This volume explores issues of moral character found in the different text versions of the book of Esther. First the study suggests the two most common approaches to perceived moral problems in the story of Esther: avoidance and transformation. Then it investigates selected portions of the Hebrew Masoretic Text, the Greek Septuagint Text, and the Greek Alpha-Text stories of Esther, focusing on issues of morality via character analysis. Finally it concentrates on the moral ambiguity found in all three versions, and on the ways in which moral character in the Greek stories has been transformed.

Doubts about the contribution of cult-prophetic speech to psalmody remain in debate. Psalms containing first-person divine speech exhibit numerous features and suggest life settings that conform to actual prophetic speech. Alternative explanations lack comparable examples external to psalms. On the other hand, Assyrian cultic prophecies parallel the characteristics of prophetic speech found in psalms. The Assyrian sources support possible composition and performance scenarios that overcome objections raised against the compatibility of genuine prophecy with psalmody. A model of cultic prophecy remains the best explanation for the origin of psalms containing first-person divine speech.

The distinguished Dutch New Testament scholar Bas van Iersel offers us an incisive and comprehensive episode-by-episode commentary on the Gospel of Mark. His special focus is on the contribution of each episode to the overall meaning of the gospel, at both the level of the story and the level of the discourse. As a reader-response commentator, his concern is everywhere with the effect of Mark's story on its readers, engaging both with the situation of the original audience of Mark-Christians of Gentile origin in Rome shortly after the Neronian persecutions-and with that of the present-day reader. Even the introductions are reader-related: on the role of the reader, the original audience and the reader of today, the overall concentric structure of Mark, and the relation of Mark to the Old Testament.

From his earliest anointing in 1 Samuel 16 until his deathbed discourse in 1 Kings 2, David is surrounded by a remarkable cast of supporting characters -- an ensemble whose varying perspectives on him create some of the complexity of this royal character in the biblical narrative. David's older brother Eliab speaks only once to his younger sibling, but this conversation has significant implications for the larger narrative. The encounter with Ahimelech the priest in 1 Samuel 21-22 in many ways symbolizes the 'crossing fates' of David and Saul in the sanctuary at Nob. Abner is the rival general who wants to make a deal, but his actions are difficult to gauge: does he have his own set of royal ambitions? Joab is pre-eminently a man of action and a key commander of David's troops, but this military figure surprisingly turns out to be as well an innovative reader and royal exegete. Nathan the prophet has a tendency to surface at pivotal moments in the story, as a decisive influence on the spiritual and political affairs of the king. Ahithophel is a senior counsellor in the Davidic administration who becomes mysteriously embittered against David in the rebellion of Absalom; in narratives about him there is a confluence of tangled motives and prophetic words. Finally, Solomon is the younger son who accedes to the coveted Davidic throne, and curiously shares traits with his ancestor Jacob and has a swearing problem in 1 Kings 1-2.

Creative ways we can understand the psalms ... and use their power to enrich our lives.

What is the mysterious power of psalms, the power that has made them beloved for thousands of years? This inspiring introduction shows us not only how to read the psalms with understanding, but how we can bring them into our lives, in: Facing our enemies Dealing with anger Overcoming feeling let down or abandoned Coping with sickness in ourselves or those we love Expressing our thanks

A creative and personal firsthand approach to the Book of Psalms, it offers stories and examples that help us interpret and explore the unusual power of the psalms and use them to enrich our lives.

This unique commentary allows the interpretation of Isaiah 1-39 to be guided by the final form of the book. It focuses on the theological aspect of the book of Isaiah, giving special attention to the role of literary context. Christopher Seitz explores structural and organizational concerns as clues to the editorial intention of the final form of the material, which he argues is both intelligible and an intended result of the efforts of those who gave shape to the present form of the book.

Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching is a distinctive resource for those who interpret the Bible in the church. Planned and written specifically for teaching and preaching needs, this critically acclaimed biblical commentary is a major contribution to scholarship and ministry.

Judaean society in the first century did not conform to the stereotypical 'Mediterranean honour culture', in that it lacked a significant gentile population and was dominated by a powerful religious elite. Timothy Ling argues that this demands a new social-scientific approach to the Gospel and Letters of John that moves away from the accepted 'sectarian' interpretation. He attributes their distinctiveness instead to their roots in Jesus's Judaean ministry, as contrasted with the Galilean ministry that has attracted much recent study. In particular, Ling contends that the numerous references to 'the poor' in the New Testament can be better understood in the context of the 'alternative' ideologies found among pietistic religious groups practising asceticism, renunciation, and other forms of 'virtuoso religion' in first-century Judaea. In doing so, he mounts a convincing challenge to the current dominant reading of the Gospel of John as a product of early Christian sectarianism.

Until recently Leviticus has been read, especially in Christian circles, as part of a 'priestly' work with a predominantly prescriptive and ritualistic agenda. In this volume of papers read at a colloquium held in honour of Mary Douglas at Lancaster University in 1995, experts in the Hebrew Bible, Jewish law, comparative law, classical literature and social anthropology raise challenging questions about the composition, context and purpose of the book. Can it be read as an autonomous literary unit? How significant are its unique ethical insights? Is it law or narrative? Does it reflect actual Second Temple Period practice? How is it related to the Mishnah?>

The work of social theorist Anthony Giddens provides the basis for a critical discussion of current methods employed in sociological studies of the New Testament and for the presentation of a new approach. The focus of these studies is the Corinthian correspondence, including both the letters written by Paul and the letter known as 1 Clement, sent from Rome to Corinth around the end of the first century. This correspondence provides rich material for a study of the social ethos of early Christian teaching and its development. It allows an assessment of how Pauline Christianity shapes relationships within the Christian community and how the social ethos of the 'symbolic order' changes as it develops through time in a changing context. Throughout David Horrell also explores where and how the different teachings serve to legitimate or sustain the dominant social order and the interests and positions of the socially powerful.

