Judaism: sacred texts and revered writings Books

Book SynopsisIsaiah 24-27 has been an enduring mystery and a hotly contested text for biblical scholars. Early scholarship linked its references to the dead rising to the New Testament. These theories have remained influential even as common opinion moderated over the course of the twentieth century. In this volume, Christopher B. Hays situates Isaiah 24-27 within its historical and cultural contexts.He methodically demonstrates that it is not apocalyptic; that its imagery of divine feasting and conquering death have ancient cognates; and that its Hebrew language does not reflect a late composition date. He also shows how the passage celebrates the receding of Assyrian power from Judah, and especially from the citadel at Ramat Rahel near Jerusalem, in the late seventh century. This was the time of King Josiah and his scribes, who saw a political opportunity and issued a peace overture to the former northern kingdom. Using comparative, archaeological, linguistic, and literary tools, Hays'' volume changes the study of Isaiah, arguing for a different historical setting than that of traditional scholarship.Table of Contents1. The rhetoric of chaos: apocalyptic and eschatological interpretations of Isaiah 24–27; 2. The royal and divine victory banquet: feasting and the construction of reality; 3. Revivification of the dead as national deliverance; 4. The lofty city and the army of the height: the archaeology and history of Ramat Raḥel; 5. Josiah and the remains of Israel; 6. The language of Isaiah 24–27 in light of Hebrew diachrony; 7. Stirring the echoes: an intertextual re-analysis of Isaiah 24–27; Conclusion: a scribe's story; Appendix A. Administrative seals and the history of Ramat Raḥel; Appendix B. Catalogue of LBH features in prophetic texts; Appendix C. The Moab fragments.

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Book SynopsisIn this volume, Robert D. Holmstedt, John A. Cook, and Phillip S. Marshall provide a foundational analysis of the Hebrew text of Qoheleth. Distinguished by the detailed yet comprehensive attention paid to the Hebrew text, Qoheleth is a convenient pedagogical and reference tool that explains the form and syntax of the biblical text, offers guidance for deciding between competing semantic analyses, engages important text-critical debates, and addresses questions relating to the Hebrew text that are frequently overlooked or ignored by standard commentaries. Beyond serving as a succinct and accessible analytic key, Qoheleth also reflects the most recent advances in scholarship on Hebrew grammar and linguistics. By filling the gap between popular and technical commentaries, the handbook becomes an indispensable tool for anyone committed to a deep reading of the biblical text.Trade ReviewThis handbook is an invaluable aid to anyone working closely and critically with the Hebrew text. -- John R. Barker -- The Bible TodayQoheleth is no mere analytical key; it is a linguistic commentary which explains and elucidates the Hebrew text in order to provide a solid foundation for exegetical work and theological reflection. -- Eric J. Tully -- Books at a GlanceThe handbook will be very useful for students as (almost) every verb is parsed, and all readers will be forced to consider the importance of word order in every verse. The authors have presented a welcome addition to the Baylor Handbook on the Hebrew Bible series. -- Stephen J. Bennett -- Catholic Bible Quarterly

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Book SynopsisThis book contains the three most-known books attributed to Enoch. It also includes an extensive introduction showing the history of the books etc. 1st Book of Enoch, the Ethiopic Book of Enoch, or 1 Enoch, which is more known as simply the Book of Enoch. Although this book is considered apocryphal for the Western canon, it is contained in the Ethiopic Bible. It was considered sacred by some important first followers of Christ but it was left out of the Bible and disappeared for centuries until it was rediscovered in 1773 in Ethiopic. This manuscript was first translated into English in the 1820s and into German in the 1830s. According to most scholars, part of it was written in third century BCE and part of it in the first century CE (the part related to the Son of Man). Although the oldest complete copies of 1 Enoch are K-9 or Kebran 9, dated late fourteenth early fifteenth century and Ethiopian Monastic Microfilm Library (EMML 2080) of the fifteenth or fourteenth century, fragments found in Qumram in the 1950s are more than 2000 years old. Other old important manuscripts are Abbadianus 55 (possibly fifteenth century) and British Museum Orient 485 (first half of the sixteenth century).2nd Book of Enoch, the Slavonic Enoch, or 2 Enoch, which is another apocryphal book, found complete only in Old Slavonic manuscripts, and it was once present in the Old Slavonic Bible. It’s usually dated to the first century CE although Matthew Black in The Oxford Guide to People & Places of the Bible state that there is no manuscript “earlier than the fourteenth century BE”.3rd Book of Enoch, the Hebrew Enoch, or 3 Enoch, which is a Rabbinic text in Hebrew usually dated to the fifth century CE. Some experts believe it was written by Rabbi Ishmael (second century CE), familiar with both 1 Enoch and 2 Enoch.

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Book SynopsisRabbi Sasso explores how Midrash originated, how it is still used today, and offers new translations and interpretations of more than twenty essential Midrash texts.

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