as a biblical scholar he is au courant with the methods and controversies of 21st-century scholarship - a rare combination indeed. He builds on solid historical and textual foundations to urge the church forward. The book offers the clearest, most complete, and most accessible treatment in English of topics such as the Orthodox use of the Septuagint, the canon, and issues around the 'apocrypha,' not to mention its analysis of scripture in the liturgy. * Leslie Baynes, Religion *Both the study and usage of the Old Testament in the Orthodox tradition is undervalued in academic circles today, and Fr. Eugen s work will serve as an authoritative and much-needed work. A noted expert in both Semitic languages and Old Testament studies, Fr. Eugen s unique blend of scholarly finesse and fidelity to Orthodox tradition makes The Old Testament in Eastern Orthodox Tradition a book worthy of our closest attention. * On Behalf of All *In this extraordinarily learned book, Pentiuc sheds much-needed light on an often neglected aspect of the history of interpretation of the Bible. Appropriately, he discusses not just texts, but ritual and art as well, so that reading his book is like walking into a lavishly ornamented Eastern Orthodox church where the Divine Liturgy is being celebrated. This view from the inside is an invaluable contribution. * Michael Coogan, editor of The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Books of the Bible *This work is a major event: the first comprehensive and thorough analysis of the role of the Old Testament in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, written by the foremost Eastern Orthodox scholar of Scripture, internationally respected within both Church and Academy alike. Opening up the scriptural culture of Eastern Orthodoxy in all its dimensions, this illuminating volume will richly reward every reader. * V. Rev. Dr. John Behr, Dean and Professor of Patristics, St. Vladimir's Seminary *Table of ContentsContents ; Preface and Acknowledgments ; Abbreviations ; Part I. Reception ; 1. One Bible, Two Covenants ; 2. Text ; 3. Canon ; 4. Tradition ; Part II. Interpretation ; 5. Discursive ; 6. Aural ; 7. Visual ; Postscript ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisThis book explores a new model for the production, revision, and reception of Biblical texts as Scripture. Building on recent studies of the oralwritten interface in medieval, Greco-Roman and ancient Near Eastern contexts, David Carr argues that in ancient Israel Biblical texts and other texts emerged as a support for an educational process in which written and oral dimensions were integrally intertwined. The point was not incising and reading texts on parchment or papyrus. The point was to enculturate ancient Israelites -- particularly Israelite elites - by training them to memorize and recite a wide range of traditional literature that was seen as the cultural bedrock of the people: narrative, prophecy, prayer, and wisdom. Generally, mastery was exercised through remarkably exact recall and reproduction of the tradition - whether through oral performance or through production of written performances. Crises like exile, however, could prompt the creation of radically new versions of tTrade ReviewIn Writing on the Tablet of the Heart David Carr draws on a vast range of evidence to explore writing and the socialization of elites in the ancient Near East and the Hellenistic world. This impressive work contributes vitally to breaking down the distinction between literacy and orality which has often clouded discussions of cultural and administrative institutions in the ancient world, and reaches significant conclusions that will have an impact far beyond its core area of Biblical Studies. * John Baines, Professor of Egyptology, University of Oxford *David Carr's Writing on the Tablet of the Heart provides a fresh and highly readable account of the contexts and conditions which progressively shaped ancient Israel's textual heritage as scripture. Carr adroitly employs an impressively broad range of comparative and theoretical perspectives to argue for the centrality of an oral-written textual practice in the educational process of cultural formation and socialization in elite Israelite circles. While this book is must reading for students and scholars of the Hebrew Bible, both in its literary formation and social reception, Carr's reach extends to other cultural fields in which orality and textuality are performatively bound. * Steven D. Fraade, Mark Taper Professor of the History of Judaism, Yale University *David Carr has given us an extremely thorough study of the modes of textual transmission that has far-reaching implications for our study of the Pentateuch and the composition of biblical literature. Using a comparative and anthropological approach, Writing on the Tablet of the Heart breaks new ground in understanding the implications of orality and literacy in the formation of Scripture. This well-written and carefully researched book deserves to be a standard work for anyone interested in the Bible. * William Schniedewind, author of How the Bible Became a Book *[Carr] integrates so many good ideas together into a coherent synthesis that this will become a classic text worth quoting. His arguments are compelling. The author has brought old insights into a comprehensive synthesis and given us new perspectives, or "handles," by which to focus our attention on the greater picture of writing, literacy, scribes, and literary texts in the ancient world. * Catholic Biblical Quarterly *Exceptionally erudite and readable. Biblical scholars will need to seriously consider this well laid out challenge to the generally accepted theories of documentary sources. * Review of Biblical Literature *Table of ContentsPART ONE: EARLY EXAMPLES OF TEXTUALITY AND EDUCATION IN THE NEAR EAST AND MEDITERRANEAN ; PART TWO: TEXTUALITY AND EDUCATION IN THE EASTERN HELLENISTIC WORLD ; APPENDIX: THE RELATION OF THIS STUDY TO EARLIER RESEARCH

