Old Testaments Books

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Book SynopsisThis exegetical study of creation and nature in 4 Ezra argues that this first-century Jewish apocalypse's profound pessimism concerning humankind and the present age is matched by a surprisingly robust belief in the goodness of the created order. 4 Ezra presents the natural world as standing with God over and against corrupt humankind, envisions substantial elements of continuity between the ages and hints that those parts of the earth that remain unsullied by humankind still witness to God's sovereignty, love and justice and even serve as material pointers to the new creation. This study calls into question the persistent assumption that apocalypticism and the 'apocalyptic eschatology' of the historical apocalypses in particular necessarily entails a profound dualism. Emerging as it does from an experience of historical disaster and unresolved questions of theodicy, 4 Ezra especially is often considered an apocalypse in which the doctrine of the two ages has been radicalised to the extent that creation, history and life in this world have lost their meaning or significance. The results of this study, however, indicate that while 4 Ezra considers the world of humankind to be corrupted and corrupting, in the natural world the creator's sovereignty is not so obscured, and there his original intentions for creation can still be perceived. This study provides a fresh reading of 4 Ezra that takes seriously the book's unity and coherence. Its conclusions suggest that it may be best to abandon the label 'apocalyptic eschatology' given its potential mask the interesting complexities and mix of continuity and discontinuity that attend the portrayal of creation, nature and hope in an apocalypse like 4 Ezra.

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Book SynopsisThis volume of the new DSI series is the most comprehensive investigation of Hebrew and Greek translation equivalents in Ps 42-43 in the Psalter and in the Septuagint as a whole currently available. This detailed study does not only include the translation equivalents in the Septuagint, the semantic meanings of the Hebrew and Greek words are also discussed and parallels in the LXX as well as in the Hebrew Bible are included. A systematic investigation of the translator's method must be carried out before one can use the manuscripts in a proper way. Accordingly, the extensive translation-technical emphasis and the discussion of text-critical matters make it possible to present a more accurate Old Greek text and this book may thus contribute to a new critical edition of the Greek Psalter. The book is also in some respects in itself a text-critical study, since all variants in Rahlfs' edition of the Septuagint Psalms, with the addition of Papyrus Bodmer XXIV (Rahlfs 2110), as well as Hebrew variants, are referred to and studied. This includes suggestions and evaluations of the Hebrew Vorlage behind the Septuagint text. It is also a commentary on the Hebrew and the Greek texts of Ps 42-43. Like other commentaries, it describes the position of the psalm, it presents the unity and form of the psalm, its structure and its relation to the close context. As a commentary on both the Hebrew Bible and the Septuagint, it gives an overall interpretation of the psalm in Hebrew and in Greek separately. The book can be read by the specialist in Septuagint studies as well as all scholars interested in translation, textual criticism, and in the book of Psalms, not least its use of metaphors and the reflection of temple theology.

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Book SynopsisThe Book of Wisdom's understanding of Israel's history, of contemporary politics and of the immortal fate of the persecuted sage can be understood to be part of one theological system. This system integrates texts and concepts from Jewish Wisdom, the biblical narratives of the patriarchs from Adam to Moses, eschatological hope and apocalyptic language, an understanding of the spirit of God in the enabling of prophets and leaders and, most distinctively, the Stoic concept of pneuma. This last concept unites the biblical resources and allows Wisdom, using eschatological language, to speak of the ordering of the cosmos for the judgement for the wicked and the exaltation of God's people in the present age.Matthew Edwards addresses first the question of the literary unity of Wisdom. This is followed by an examination of the differing uses of the term pneuma within Wisdom, that is as divine agent of salvation, the means of the ordering the cosmos and the substance from which souls are composed. The nature of personal salvation within Wisdom is also considered and shown to be an integral part of the understanding of the cosmos, ordered for judgement and exaltation. Finally, this notion of the ordering of the comos and history for God's people is discussed with its consequences for Jewish life under contemporary Hellenistic and Roman rule.