In this rhetorical-critical study of Ecclesiates, the author elucidates how Qoheleth teaches in his discourse, paying particular attention to the use of the cosmological texts (1:4-11 and 3:1-8) and the first-person speeches.

Two fundamental experiences of Yahweh in the Old Testament are an encounter with the 'word' of Yahweh and an encounter with the 'spirit' or 'wind' or 'breath' (rva-) of Yahweh. This thesis explores 'word', rva-, and their relationship in the book of Ezekiel. According to the dominant paradigm for explaining the emphasis on rva- and its relation to Yahweh's word within the book of Ezekiel, the prophet Ezekiel is recovering from the pre-classical prophets, or even pioneering, an emphasis on rva- in prophecy that is conspicuously absent from the classical, writing prophets. This reading interprets the emphasis on rva- in Ezekiel in terms of the self-authentication of the ministry of the prophet. This book examines the relationship between rva- and prophecy in Ezekiel and in the rest of the Old Testament, and shows that the dominant paradigm requires modification. The emphasis on Yahweh's rva- in Ezekiel, even the 'prophetic spirit', is best understood in relation to the book's concern for the transformation of its addressees. The prophet Ezekiel's experience of Yahweh's rva- and his own obedience to Yahweh's call are clearly contrasted with the disobedience of the prophet's addressees in order to present Ezekiel as a model for the addressees of the book. His experience illuminates for them how the dramatic vision of the future can become a reality in their experience. Yahweh's rva- has a fundamental role in the envisaged obedient response to Yahweh's word, both of Ezekiel and of the book's addressees.

This book is about both the fear of gender reversal and its expression in the prophet Ezekiel's reworking of the marital metaphor. Kamionkowski argues that the abomination of "wife Jerusalem" is that she is attempting to pass for a male, thereby crossing gender boundaries and upsetting the world order. This story is therefore one of confused gender scripts, ensuing chaos and a re-ordering through the reinforcement of these strictly defined prescriptions of gendered behaviour.

Using socio-historical evidence and the existence of the literary motif of "men turning into women" as a framework, this book argues that Ezekiel 16, in particular, reflects the gender chaos which arises as an aftermath of social and theological crises.

'Joshua and the Rhetoric of Violence' examines the book of Joshua as a construction of national identity. This pioneering New Historicist analysis shows how the Deuteronomist used war oracle language and epic historical lore to negotiate sociopolitical boundaries. It asserts that text and context interacted in a programme consolidating King Josiah's authority in the wake of Assyrian imperial collapse. The book argues that the conquest narrative is not simple 'us against them' propaganda but a complex web of negotiations defining identity and otherness. The analysis draws on Foucault's principle that power is something exercised rather than merely possessed.

The purpose of this volume is to honor the work of Edgar Conrad; it is therefore a festschrift. The essays focus on various aspects of Conrads work, especially the prophetic literature, the Bible as literature, canonical issues, and engaged readings. In developing these lines of scholarship, the authors pay tribute to Conrad and seek to take his work further. The contributions from Korean scholars are especially noteworthy, since Conrad has had significant influence on Korean biblical scholarship through students who studied under him at the University of Queensland.

This volume, the fruit of the sessions on the Book of Acts at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, in San Antonio, Texas, in November 2004, contains these papers: Robert C. Tannehill, 'Do the Ethics of Acts Include the Ethical Teaching in Luke?' C. Kavin Rowe, 'Authority and Community: Lukan Dominium in Acts' F. Scott Spencer, 'Wise Up, Young Man: The Moral Vision of Saul and Other "Neaniskoi" in Acts' Stanley E. Porter, 'The Genre of Acts and the Ethics of Discourse' Robert L. Brawley, 'Identity and the Aim of an Accomplished Life in Acts' Matthew L. Skinner, 'The Importance of Paul's Custody in Acts 21-28 for Determining Luke's Sociopolitical Vision' Thomas E. Phillips, 'Paul as Role Model in Acts' Richard Paul Thompson, '"What Do You Think You Are Doing, Paul?" Synagogues, Accusations, and Ethics in Paul's Ministry in Acts 16-21' Pamela Kinlaw, '"Devout and God-Fearing": Cornelius, Pacifism, and Just War'

This monograph investigates Genesis 12:3 in its context in the final form of Genesis. The author argues that the verse is, first, a promise of security and greatness to Abraham and Israel. However, its position following Genesis 1-11 also indicates a divine plan to extend blessing to all the peoples of the earth. Supporting this understanding of the verse, the author examines the close parallels that Genesis and Numbers 24:9 have to Genesis 12:3. He also presents a detailed consideration of the concept of blessing in the Old Testament and of the niphal and hithpael stems of the verb barak. Ph.D. dissertation under the supervision of Dr R. W. L. Moberly, Durham, UK.

This is the most thorough investigation yet published on the early Christian apocalypse called the 'Ascension of Isaiah'. Knight examines all the critical issues in the study of this document, including matters of date, provenance and purpose. Particular attention is paid to the book's concepts of christology (with a view both to that christology's Jewish mediatorial background and to its relationship with wider Christianity) and millenarianism (with a view to the social setting of the writer and his readers). Questions concerning the author as haggadist and exegete are also addressed.