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Book SynopsisMcKenzie argues that to comprehend the Bible we must grasp the intentions of the biblical authors themselveswhat sort of texts they thought they were writing and how they would have been understood by their intended audience. In short, we must recognize the genres to which these texts belong. McKenzie examines several genres that are typically misunderstood, offering careful readings of specific texts to show how the confusion arises, and how knowing the genreproduces a correct reading. The book of Jonah, for example, offers many clues that it is meant as a humorous satire, not a straight-faced historical account of a man who was swallowed by a fish. Likewise, McKenzie explains that the very names "Adam" and "Eve" tell us that these are not historicalcharacters, but figures who symbolize human origins ("Adam" means man , "Eve" is related to the word for life ). Similarly, the authors of apocalyptic textsincluding the Book of Revelationwere writing allegories of events that were happeniTrade Review"Thoughtfully considered and ably written, this book is highly recommended for all libraries." --Library Journal "Steven L. McKenzie offers a fresh take on the ancient texts of the Bible and allows us to see the familiar biblical landscape in wholly new and illuminating ways. How to Read the Bible is authoritative and provocative, often witty and always insightful and illuminating, an essential tool for modern readers of the Jewish and Christian scriptures." --Jonathan Kirsch, author of God Against the Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism and The Harlot by the Side of the Road: Forbidden Tales of the Bible "In order to determine what the Bible means, we must first determine the intentions of its authors, intentions expressed in the literary genres they used. In his examination of several genres used in the Bible, McKenzie demonstrates through detailed analysis how the identification of genre is as necessary for the understanding of biblical literature as it is of any literature. An important and insightful book." --Michael D. Coogan, editor of The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Third Edition, and The Oxford History of the Biblical World "Thoughtfully considered and ably written, this book is highly recommended for all libraries."--Library Journal "Steven L. McKenzie offers a fresh take on the ancient texts of the Bible and allows us to see the familiar biblical landscape in wholly new and illuminating ways. How to Read the Bible is authoritative and provocative, often witty and always insightful and illuminating, an essential tool for modern readers of the Jewish and Christian scriptures." --Jonathan Kirsch, author of God Against the Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism and The Harlot by the Side of the Road: Forbidden Tales of the Bible "In order to determine what the Bible means, we must first determine the intentions of its authors, intentions expressed in the literary genres they used. In his examination of several genres used in the Bible, McKenzie demonstrates through detailed analysis how the identification of genre is as necessary for the understanding of biblical literature as it is of any literature. An important and insightful book."--Michael D. Coogan, editor of The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Third Edition, and The Oxford History of the Biblical World "How to Read the Bible is a role model of its kind. Steven L. McKenzie, a rising star in our field, has 'squared the circle' and delivered a book that blends serious up-to-date scholarship with a simple, straightforward style aimed at an intelligent but non-scholarly audience. At the same time, I would add a hint to scholars: We could read the book to advantage and pick up pointers on the latest wrinkles in our field of study, along with ways and means to improve our own presentation. Approaching the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) in terms of its types or categories of literature, the author explains and illustrates from the text of the Bible. While the book is an introductory survey, he samples the literature successfully and treats in detail selected stories and representative passages from the historical, prophetic, and wisdom books of the Old Testament." --David Noel Freedman, author of The Nine Commandments: Uncovering the Hidden Pattern of Crime and "Thoughtfully considered and ably written, this book is highly recommended for all libraries."--Library Journal "Steven L. McKenzie offers a fresh take on the ancient texts of the Bible and allows us to see the familiar biblical landscape in wholly new and illuminating ways. How to Read the Bible is authoritative and provocative, often witty and always insightful and illuminating, an essential tool for modern readers of the Jewish and Christian scriptures." --Jonathan Kirsch, author of God Against the Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism and The Harlot by the Side of the Road: Forbidden Tales of the Bible "In order to determine what the Bible means, we must first determine the intentions of its authors, intentions expressed in the literary genres they used. In his examination of several genres used in the Bible, McKenzie demonstrates through detailed analysis how the identification of genre is as necessary for the understanding of biblical literature as it is of any literature. An important and insightful book."--Michael D. Coogan, editor of The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Third Edition, and The Oxford History of the Biblical World "How to Read the Bible is a role model of its kind. Steven L. McKenzie, a rising star in our field, has 'squared the circle' and delivered a book that blends serious up-to-date scholarship with a simple, straightforward style aimed at an intelligent but non-scholarly audience. At the same time, I would add a hint to scholars: We could read the book to advantage and pick up pointers on the latest wrinkles in our field of study, along with ways and means to improve our own presentation. Approaching the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) in terms of its types or categories of literature, the author explains and illustrates from the text of the Bible. While the book is an introductory survey, he samples the literature successfully and treats in detail selected stories and representative passages from the historical, prophetic, and wisdom books of the Old Testament." --David Noel Freedman, author of The Nine Commandments: Uncovering the Hidden Pattern of Crime andTable of ContentsIntroduction ; JONAH AND GENRE ; Chapter One ; NOT EXACTLY AS IT HAPPENED ; Historiography in the Bible ; Chapter Two ; FORTHTELLING, NOT FORETELLING ; Biblical Prophecy ; Chapter Three ; LIFE'S REAL QUESTIONS ; Wisdom Literature in the Bible ; Chapter Four ; NOT THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT ; Apocalyptic Literature in the Bible ; Chapter Five ; ISSUES IN THE CHURCHES ; The Letters of the New Testament ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisFrom creationism to The God Delusion, the public dialogue of science and religion either uses the early chapters of Genesis in a naïve and simplistic way or rejects their relevance to contemporary questions. This is reinforced by the myth that Darwin caused a rejection of a literalistic reading of Genesis 1 and from that point most Christian theology lost any confidence in these texts. The truth is far more complex. Jewish and Christian interpretation of the early chapters of Genesis had a long a fruitful history from the earliest times. In the 19th century, many more important issues were at stake than biblical literalism, and there were many different interpretations of how the discoveries of Darwin helped or hindered the reading of the biblical text. Today, theologians are returning to the importance of Genesis as a partner in dialogue with science, gender, and environmental care. As the distinguished authors of the papers in this volume show, far from Darwin burying these ancient tTrade ReviewIt's a strange world when science can be used to dismiss the Bible, or when the Bible can be used to reject science - strange because God's people have long affirmed that the world and the Bible comprise God's Two Books. The challenge, then, is how to read the pages of both faithfully and to discern in their coordinated witness the character and aims of God. For its willingness to take up this challenge, and to do so accessibly and sensibly, Reading Genesis after Darwin is a genuinely important book. In their sketches of how Genesis was read before, during, and after the days of Darwin, these authors demonstrate how people might take the natural sciences seriously and continue to turn to Genesis 1-3 as sacred scripture. * Joel B. Green, author of Body, Soul, and Human Life: The Nature of Humanity in the Bible (2008). *Table of ContentsACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; CONTRIBUTORS; INTRODUCTION; STEPHEN C. BARTON AND DAVID WILKINSON; PART 1: ENGAGING AGAIN WITH THE SCRIPTURES; WALTER MOBERLY; FRANCIS WATSON; ANDREW LOUTH; RICHARD S. BRIGGS; PART 2: UNDERSTANDING THE HISTORY; JOHN ROGERSON; JOHN HEDLEY BROOKE; DAVID BROWN; EXPLORING THE CONTEMPORARY RELEVANCE; DAVID WILKINSON; DAVID CLOUGH; JEFF ASTLEY; STEPHEN C. BARTON; ELLEN F. DAVIS; MATHEW GUEST; INDEX OF MODERN AUTHORS

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Book SynopsisThis is the first comprehensive study of the Greek word ''''diakonia,'''' from which the word ''''deacon'''' is derived. Diakonia and its cognates appear frequently throughout the New Testament, but its precise meaning has long been disputed. Today, it is usually translated ''''service'''' or ''''ministry.'''' As Collins shows, this understanding of diakonia has been important to the development of a modern consensus about the nature of Christian ministry. Based on the understanding that diakonia is ''''service'''' and that the diakonos (deacon) is a ''''servant,'''' nearly all Christian bodies today agree that the central idea of ministry is that of helping the needy, and that the ''''servant'''' church should be humbly devoted to helping the world, after the model of Jesus. Collins conducts an exhaustive study of diakonia in Christian and non-Christian sources from about 200 BCE to 200 CE. He finds that in all such sources the word is used to mean ''''messenger'''' or ''''emissary,''Trade Review'Now John N. Collins has challenged the nineteenth and early twentieth century definitions and has supplied us with a whole gamet of rich associations.' * Distinctive Diacarate *'A significant contribution to the field of New Testament studies that is both solid and illuminating. It will clear the deck for new examinations of how the church needs to understand and order its ministry if it wishes to take the New Testament sources seriously.' * John Koenig, General Theological Seminary *'Challenging and thought-provoking' * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *'Will be interesting for scholars of classical and early Christian writings who are concerned to trace the use of a particular word in a variety of contexts.' * Theological Book Review *'Collins results are doubly important: both a convincing reading of the range of meanings of these words and a clear warning against an overzealous and premature attempt to make lexical study relevant. One will learn much...from the general results and particular observations.' * Patristics *'A very full and thorough survey of texts drawn from pagan and rabbinic, as well as Christian literature that might throw light on what the early Christians really meant by diakonia and its derivatives....The author combines the virtue of detailed scholarship with a vision for the future....Students will be grateful for the author's solid and illuminating survey of the various meanings givenin New Testament times and just after to the term diakonia, and may be encouraged to apply these in the church today.'' * Theology *'This is a challenging book....Collins raises important questions about how we understand the diakon- words....Though it may alter some routinely accepted expositions of our time, Collins' scholarship could also enrich and expand current understandings and expectations of ministry.' * Lutheran Partners *Table of ContentsI. ASSUMPTIONS; CONCLUSION; II. NON-CHRISTIAN SOURCES; III. FIRST CHRISTIAN WRITINGS; AFTERWORD; NOTES; APPENDIX I; APPENDIX II; APPENDIX III; ABBREVIATIONS; INDEX OF SOURCES; INDEX OF OTHER GREEK TERMS; INDEX OF AUTHORS