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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 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 SynopsisText in English and French. Qumran Cave 11Q was discovered by Bedouin in 1956. In the cave, remains of around 30 Dead Sea Scrolls were found, a few of them in very good state of preservation (the Temple Scroll, the Psalm Scroll, the Paleo Leviticus Scroll, and the Targum Job Scroll). The cave was excavated by Roland de Vaux (Ecole Biblique et Archeologique Française, Jerusalem) and Gerald L. Harding (Department of Antiquities of Jordan) in 1956; later by Joseph Patrich (University of Haifa) in 1988, and by Marcello Fidanzio and Dan Bahat (ISCAB FTL and Universitedella Svizzera Italiana) in 2017. Due to Roland de Vaux's premature death, the archaeology of Cave 11Q has never been published. This volume presents the final report on the 1956, 1988 and 2017 excavations at Cave 11Q. Next to discussing the physical characteristics and stratigraphy of the cave and offering a full analysis of non-textual finds, the volume for the first time presents many tiny manuscript fragments found in storerooms during recent work. These fragments, most of which were collected during 1956 excavation, have not been known until now. The volume, therefore, offers the final report of Cave 11Q excavations as well as the editio princeps of the new fragments, followed by a reevaluation of the entire set of texts found in this famous cave.

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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 SynopsisWeaving together Jewish lore, the voices of Jewish foremothers, Yiddish fable, midrash and stories of her own imagining, Ellen Frankel has created in this book a breathtakingly vivid exploration into what the Torah means to women. Here are Miriam, Esther, Dinah, Lilith and many other women of the Torah in dialogue with Jewish daughters, mothers and grandmothers, past and present. Together these voices examine and debate every aspect of a Jewish woman''s life -- work, sex, marriage, her connection to God and her place in the Jewish community and in the world. The Five Books of Miriam makes an invaluable contribution to Torah study and adds rich dimension to the ongoing conversation between Jewish women and Jewish tradition.

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Book SynopsisIn The Meaning of the Bible: What the Jewish Scriptures and Christian Old Testament Can Teach Us, preeminent biblical scholars Douglas A. Knight and Amy-Jill Levine deliver a broad and engaging introduction to the Old Testament—also known as the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible—offering a wealth of compelling historical background and context for the sacred literature that is at the heart of Judaism and Christianity. John Shelby Spong, author of Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World writes, "Levine and Knight have combined to write a book on the Bible that is as academically brilliant as it is marvelously entertaining. By placing our scriptures into their original Jewish context they have opened up startling and profound new insights. This is a terrific book."