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Book SynopsisFrom the simple and beautiful language of the prose tale, to the verbal fireworks of the dialogue between Job and his friends, to the haunting beauty of the poem on wisdom and the sublime poetics of the divine speeches, this book provides an intense encounter with the aesthetic resources of Hebrew verbal art. In this brilliant new study, Carol Newsom illuminates the relation between the aesthetic forms of the book and the claims made by its various characters. Her innovative approach makes possible a new understanding of the unity of the book of Job; she rejects the dismantling of the book by historical criticism and the flattening of the text that characterizes certain final form readings.Trade ReviewThis book offers an insightful reading of Job and conceptually advances the understanding of modes of expression of Iraelite religious thought. * Old Testament Abstracts *This approach results in a extraordinary reading of Job, both methodologically and substantively. Newsom does not pretend to resolve all the interpretive cruxes, but to put the conversation on a firm footing, and she succeeds admirably.... readers who engage Job under her guidance will find themselves grappling indirectly with its moral and even its pastoral implications. This is the kind of interpretation that gets to the heart of the matter and makes a real difference--criticism in the best sense of the word. * Anglican Theological Review *Carol Newsom's magnificent analysis of the book of Job from the perspective of modern hermeneutics, and propelled by the theme of the moral imagination, is destined to become a classic. Her deft handling of the interpretive tradition, her choice of guides--e.g., Mikhail Bakhtin, Wayne Booth, Emmanuel Levinas, Paul Ricoeur, Martha Nussbaum, Alasdair MacIntyre--and her engagement with the biblical text in all its complexity are a joy to behold. * James L. Crenshaw, Robert L. Flowers Professor of the Old Testament, Duke University *Carol Newsom's study of Job is an insightful and provocative reading of that most difficult of biblical books. By combining literary-critical and postmodern methodologies, she significantly advances our interpretation of the book of Job, solving many problems that earlier treatments have not. This is a major and substantial contribution, lucid in both argument and style. Future work on Job will have to begin where Newsom leaves off. * Michael D. Coogan, Editor, The New Oxford Annotated Bible, The Oxford History of the Biblical World, and The Oxford Companion to the Bible *Carol Newsom's new book raises the level of discourse on the discourse of the Book of Job to a higher plane. Rarely has such literary sophistication been applied to a Biblical text with such clarity and moment. We are led to read the different parts of Job and the different voices given expression within them in dialogue with each other, without privileging one over the other. Drawing (ever critically) on the work of Bakhtin and several other theorists and critics, Newsom makes a powerful argument for an active reading of Job that is intensely engaged both textually and morally. No serious reader of Job will pass over Newsom's book, and no reader of the book will ever be the same. Readers may well find it, as I did, a milestone in their education. A tour de force and a major contribution to Biblical interpretation. * Edward L. Greenstein, Professor of Bible, Tel Aviv University *Table of ContentsCONTENTS; ABBREVIATIONS; CONCLUSION; NOTES; BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDEX

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Book SynopsisJerome was one of the very few early Christian scholars to know any Hebrew. This is an introduction, translation, and commentary of his questions on Genesis - showing a Christian working alongside Jews in an age very different from our own.Trade Reviewas accurate and as elegant as a real translation can be, and his ample notes do much to fulfil his professed desire to be of use to "students of Patristica and Judaica". The work will be particularly valuable to those who wish to know more of the relations in the fourth century between Christendom and Jewry... * Journal of Jewish Studies *CTR Hayward has now published the first English Translation of QHG. He has also provided us with a detailed commentary...I very much welcome his contribution, and hope that it will provide some incentive for others to look at Jerome's other commentaries from a similar vantage point. * The Journal of Theological Studies. *Innovative work. * Theology Digest. *The most important reaction to Hayward's book is to be grateful that he has translated such an important text and fortified his rendering with so much helpful material. The commentary is truly impressive, although he mentions in the Preface that much more could have been written. * James C Vanderkam, Journal of Semitic Studies, vol.42, no.1, 1997 *Hayward has translated it clearly, and provided a commentary showing exactly what renderings Jerome was contesting and where the traditions he was drawing on can be found. It is a mine of information on patristic and Jewish exegesis. * Roger Tomes, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 76 (1997) *Hayward's translation is clear and his extended commentary rivals Jerome in the reach of its learning ... Thanks to Hayward, we can fully appreciate Jerome's original and critical use of Jewish texts on Genesis. * Speculum - A Journal of Medieval Studies *

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Book SynopsisVerbal aspect is a significant element to be considered when interpreting a number of New Testament texts. This book surveys ways in which verbal aspect has been treated in the past century, and discusses what aspect is and how it functions in New Testament Greek. It provides a comprehensive, up-to-date analysis of the aspects of present, aorist, and perfect in New Testament Greek, and pulls together the results of research from a wide variety of linguistic studies. In his study Dr Fanning analyses the specific ways in which the aspects combine with linguistic and contextual features to produce various secondary meanings. He cites extensive sections of New Testament Greek as illustrative evidence, thus presenting a new approach which is a significant improvement on previous treatments and which will prove invaluable to interpreters of New Testament texts.Trade ReviewIt is obviously a work for specialists, clearly written, and could be followed by anyone interested in the grammatical details of the Greek New Testament. The wealth of excerpts make it a useful reference work in New Testament exegesis. * Robert Morgan, Linacre College, Oxford, Theological Book Review, Vol. 3, No.2, January 1991 *He has produced an outstanding account of aspect in New Testament Greek; those who agree with him are encouraged to refine his analysis; while those who desagree are challenged to produce an alternative that is as rich and insightful. * Bernard Comrie, University of Southern California *Dr Fanning has placed us in his debt with this masterly study... of what he prefers to call `verbal aspect'... F. exhibits exceptional thoroughness. The book is pleasing in both English and Greek type-founts, misprints are few, the bibliography is impressive, the indexes are good, and, happily, the footnotes are footnotes. * A.R. Birley, The Classical Review, vol XLI, no 2, 1991. *For his having revitalized New Testament grammatical study in one significant area we express our admiration and thanks. I suspect that once the general theme of the book has been understood, it will be used as a reference book by those who are attentive to aspect and tense in their reading of the Greek text. The index of Biblical passages will therefore be the main entrée to the rich discussions and descriptions preceding it. * J.K. Elliott, Novum Testamentum XXXIV, 1 (1992) *A comprehensive study of aspect based upon a large corpus of evidence and taking account of the extensive modern literature that has accumulated on the topic is highly welcome. A brief summary of this nature cannot do full justice to the rich collection of material and the comprehensive nature of the discussion found in this book. Particularly worthy of mention are the discussions of the lexical nature of certain verbs. * David Bain, University of Manchester *This book contains much to interest and instruct. Dr Fanning gives expert guidance through a maze of technical terms in at least four languages ... the argument and presentation are clear and systematic throughout the book, and the way is enlivened by stimulating comments on illustrative passages. * G.M. Styler, Journal of Theological Studies, Vol. 44, No. 1, April 1993 *invaluable to teachers of Greek NT ... This highly technical book belongs in reference libraries wherever Greek is taught. * Robert F. Hull, Jr. Emmanuel School of Religion, Johnson City, Religious Studies Review, Volume 19, Number 3 / July 1993 *Table of ContentsDefinition of verbal aspect; the meaning of the verbal aspects in New Testament Greek; the effect of inherent meaning and other elements on aspectual function; the aspects in the indicative mood; the aspects in commands and prohibitions; the aspects in other non-indicative forms of the verb.

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Book SynopsisThis book provides information from Church history concerning the recognition of the canonical status of the several books of the New Testament. Canonization was a long and gradual process of sifting among scores of gospels, epistles, and other books that enjoyed local and temporary authority - some of which have only recently come to light among the discoveries of Nag Hammadi. After discussing the external pressures that led to the fixing of the limits of the canon, the author gives sustained attention to Patristic evidence that bears on the development of the canon not only in the West but also among the Eastern Churches, including the Syrian, Armenian, Georgian, Coptic, and Ethiopian. Besides considering differences as to the sequence of the books in the New Testament, Dr Metzger takes up such questions as which form of text is to be regarded as canonical; whether the canon is open or closed; to what extent a canon should be sought within the canon; and whether the canon is a collecTrade ReviewMetzger's opinions throughout are judicious and moderate... The richly detailed factual information carefully organized here, and the bibliographical footnotes will make this a volume of continuing benefit and lasting value. * Journal of Theological Studies *this book is of great value, not only as a careful survey of the issues historically but also as a contribution to the current scene. * American Historical Review *this volume, along with [Metzger's] earlier books on the text and early versions, is destined to become the standard in this field. * Restoration Quarterly *

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Book SynopsisThe Early Text of the New Testament aims to examine and assess from our earliest extant sources the most primitive state of the New Testament text now known. What sort of changes did scribes make to the text? What is the quality of the text now at our disposal? What can we learn about the nature of textual transmission in the earliest centuries? In addition to exploring the textual and scribal culture of early Christianity, this volume explores the textual evidence for all the sections of the New Testament. It also examines the evidence from the earliest translations of New Testament writings and the citations or allusions to New Testament texts in other early Christian writers.Trade ReviewThis expansive yet detailed treatment of data and sources consists of 21 expert contributions divided into three parts. ... The most obvious strengths of this volume are its conceptual and structural clarity, the breadth and depth of its treatment, and the diversity of approaches taken in presenting and analyzing the manuscript evidence for each book or corpus. The expertise of the contributors taken together with the concise, dense and meticulously referenced treatments of each category of evidence make it the go-to source for anyone interested in this facet of early Christianity or this period of New Testament textual history. * William L. Kelly, The Expository Times *Table of ContentsI. THE TEXTUAL AND SCRIBAL CULTURE OF EARLY CHRISTIANITY; II. THE MANUSCRIPT TRADITION; III. EARLY CITATION/USE OF NEW TESTAMENT WRITINGS

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Book SynopsisWho is Israel? Who were the priestly authors of the Pentateuch? This anthropological reading of the Bible, by a world-renowned scholar, starts by asking why the Book of Numbers lists the twelve tribes of Israel seven times. Mary Douglas argues that the editors, far from being a separate elite unconcerned with their congregation''s troubles, cherished a political agenda, a religious protest against the government of Judah''s exclusionary policies. The priestly theology depends on God''s Covenant with all the descendants of Jacob, including the sons of Joseph. It would have been unpatriotic, even subversive, to speak against the wars with Samaria. This book suggest an explanation of the editors'' disappearance from the history of Israel.Trade Reviewa brilliant synthesis of literary, historical and anthropological perspectives in understanding the priestly contribution ... a stimulating hypothesis and an insightful engagement with the particular emphases of the priestly work. * Bernon Lee, Journal of Hebrew Scriptures *a brilliant and compelling thesis...this is an excellent and thought provoking book. * Evangelical Quarterly *Table of ContentsI. THE LEGACY OF JACOB'S SONS ; 1. Counting Jacob's twelve sons ; 2. Jacob weeping for Joseph ; II. WHO IS 'ALL ISRAEL'? ; 3. Ezra redefines all Israel as Judah ; 4. Balaam delivers God's blessings on all Israel ; III. BEFORE AND AFTER EXILE: THE GAP IN LEARNING ; 5. Problems in reading the priestly books ; 6. The body/house cosmogram ; IV. MAGIC AND MONOTHEISM ; 7. Uncleanness and taboo draw the lines of the world ; 8. One God, no ancestors, in a world renewed

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Book SynopsisThe Oxford Handbooks series is a major new initiative in academic publishing. Each volume offers an authoritative and up-to-date survey of original research in a particular subject area. Specially commissioned essays from leading figures in the discipline give critical examinations of the progress and direction of debates. Biblical studies is a highly technical and diverse field. Study of the Bible demands expertise in fields ranging from Archaeology, Egyptology, Assyriology, and Linguistics through textual, historical, and sociological studies to Literary Theory, Feminism, Philosophy, and Theology, to name only some. This authoritative and compelling guide to the discipline will, therefore, be an invaluable reference work for all students and academics who want to explore more fully essential topics in Biblical studies.Trade ReviewThe present exhaustive volume offers an up-to-date comprehensive survey of Biblical studies at the beginning of the twenty-first century. * Christoph Stenschke, Dharma Deepika *This substantial collection of essays provides a good survey to current Biblical Studies... The arrangement of the articles as well as the focus of the volume raises a number of interesting issues for evangelical readers. * Christoph Stenschke, European Journal of Theology *...this volume succeeds not only its breadth, but also in the high quality of its essays, making this handbook the likely standard for many years to come in the area of biblical studies...Rogerson and Lieu have provided an excellent resource for biblical scholars that constitutes the most up-to-date and comprehensive handbook of its kind. * Michael J. Kruger The Expository Times *Table of ContentsI. ON THE DISCIPLINE ; II. LANGUAGES, TRANSLATION, AND TEXTUAL TRANSMISSION OF THE BIBLE ; III. HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL STUDY OF THE BIBLE ; IV. THE COMPOSITION OF THE BIBLE ; V. METHODS IN BIBLICAL SCHOLARSHIP ; VI. THE INTERPRETATION OF THE BIBLE ; VII. THE AUTHORITY OF THE BIBLE

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Book SynopsisWhat are Christians saying when they call the Bible the Word of God? This book tackles such questions by bringing post-modern theory into critical dialogue with the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture. It constructs 'the sufficiency of Scripture' as both a concept and a doctrine which must remain central to Christian theology and practice.Trade ReviewWard's work merits reading and discussion among both academic and pastoral theologians. * SCottish Journal of Theology *Table of Contents1. Introduction ; 2. Development and Decline ; 3. The Sufficiency of Divine Speech ; 4. The Sufficiency of the Text ; 5. The Sufficiency of the Canon ; 6. Conclusion

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Book SynopsisErnest Nicholson's retirement as Provost or Oriel College, Oxford, is marked by friends and colleagues with a substantial collection of essays related to the topic of Old Testament covenant. The contributions demonstrate the continuing vitality of the topic for fresh approaches to the literary, historical, religious, and theological understanding of the Old Testament.Trade ReviewNicholson has made a decisive impact on the study of the covenant in the Old Testament during the course of his scholarly career. This formidable set of essays, offered by a most impressive list of scholars, does full justice to the importance of Nicholson's work ... the essays constitute careful and insightful work that will make the volume a point of reference for future study. * The Journal of Theological Studies *This impressive collection is a happy reflection on the current state of the study of covenant, a state of study to which Nicholson has significantly contributed ... As is evident here, Nicholson's work will continue to feed and empower scholarship for time to come. * The Journal of Theological Studies *Table of Contents1. A Disputed Sense in a Covenant Context: On the Interpretation of Genesis 15:6 ; 2. Reflections on the Covenant with Noah ; 3. Covenant in Old Testament Theology ; 4. The Davidic Covenant in the Isaiah Tradition ; 5. Covenant, Oath, and the Composition of the Pentateuch ; 6. Why does God 'Establish' rather than 'Cut' Covenants in the Priestly Source? ; 7. Covenant and Creation in Relationship ; 8. Canonical Text, Covenantal Communities, and the Patterns of Exegetical Culture: Reflections on the Past Century ; 9. Gibeonite Ruse and Israelite Curse in Joshua 9 ; 10. Moses and the Covenant in the Assumption of Moses and the Pentateuch ; 11. Recounting the Tetrateuch ; 12. Covenant and Law in Ben Sira ; 13. The Middle of the Old Testament ; 14. The Covenant People: Max Weber and the Historical Understanding of Ancient Israel ; 15. The Story of the First Commandment - The Book of Joshua ; 16. An Overlooked Item in Old Testament Theology - Perhaps ; 17. Yahweh and his People in Lamentations ; 18. 'The Idea of Covenant has its History': On the Life and Work of Otto Prochsch (1874-1947) ; 19. Isaiah 1 and the Covenant Lawsuit