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Book SynopsisMormonism''s founder, Joseph Smith, claimed to have translated ancient scriptures. He dictated an American Bible from metal plates reportedly buried by ancient Jews in a nearby hill, and produced an Egyptian Book of Abraham derived from funerary papyri he extracted from a collection of mummies he bought from a traveling showman. In addition, he rewrote sections of the King James Version as a New Translation of the Bible. Smith and his followers used the term translation to describe the genesis of these English scriptures, which remain canonical for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Whether one believes him or not, the discussion has focused on whether Smith''s English texts represent literal translations of extant source documents. On closer inspection, though, Smith''s translations are far more metaphysical than linguistic. In Joseph Smith''s Translation, Samuel Morris Brown argues that these translations express the mystical power of language and scripture to interconnect people across barriers of space and time, especially in the developing Mormon temple liturgy. He shows that Smith was devoted to an ancient metaphysics--especially the principle of correspondence, the concept of as above, so below--that provided an infrastructure for bridging the human and the divine as well as for his textual interpretive projects. Joseph Smith''s projects of metaphysical translation place Mormonism at the productive edge of the transitions associated with shifts toward secular modernity. This transition into modern worldviews intensified, complexly, in nineteenth-century America. The evolving legacies of Reformation and Enlightenment were the sea in which early Mormons swam, says Brown. Smith''s translations and the theology that supported them illuminate the power and vulnerability of the Mormon critique of American culture in transition. This complex critique continues to resonate and illuminate to the present day.Trade ReviewBrown's goal lies in finding just the right concept combination to bring today's reader into some sort of understanding of Smith's situation, and he does with "primordial" elements, a notion centripetally attracting such themes as sacred-secrecy, wisdom traditions, priesthoods, and most especially family bonding. Brown's affinity with primordial dynamics generates this book's extended account of how he sees them developing within Josephâs personal spirituality and community leadership all, again, framed by Smith family ties, evolving capacities for death conquest, religious protest, and ever ongoing cosmic possibilities. * Douglas J. Davies, Mormon Studies Review *...its approach is thought-provoking and creative, and parts of it can break new ground in understanding the work of Joseph Smith. * Kent P. Jackson, Birmingham Young University, BYU Studies Quarterly *I found Joseph Smith's Translation stimulating. Brown weaves his way through the wide variety of the texts Smith produced to identify common threads of metaphysical transformation and communal ascent. For those with an esoteric bent, he provides satisfying ways of understanding Joseph Smith's scriptural contributions. Samuel Morris Brown has "translated" Joseph Smith for the reader in a way we have not seen before. * Cheryl Bruno, Association for Mormon Letters *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: Language, Time, and the Human Cosmos Nineteenth-Century Contexts Smith's Goals and Aspirations Smith's Approach Implications SECTION ONE INTRODUCTION: CONTEXTS Chapter 1. The Quest for Pure Language Chapter 2: The Nature of Time Chapter 3: Human and Divine Selves SECTION TWO INTRODUCTION: TEXTS Chapter 4: The Task of the Book of Mormon: To Save the Bible, First You Must Kill It Chapter 5: Rereading the Bible: Joseph Smith's New Translation Chapter 6: The Egyptian Bible and the Cosmic Order Chapter 7: The Transcendent Immanent Temple Epilogue BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Book SynopsisProtestant reformers found the prophet and biblical prophecy to be exceptionally effective for framing their reforming work under the authority of Scripturefor the true prophet speaks the Word of God alone and calls the people, their worship, and their beliefs and practices back to the Word of God.The Reformation of Prophecy uses the prophet and biblical prophecy as a powerful lens through which to view many aspects of the reformers in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. G. Sujin Pak argues that these prophetic concepts served the substantial purposes of articulating a theology of the priesthood of all believers, a biblical model of the pastoral office, a biblical vision of the reform of worship, and biblical processes for discerning right interpretation of Scripture. Pak demonstrates the ways in which understandings of the prophet and biblical prophecy contributed to the formation of distinct confessional identities. She goes on to demonstrate the waning of explicit prophetic terTrade Review...her study offers an important perspective on the longstanding debate over the pastoral office within Lutheranism * Richard J. Serina, Jr, Ringwood, New Jersey *Pak has delivered what her title promises: a compelling analysis of The Reformation of Prophecy...the book is well conceived, well documented, and well written, and it promises positive next steps within Reformation scholarship generally. * Jon Delmas Wood, George Washington University, Journal of Reformed Theology *By this multi-confessional and multi-generational treatment of prophecy and biblical prophet in the 16th and 17th centuries, Paks work would greatly contribute to the scholarship of the Reformation, and her work is an exemplary achievement in the study of early modern interpretation of Scripture. I highly recommend it. * Inseo Song, Fuller Theological Seminary, Reading Religion *The Reformation of Prophecy is an excellent work of scholarship, detailed and thorough, and very useful. * Jonathan Green, University of North Dakota, Church History and Religious Culture *The Reformation of Prophecy is an insightful and well-researched narrative of a vital aspect of early modern Protestant theology and exegesis...Pak's groundbreaking research provides a coherent narrative of the Reformed development of the prophetic office and the prophetic function of Protestant pastors. * Ryan M. McGraw, Scripture and Interpretation *Pak's groundbreaking research provides a coherent narrative of the Reformed development of the prophetic office and the prophetic function of Protestant pastors. This work paves the way for further studies ... Pak's book is a good example of solid historical theology that treats a subject that was close to the heart of Reformed theology as a whole. * Ryan M. McGraw, Professor of Systematic Theology, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary *In this insightful study, Sujin Pak deftly traces the Protestant understanding of biblical prophecy and the role of the prophet from the early years of the Reformation through the end of the sixteenth century. The Bible was at the heart of the Reformation, and this book shows how disagreements about its interpretation had broad consequences for defining the ministry, understanding the past, and shaping confessional identity. A masterful achievement! * Amy Nelson Burnett, Paula and D.B. Varner University Professor of History, University of Lincoln *Sujin Pak analyzes the theme of prophecy in Protestant theological writing with exemplary thoroughness, deploying meticulous knowledge of the primary sources, and reflecting carefully on the nuances of their meaning. The book is breathtaking in its scope, ranging from Luther and Zwingli, Bullinger and Calvin, into later sixteenth-century theology and historical theory. There is so much that we can learn from this book, even on themes that we thought we already knew something about. * The Reverend Dr. Euan K. Cameron, Henry Luce III Professor of Reformed Church History, Union Theological Seminary *Sujin Pak has provided the first book-length, multi-confessional treatment of prophecy in the Reformation era. Deeply researched, The Reformation of Prophecy presents a wealth of information about how leading reformers defined the office and function of the prophet along with how they interpreted biblical prophecy. Pak's book offers an especially valuable lens through which to view the character and development of the Protestant Reformation as whole, above all its attempts to solve its own crisis of authority. * Ronald K. Rittgers, Erich Markel Chair in German Reformation Studies, Valparaiso University *Table of ContentsAbbreviations Introduction 1. Prophecy and the Priesthood of All Believers 2. Prophecy and the Radicals: Re-Thinking Prophecy and the Prophet Contra the Radicals 3. Prophecy and the Pastoral Office: Luther and Zwingli 4. Prophecy and the Teaching Office: Bullinger and Calvin 5. The Prophet, Prophecy, and the Pastoral Office in the Next Generation 6. Old Testament Prophecy and Protestant Conceptions of Sacred History 7. Later Lutheran, Swiss Reformed, and Calvinist Readings of Sacred History in the Old Testament Prophets 8. Christological Exegesis and the Interpretation of Metaphors in Old Testament Prophecy Conclusion Select Bibliography Index