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Book SynopsisAysha Hidayatullah presents the first comprehensive analysis of contemporary feminist interpretations of the Quran. Synthesizing prominent feminist readings of the Quran in the United States since the late twentieth century, she provides an essential introduction to this nascent field of Qur''anic scholarship and engages in a deep investigationas well as a radical critiqueof its methods and approaches. With a particular focus on feminist impasses in the Quranic text, she argues that many feminist interpretations rely on claims about feminist justice that are not fully supported by the text, and she proposes a major revision to their exegetical foundations. A provocative work of Muslim feminist theology, Feminist Edges of the Quran is a vital intervention in urgent conversations about women and the Quran.Trade Reviewforays into scriptural interpretation, analyzes and critiques their assumptions and methods, and proposes strategies for moving past the aporias generated by existing exegetical approaches. Combining historical explication, lucid analysis, and theologically constructive critique, Feminist Edges of the Quran is a landmark contribution to scholarship and a must-read for anyone interested in gender, authority, and Islam. * Kecia Ali, author of Sexual Ethics and Islam *This book is a comprehensive introduction to the American Islamic feminist debate. * Dorieke Molenaar, Sehepunkte *Table of ContentsPreface ; Acknowledgements ; Introduction ; Part I: Historical Emergence of Feminist Qur'anic Interpretation ; Chapter 1: History of Tafsir ; Chapter 2: The Frames of Feminism ; Chapter 3: Relationships to Co-Religionists and the State ; Part II: Three Interpretive Methods of Feminist Qur'anic Interpretation ; Chapter 4: Historical Contextualization Method ; Chapter 5: Intra-Textual Method ; Chapter 6: The Tawhidic Paradigm ; Part III: Critiques of Feminist Qur'anic Interpretation ; Chapter 7: Initial Conclusions ; Chapter 8: A Critical Reassessment ; Chapter 9: Confronting Feminist Edges ; Appendix of Qur'anic Verses ; Notes ; Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThe senses are used within New Testament texts as instruments of knowledge and power and thus constitute important mediators of cultural knowledge and experience. Likewise, those instances where sensory faculty is perceived to be ''disabled'' in some way also become key sites for ideological commentary and critique. However, often biblical scholarship, itself ''disabled'' by eye-centric and textocentric ''norms'', has read sensory-disabled characters as nothing more than inert sites of healing; their agency, including their alternative sensory modes of communication and resistance to oppression, remain largely unaddressed. In response, Louise J. Lawrence seeks to initiate a variety of interdisciplinary dialogues with disability studies and sensory anthropology in a quest to refigure characters with sensory disabilities featured in the gospels and provide alternative interpretations of their conditions and social interactions. In each instance the identity of those stigmatised as ''otheTrade ReviewLouise J. Lawrence's Sense and Stigma is a creative piece of scholarship situated at the disciplinary crossroads of ethnography, cross-cultural sensory anthropology, disability studies, and biblical studies...scholars of religion havemuch to gain from Lawrence's provocative readings of familiar Gospel narratives, and this book will undoubtedly inspire further efforts toward the important task of reimagining the analysis of sensorial epistemologies at work in biblical texts. * Andrew M. Langford, The Journal of Religion *this book is a very important contribution to what can be called sensory criticism or corporeal criticism in biblical studies that focuses on the embodied human experience in biblical texts. This book should be read by anyone interested in how sense is both expressed and constructed by biblical authors and by biblical scholars. * Hector Avalos, Biblical Literature *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Sense and Stigma ; 1. Looking Through a Glass Darkly: Sensing Disabilities of Biblical Studies ; 2. Blind Spots and Metaphors: Refiguring Sightless Characters in the Gospels ; 3. Sounding Out a deaf mute : Mark 7:31 37 as Deaf World Performance ; 4. The Stench of Untouchability: Sensory Tactics of a Leper, Legion and Leaky Woman ; 5. Sense, Seizure and Illness Narratives: The Case of an Epileptic / Demon-Possessed Boy ; Conclusion: Sensory-Disabled Characters Refiguring God ; Bibliography

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Book SynopsisPredestination has been the subject of perennial controversy among Christians, although in recent years theologians have shied away from it as a divisive and unedifying topic. In this book Matthew Levering argues that Christian theological reflection needs to continue to return to the topic of predestination, for two reasons: Firstly, predestinarian doctrine is taught in the New Testament. Reflecting the importance of the topic in many strands of Second Temple Judaism, the New Testament authors teach predestination in a manner that explains why Christian theologians continually recur to this topic. Secondly, the doctrine of predestination provides a way for Christian theologians to reflect upon two fundamental affirmations of biblical revelation. The first is God''s love, without any deficiency or crimp, for each and every rational creature; the second is that God from eternity brings about the purpose for which he created us, and that he permits some rational creatures freely and permTrade Reviewa fresh and insightful work on a challenging theological topic. * Todd Billings, Theology *Matthew Levering, a young Roman Catholic scholar from the States, has added to his growing list of publications this wise and scholarly book on a theological theme which continues to be important. The book is well organised, very clearly written (the author explaining complex ideas in accessible ways), and has a clear line of argument which runs from its introduction to its conclusion. It's a nicely produced volume too. * Robert Ellis, Regent's Reviews *Levering's text is valuable as an encyclopedia of predestination, beautifully balancing discussion of primary sources with current secondary literature. * Jeffrey A. Vogel, Journal of Theological Studies *Levering's book should deservedly become a helpful resource for theological students as they begin to engage with issues of grace and election in the Western theological tradition. * John C. McDowell, Colloquium *Predestination is a welcome contribution to the current debates over predestination and it amply displays biblical, theological and historical clarity and competence. I strongly recommend the book and encourage readers to request it for their institutions' libraries * Randal Rauser, Scottish Journal of Theology *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. The Biblical Roots of the Doctrine of Predestination ; 2. The Patristic Period: Outlining the Problem ; 3. The Medieval Period: Seeking a Balance ; 4. The Reformation and Early Modern Period: Causal Chains ; 5. The Twentieth Century: God's Absolute Innocence ; 6. Two Affirmations

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Book SynopsisThis groundbreaking study looks beyond biblical texts, which have had a powerful influence over our views of women''s roles and worth, in order to reconstruct the typical everyday lives of women in ancient Israel. Carol Meyers argues that biblical sources alone do not give a true picture of ancient Israelite women because urban elite males wrote the vast majority of the scriptural texts and the stories of women in the Bible concern exceptional individuals rather than ordinary Israelite women. Drawing on archaeological discoveries and ethnographic information as well as biblical texts, Meyers depicts Israelite women not as submissive chattel in an oppressive patriarchy, but rather as strong and significant actors within their families and society. In so doing, she challenges the very notion of patriarchy as an appropriate designation for Israelite society.Trade ReviewThrough a thorough analysis of biblical and extra-biblical literature, Meyers uncovers the enormously meaningful roles women played and shows how their active participation within and outside the household shaped Israelite society...Meyers' revised work is rich in content, well documented, and a welcome addition to her earlier contribution on this important topic. * Journal for the Evangelical Study of the Old Testament *This is an excellent and extremely important book, to a large extent the starting point of any current and future discussion of gender issues in ancient Israel--and Carol Meyers is to be thanked for offering this important volume to students of ancient Israel in particular and the ancient world in general. * Review of Biblical Literature *Meyers breaks new ground with a fresh examination of roles of the ancient Israelite women...With numerous expansions and multiple new perspectives, even those familiar with Meyers' 1988 work will find Rediscovering Eve a welcome new monograph in the field of feminist research in biblical studies. * Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology *Carol Meyers' Discovering Eve was a milestone in feminist scholarship when it was published in 1988, bringing together disciplines that had not previously had much contact. Now, after nearly twenty-five years of further work in feminist and gender studies, archaeological and ethnographic analysis, Meyers' Rediscovering Eve provides a superb study that retrieves the material and cultural conditions of ordinary Israelite women, as well as shedding new light on how to read and understand the account of the mythic Eve. This book is essential reading for introductory courses on Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. * Carol A. Newsom, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Old Testament, Candler School of Theology *Meyers elegantly documents the Hebrew Bible's minimalist and misogynist views of women in ancient Israel. More importantly, she then proceeds to document this using perceptive new insights into the biblical texts; the pertinent but neglected archaeological data on household activities; and especially a considerable body of ethnographic data unfamiliar to many scholars in our respective fields. This pioneering work goes a long way toward rescuing ancient Israelite women from obscurity, ably demonstrating that they played far more significant roles than we had imagined in the domestic arena, in communal and public life, in the cult, and even in cultural and political life. This is feminist scholarship at its best--neither doctrinaire nor defensive, but simply factual, honest, incisive, bold scholarship...a landmark publication. It will change the way we view women in ancient Israel, in the church and synagogue, and in the academy. * William G. Dever, University of Arizona *Table of ContentsPreface ; Notes on Translations, Transcriptions, and Documentation ; 1. Eve and Israelite Women: Understanding the Task ; 2. Resources for the Task ; 3. Setting the Scene: The Ancient Environment ; 4. Eve in Eden: Genesis 2-3 ; 5. Eve out of Eden: Genesis 3:16 ; 6. Eve's World: The Household ; 7. Women and Household Maintenance, Part I: Economic, Reproductive, and Socio-Political Activities ; 8. Women and Household Maintenance, Part II: Religious Activities ; 9. Excursus: Professional Women ; 10. Gender and Society: Reconstructing Relationships, Rethinking Systems ; Epilogue: Beyond the Hebrew Bible ; Notes

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Book SynopsisVictors not only write history: they also reproduce the texts. Bart Ehrman explores the close relationship between the social history of early Christianity and the textual tradition of the emerging New Testament, examining how early struggles between Christian heresy and orthodoxy affected the transmission of the documents over which many of the debates were waged. He makes a crucial contribution to our understanding of the social and intellectual history of early Christianity and raises intriguing questions about the relationship of readers to their texts, especially in an age when scribes could transform the documents they reproduced. This edition includes a new afterword surveying research in biblical interpretation over the past twenty years.Trade Reviewa fine summary of Ehrman's developed thinking and concerns, and as such a valuable contribution to the general discourse on the aims, methods, and limitations of textual criticism. * Dirk Jongkind, Churchman *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION; BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SECONDARY WORKS CITED; INDEX OF SCRIPTURE; INDEX OF MODERN AUTHORS; INDEX OF SUBJECTS AND ANCIENT SOURCES

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Book SynopsisIn The Formation of the Hebrew Bible David Carr rethinks both the methods and historical orientation points for research into the growth of the Hebrew Bible into its present form. Building on his prior work, Writing on the Tablet of the Heart (Oxford, 2005), he explores both the possibilities and limits of reconstruction of pre-stages of the Bible. The method he advocates is a ''''methodologically modest'''' investigation of those pre-stages, utilizing criteria and models derived from his survey of documented examples of textual revision in the Ancient Near East. The result is a new picture of the formation of the Hebrew Bible, with insights on the initial emergence of Hebrew literary textuality, the development of the first Hexateuch, and the final formation of the Hebrew Bible. Where some have advocated dating the bulk of the Hebrew Bible in a single period, whether relatively early (Neo-Assyrian) or late (Persian or Hellenistic), Carr uncovers specific evidence that the Hebrew BibleTrade ReviewCarrs bold attempt to challenge one of the most practiced methodologies in biblical studies is very welcome. It functions as a starting point for discussions about refining a methodology that has been criticized almost throughout its history. * Juha Pakkala, Marginalia, *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Oral-Written Model and the Formation of the Hebrew Bible ; Part One: Methodological Prologue: Textual Transmission in the Ancient World and How to Reconstruct It ; Chapter One: Memory Variants and Evidence of Oral-Written Transmission of Israelite Literature ; Chapter Two: Documented Cases of Transmission History, Part 1: Two Cases ; Chapter Three: Documented Cases of Transmission History, Part 2: Broader Trends ; Chapter Four: From Documented Growth to Method in Reconstruction of Growth ; Part Two: Excavating the History of the Formation of the Hebrew Bible ; Chapter Five: The Hasmonean Period: Finalization of Scripture in an Increasingly Greek World ; Chapter Six: The Hellenistic Period up to the Hasmonean Monarchy: Priestly and Diaspora Textuality ; Chapter Seven: The Persian Period: Textuality of Persian-Sponsored Returnees ; Chapter Eight: The Babylonian Period: Trauma, Exile and the Transition to Post-Monarchal Textuality ; Chapter Nine: Bible for Exiles: The Reshaping of Stories about Israel's Earliest History ; Chapter Ten: Textuality Under Empire: Reflexes of Neo-Assyrian Domination ; Chapter Eleven: From the Neo-Assyrian to Hasmonean Periods: Preliminary Conclusions and Outlook ; Part Three: The Shape of Literary Textuality in the Early Pre-Exilic Period ; Chapter Twelve: Early States in the Highlands of Judah-Israel and Evidence for Literary Textuality in Them ; Chapter Thirteen: Royal Psalms: Locating Judah and Israel's Early Pro-Royal Literature ; Chapter Fourteen: Proverbs and Israel's Early Oral-Written Curriculum ; Chapter Fifteen: Other Supposedly Solomonic Books: Song of Songs and Qohelet ; Chapter Sixteen: Other Biblical Texts Potentially from the Early Monarchal Period ; Chapter Seventeen: Toward a New Picture of Early Monarchal Texts in the Hebrew Bible ; Afterword ; Select Bibliography ; Select Index of Primary Text Citations ; Index of Subjects