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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 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 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 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 SynopsisThis second book of the three-volume Anchor Bible Commentary offers an astute translation and commentary on the middle sixteen chapters of Jeremiah. Important themes in the present volume include injustice within Judah's royal house, sexual immorality among the clergy, and true versus false prophecy. Yet the prophet who thundered Yahweh's judgme.

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Book SynopsisThe NIV Application Commentary helps readers with the vital task of bringing the ancient message of the Bible into a contemporary context. It gives preachers and teachers the tools, ideas, and insights they need to communicate God's Word with the same powerful impact it had when it was first written.Trade Review'It takes more than interpretation of God's Word to change lives, it takes application. Application is the bottom line in preaching and teaching. Without it, we've missed the point of the Bible. The NIV Application Commentary is an outstanding resource for pastors and anyone else who is serious about developing 'doers of the Word.'' * Rick Warren, Pastor, Saddleback Valley Community Church *'The NIV Application Commentary series doesn't fool around: It gets right down to business, bringing this ancient and powerful Word of God into the present so that it can be heard and delivered with all the freshness of a new day, with all the immediacy of a friend's embrace.' * Eugene Peterson *'The NIV Application Commentary series promises to be of great service to all who preach and teach the Word of God.' * J. I. Packer, Regent College *'This series promises to become an indispensable tool for every pastor and teacher who seeks to make the Bible's timeless message speak to this generation.' * Billy Graham *

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Book SynopsisKnowledge may get your students pretty far in life, but it won’t be enough to get them through some of the daily challenges they will face as Christians. And it won’t help them grow in their faith. What students really need is God''s wisdom, and for that there’s no better place to start than the book of Proverbs. Through engaging activities and thought-provoking questions that get right to the heart of Proverbs, your students will see that even though this book was written thousands of years ago, the instructions still apply to them. By the end of this study, your students will know how to answer questions that include: • How do I know what path to take? • What does God have to say about premarital sex? • How should I respond to money? • How should I treat other people? • How should I handle criticism? Written with the busy youth worker in mind, Studies on the Go: Proverbs provides Scriptural depth and substance to be tackled in a manageabl

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Book SynopsisIn this rich companion to the Bible, scholar Tremper Longman III gathers the best in historical research and literary analysis to lead you through each book of the Old Testament. An abridged edition of the popular textbook, An Introduction to the Old Testament, this comprehensive guide includes questions for individual use or group discussion.

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Book SynopsisA series of Bible study guides following the format and content of the NIV Application Commentaries Series. Each study looks at the original meaning, bridging contexts, and contemporary significance of the text, and offers small group participants a better understanding and relevant application of the biblical material to their daily lives.

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Book SynopsisIn A Brief History of Old Testament Criticism---a concise, intelligent, in-depth historical overview ideal for classroom use---Mark Gignilliat discusses key critical scholars and their theories of Old Testament interpretation.