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Book SynopsisUniquely considering the characteristics of biblical Hebrew poetry beyond its currently best known feature, parallelism, On Biblical Poetry demonstrates the many interesting and valuable interpretations that yield from analyses of major facets of biblical verse, as well as careful attention to prosody--rhythm, lineation, and the like--and close reading. Through a series of programmatic essays, F.W. Dobbs-Allsopp argues that biblical poetry is, in most respects, just like any other verse tradition--and thus biblical poems should be read and interpreted like other poems.Using the same critical tools and kinds of guiding assumptions as traditional verse scholarship, this book also considers the historicity and cultural specificity that distinguishes the verse of the Bible. The literary and the historical, then, are in view throughout. Issues of orality, textuality, and literacy at the site of biblical poems are also probed extensively and there is a strong comparative orientation to much Trade Reviewstands out as one of the most wide-ranging monographs on Biblical Hebrew poetry published in recent years * Adam Plescia, Catholic Biblical Quarterly *What distinguishes the work, beyond its focus on 'underappreciated' components of Hebrew poetry, is its breadth and depth of analysis, its thickness...The reader is exposed not only to new ways of understanding Hebrew poems, but to new ways of orienting and thinking about the elementary dimensions of poetry itself. The detail presented is rich and sometimes provocative. * Eric D. Reymond, Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology *Table of ContentsIntroduction - Biblical Poetry Beyond Parallelism ; Chapter One - "Verse, Properly So Called": The Line in Biblical Poetry ; Terminology ; Manuscript Evidence for the Line ; The "Verse Line" in Oral Poetry ; The Line from the Other's Perspective ; Internal Evidence for the Line ; Summary ; Chapter Two - The Free Rhythms of Biblical Hebrew Poetry ; Through Whitman's Eyes ; Biblical Hebrew Poetry is Not Metrical ; The Shape of Poetic Rhythm ; Orality, Song, and Music ; The Free Rhythms of Biblical Poetry ; Summary ; Chapter Three - The Idea of Lyric Poetry in the Bible ; The Hebrew Lyric ; Summary ; Lyric in extenso: Probing (Some) Possibilities in the Song ; Beyond Lyric: Toward a Richer Understanding of (Other) Biblical Poems ; Chapter Four - An Informing Orality: Biblical Poetic Style ; Some Preliminary Points of Orientation ; Prob(lematiz)ing the Question of Hebrew Narrative Poetry ; Nonnarrative Oral Poetry, Or: Orality Poeticized Otherwise ; Signs of (Nonnarrative) Orality in Biblical Poetry ; Emergent Textuality ; Conclusions ; Chapter Five - The Way of Poetry in Psalm 133 ; I ; II ; III ; IV ; Closing ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisHow did the New Testament writers and the earliest Christians come to adopt the Jewish scriptures as their first Old Testament? And why are our modern Bibles related more to the Rabbinic Hebrew Bible than to the Greek Bible of the early Church?The Septuagint, the name given to the translation of the Hebrew scriptures between the third century BC and the second century AD, played a central role in the Bible''s history. Many of the Hebrew scriptures were still evolving when they were translated into Greek, and these Greek translations, along with several new Greek writings, became Holy Scripture in the early Church.Yet, gradually the Septuagint lost its place at the heart of Western Christianity. At the end of the fourth century, one of antiquity''s brightest minds rejected the Septuagint in favor of the Bible of the rabbis. After Jerome, the Septuagint never regained the position it once had. Timothy Michael Law recounts the story of the Septuagint''s origins, its relationship to the Hebrew Bible, and the adoption and abandonment of the first Christian Old Testament.Trade ReviewLaw should be commended for complicating conservative and fundamentalist theologies of scripture vis-à-vis his discussion of the Septuagint ... Law has opened an important conversation about the relevance of the Septuagint today (especially for American Christianity) and wisely points to the past and the east for interlocutors. * James Covington, Journal of Religion *It is a gripping tale, beautifully told, and should be of profound interest to any reader of the Jewish or Christian BibleTimothy Michael Law has written the first introduction to the LXX that can be read by people outside the guild. It is a remarkable book, full of fascinating detail that I cannot evoke in a short review, a book that tells a rich story that no reader of the Bible can afford to ignore. * Kevin Hart, Los Angeles Review of Books *a splendid work... I haven't found any book so interesting and enjoyable in years * Sir Fergus Millar, Camden Professor of Ancient History (Emeritus), Oxford, and Fellow of the British Academy *Table of ContentsTable of Contents ; 1 Why this Book? ; 2 When the World Became Greek ; 3 Was There a Bible before the Bible? ; 4 The First Bible Translators ; 5 Gog and his Not-so-Merry Grasshoppers ; 6 Bird Droppings, Stoned Elephants, and Exploding Dragons ; 7 E Pluribus Unum ; 8 The Septuagint behind the New Testament ; 9 The Septuagint in the New Testament ; 10 The New Old Testament ; 11 God's Word for the Church ; 12 The Man of Steel and the Man who Worshipped the Sun ; 13 The Man with the Burning Hand vs. the Man with the Honeyed Sword ; 14 A Postscript ; Notes ; Index

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Book SynopsisScholars of the social sciences have devoted more and more attention of late to the concept of human happiness, mainly from sociological and psychological perspectives. This volume, which includes essays from scholars of the New Testament, the Old Testament, systematic theology, practical theology, and counseling psychology, poses a new and exciting question: what is happiness according to the Bible? Informed by developments in positive psychology, The Bible and the Pursuit of Happiness explores representations of happiness throughout the Bible and demonstrates the ways in which these representations affect both religious and secular understandings of happiness. In addition to the twelve essays, the book contains a framing introduction and epilogue, as well as an appendix of all the terms used in reference to happiness in the Bible. The resulting volume, the first of its kind, is a highly useful and remarkably comprehensive resource for the study of happiness in the Bible and beyond.Trade ReviewThese essays are from some of our most solid and respected scholars, who evidence great skill in moving from close textual work to more generalized conclusions...This is a welcome book, the only one of its kind in the discipline...This is a bold and compelling beginning of an important probe about faith and culture. * Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology *This work, based on a 2009 conference at Emory University, is of high quality...This work is particularly valuable because little academic theological attention has been given to the topic. Also, it brings together insights from the Bible, theology, and psychology in unique, interesting ways. * CHOICE *For some time the study of happiness has been flourishing in such disciplines as psychology, neurobiology, philosophy, and spirituality. But in biblical studies, happiness has not received the attention it deserves. This new work goes a long way toward filling the gap. In creative dialogue with the Positive Psychology movement, ten world-class biblical scholars, together with a systematic theologian, a professor of preaching, and a psychologist, have produced a collection of wide-ranging, insightful essays. The effective outcome is a biblical theology of happiness. Not only that: it is a joy to read. * Stephen C. Barton, author of Life Together: Family, Sexuality and Community in the New Testament and Today *In light of Scripture's many words about enjoyment, goodness, and happiness, it is surprising how little attention has been given to the subject of happiness and its various elements and dimensions in the Bible. That hole is now filled with this comprehensive effort to engage Scripture, theology, and psychology in a conversation that lets us see how both human happiness and divine happiness are constantly explored in the Bible, not apart from the reality of sin and suffering and evil but in both present experience and expectation. * Patrick D. Miller, Charles T. Haley Professor of Old Testament Theology Emeritus, Princeton Theological Seminary *Table of ContentsPreface ; Abbreviations ; Contributors ; Introduction Brent A. Strawn, "The Bible and Happiness?" ; Part I. Hebrew Bible/Old Testament ; Introduction to Part I ; Terence E. Fretheim, "God, Creation, and the Pursuit of Happiness" ; Nathan MacDonald, "Is There Happiness in the Torah?" ; Jacqueline Lapsley, "A Happy Blend: Isaiah's Vision of Happiness (and Beyond)" ; William P. Brown, "Happiness and Its Discontents in the Psalms" ; Carol A. Newsom, "Positive Psychology and Ancient Israelite Wisdom" ; Part II. New Testament ; Introduction to Part II ; Carl R. Holladay, "The Beatitudes: Happiness and the Kingdom of God" ; Joel B. Green, "We Had to Celebrate and Rejoice!' Happiness in the Topsy-Turvy World of Luke-Acts" ; Colleen Shantz, "I Have Learned to Be Content': Happiness according to St. Paul" ; Greg Carey, "Finding Happiness in Apocalyptic Literature" ; Part III. Beyond the Bible: ; Continuing the Conversation into Other Disciplines ; Introduction to Part III ; Ellen T. Charry, "The Necessity of Divine Happiness: A Response from Systematic Theology" ; Thomas G. Long, "A Constructed Happiness: A Response from Practical Theology" ; Steven J. Sandage, "The Transformation of Happiness: A Response from Counseling Psychology" ; Epilogue Brent A. Strawn, "The Triumph of Life: Towards a Biblical Theology of Happiness" ; Appendix Michael J. Chan, "A Biblical Lexicon of Happiness" ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisThe Death of Scripture and the Rise of Biblical Studies examines the creation of the academic Bible. Beginning with the fragmentation of biblical interpretation in the centuries after the Reformation, Michael Legaspi shows how the weakening of scriptural authority in the Western churches altered the role of biblical interpretation.Trade ReviewThis fascinating study, arising out of a PhD dissertation, focuses ostensibly on obscure German critic Johann David Michaelis (1717-1791), but tells the wider story of the changes in academic perspectives on the Bible over the last few centuries very well. * Dr Lee Gatiss, Churchman *Table of ContentsChapter One: From Scripture to Text ; Chapter Two: Bible and Theology at an Enlightenment University ; Chapter Three: The Study of Classical Antiquity at Gottingen ; Chapter Four: Michaelis and the Dead Hebrew Language ; Chapter Five: Lowth, Michaelis, and the Invention of Biblical Potry ; Chapter Six: Michaelis, Moses, and the Recovery of the Bible ; Conclusion ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index ; Index of Biblical References

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Book SynopsisMichael Peppard examines the social and political meaning of divine sonship in the Roman Empire. He begins by analyzing the conceptual framework within which the term ''''son of God'''' has traditionally been considered in biblical scholarship. Then, through engagement with recent scholarship in Roman history - including studies of family relationships, imperial ideology, and emperor worship - he offers new ways of interpreting the Christian theological metaphors of ''''begotten''''and ''''adoptive'''' sonship. Peppard focuses on social practices and political ideology, revealing that scholarship on divine sonship has been especially hampered by mistaken assumptions about adopted sons. He invites fresh readings of several early Christian texts, from the first Gospel to writings of the fourth century. By re-interpreting several ancient phenomena - particularly divine status, adoption, and baptism - he offers an imaginative refiguring of the Son of God in the Roman world.Trade ReviewFine debut monograph...This is an admirable and enjoyable monograph: thoroughly scholarly, full of ideas, carefully argued, and beautifully written. * Journal of Theological Studies *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Divine Sonship Before Nicea: Biblical Scholarship on "Son of God" ; 2. Divinity and Divine Sonship in the Roman World ; 3. Begotten or Made? Adopted Sons in Roman Society and Imperial Ideology ; 4. Rethinking Divine Sonship in the Gospel of Mark ; 5. Begotten and Adopted Sons of God-Before and After Nicea ; Conclusion ; Epilogue: The Son of God in the Christian World ; Abbreviations ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisMost scholars believe that the numerous similarities between the Covenant Code (Exodus 20:23-23:19) and Mesopotamian law collections, especially the Laws of Hammurabi, which date to around 1750 BCE, are due to oral tradition that extended from the second to the first millennium. This book offers a fundamentally new understanding of the Covenant Code, arguing that it depends directly and primarily upon the Laws of Hammurabi and that the use of this source text occurred during the Neo-Assyrian period, sometime between 740-640 BCE, when Mesopotamia exerted strong and continuous political and cultural influence over the kingdoms of Israel and Judah and a time when the Laws of Hammurabi were actively copied in Mesopotamia as a literary-canonical text. The study offers significant new evidence demonstrating that a model of literary dependence is the only viable explanation for the work. It further examines the compositional logic used in transforming the source text to produce the Covenant CTrade ReviewAn excellent repository of research on the CC Covenant Code and the LH Laws of Hammurabi. In sum, this work is controversial in the best sense of the word: it will surely stimulate debate on the comparative method in studying not only the CC and LH but other texts as well. * The Catholic Biblical Quarterly *...intriguing... * Bruce Wells, Saint Joseph's University *...the value of Wright's contribution cannot be overestimated. He offers the scholar in the field a valuable tool for further work which includes all the relevant sources, thoroughly discussed and analyzed. He conveniently outlines the issues and problems involved in the study of the Covenant's Code, while highlighting the main discussions and solutions. Finally he also provides a thorough review of the vast literature in the field, again for the convenience of the reader. * Strata *Wright has made a major contribution to our understanding of the composition of CC even if one accepts only the barest bones version of his thesisEL.No account of the history of CC's composition will any longer be able to be written without reference to and deep engagement with Wright's work, whether one agrees with him or not. Such is the mark of the truly meaningful contributions to scholarship, and Wright's book undoubtedly belongs in such a class.'? * Review of Biblical Literature *Table of Contents1. Introduction: The Basic Thesis and Background ; Part I: Primary Evidence for Dependence: Sequential Correspondences and Date ; 2. The Casuistic Laws ; 3. The Apodictic Laws ; 4. Date and Opportunity for the Use of Hammurabi's and Other Cuneiform Laws ; Part II: Compositional Logic of the Covenant Code ; 5. Debt-Slavery and the Seduction of a Maiden (Exodus 21:2-11; 22:15-16) ; 6. Homicide, Injury, Miscarriage, Talion (Exodus 21:12, 18-27) ; 7. Child Rebellion, Kidnapping, Sorcery, Bestiality, Illicit Sacrifice (Exodus 21:12-17; 22:17-19) ; 8. The Goring Ox and Negligence (Exodus 21:28-36) ; 9. Animal Theft, Crop Destruction, Deposit, and Burglary (Exodus 21:37-22:8) ; 10. Animal Injury, Death, and Rental (Exodus 22:9-14) ; 11. The Themes and Ideology of the Apodictic Laws (Exodus 20:23-26; 21:1; 22:20-23:19) ; 12. Redactional Growth in the Apodictic Laws and the Covenant Code's Relationship to the Exodus Narrative ; 13. Conclusions

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Book SynopsisProvides a balanced and scholarly account of how the Bible was written, selected and translated.

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Book SynopsisAn account of Paul's work in which the author argues that Paul's life can be better understood by taking his Jewishness seriously and that Jewish history can be illuminated greatly be examining Paul's writings.

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Book Synopsis"The Book of Numbers" is an account of how the Israelites wandered in the wilderness after receiving the Ten Commandments of Mount Sinai. This volume unravels the complexity and confusing details in this Old Testament book.

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Book SynopsisReinvigorates the basic laws of society with their life-giving power: the Shema and the Great Commandment.

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Book SynopsisOffers descriptions of the people, places, customs, and noteworthy features of the language of "I Samuel".

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Book SynopsisPresents a translation of II Samuel, including scrolls and fragments from Qumran. This volume resolves the complicated textual history of Samuel.

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Book SynopsisIn the wake of Persia replacing Babylon as the ruling empire in the ancient Near East, the Judahites exiled in Babylon find reason to hope again. Their hope is rooted in the fulfillment of the prophetic promises that they would one day return to their homeland. This book presents the story of Israel's experience begun in the biblical books.

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Book SynopsisPresents a commentary on the biblical book of Psalms. This book offers translation of the most beloved collection of poetry in Judeo-Christian sacred Scriptures. It interprets Hebrew poetry in light of rich linguistic and cultural evidence.

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