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Book SynopsisFew pastors continue to read their Hebrew Old Testament after seminary. One reason is that it is too time-consuming, since many words have to be looked up in the dictionary. The Reader''s Hebrew-English Lexicon of the Old Testament, now for the first time complete in one volume, enables the pastor and the student to read the Hebrew Old Testament with relative ease. Listed in sequence by chapter and verse are all words that occur fewer than fifty times in the Old Testament, complete with translation (based on Brown, Driver, and Briggs'' Lexicon) and numbers indicating how often the word occurs in the particular book and in the Old Testament as a whole. At the end of each entry is the page number in Brown, Driver, and Briggs'' Lexicon where a discussion of the word can be found. Appendixes list all Hebrew words occurring more than fifty times in the Old Testament and all Aramaic words occurring more than ten times.

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Book SynopsisThe Word Biblical Commentary delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars of our day who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. This series emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology. These widely acclaimed commentaries serve as exceptional resources for the professional theologian and instructor, the seminary or university student, the working minister, and everyone concerned with building theological understanding from a solid base of biblical scholarship.Overview of Commentary Organization Introduction—covers issues pertaining to the whole book, including context, date, authorship, composition, interpretive issues, purpose, and theology. Each section of the commentary includes: Pericope Bibliography—a helpful resource containing the mos

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Book SynopsisThe Word Biblical Commentary delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars of our day who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. This series emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology. These widely acclaimed commentaries serve as exceptional resources for the professional theologian and instructor, the seminary or university student, the working minister, and everyone concerned with building theological understanding from a solid base of biblical scholarship.Overview of Commentary Organization Introduction—covers issues pertaining to the whole book, including context, date, authorship, composition, interpretive issues, purpose, and theology. Each section of the commentary includes: Pericope Bibliography—a helpful resource containing the mos

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Book SynopsisWBC series delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. It emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology.

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Book SynopsisThe Word Biblical Commentary delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars of our day who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. This series emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology. These widely acclaimed commentaries serve as exceptional resources for the professional theologian and instructor, the seminary or university student, the working minister, and everyone concerned with building theological understanding from a solid base of biblical scholarship.Overview of Commentary Organization Introduction—covers issues pertaining to the whole book, including context, date, authorship, composition, interpretive issues, purpose, and theology. Each section of the commentary includes: Pericope Bibliography—a helpful resource containing the mos

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Book SynopsisWBC series delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. It emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology.

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

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Book SynopsisContains a record of the numbering of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai and later on the plain of Moab. This book is designed to serve readers by demonstrating the intellectual and practical viability of theological interpretation of the Bible. It enlists leading theologians to read and interpret Scripture for the 21st century.

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Book SynopsisThe fifteen essays were written by leading biblical scholars in Europe between 1950 and 1960. They are all concerned with the relation between Israel's religious self-interpretation and its history as the research of our time sees it, and they seek valid ways of connecting the two Testaments which together constitute the Christian Bible.

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Book SynopsisArgues that the Book of Judges is essentially a political tract and not a historical account of the conquest of Israel and the rise of the monarch, or an ancient Israelite work of literary fiction.Table of ContentsPreface 1. Judges and the Historian 2. Reading Judges as Literature? 3. The Short Story 4. The Samson Cycle 5. Poetry and Prose in Judges 4-5 6. Winding Down: The Concubine of Gibeah 7. A Conclusion that became an Introduction 8. Conclusion: The Center Does Cohere Bibliography

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

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Book SynopsisAnalyses texts on social justice in the Old Testament and argues that despite their ideological character they may still assist in shaping a Christian theological approach to social and global injustice. This book offers reflections on the value of the Old Testament as a resource in the struggle for justice.Trade Review"'A splendid contribution to a very major issue, a most interesting and thought-provoking study' Richard Coggins, formerly Senior Lecturer in Old Testament Studies, King's College London, UK '[A] marvellous combination of reading everything, being open to the most radical of ideas, but keeping a cool head, a critical spirit, and a desire to discover things in the OT of theological and ethical value.' John Goldingay, David Allan Hubbard Professor of Old Testament at Fuller Seminary, Pasadena, California, USA"Table of ContentsPreface; Preface to the First Edition; 1. Texts and Contexts; 2. The Ancient Social Context; 3. Oppression and the Prophets; 4. Justice and the Patron; 5. Justice and the King; 6. Justice and the People; 7. The God of Justice; 8. The Old Testament: A Resource in the Struggle for Justice.

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Table of ContentsA. The End of the FirstTemple; B. The Early kings; C. The Older Beliefs; D. The Older Covenant; E. Into Exile; F. Losing the Lady; G. Postscript; Indexes.

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