Jews, Christians, and Muslims trace their roots to Abraham and yet it is a shock to many Bible readers that some of the characters and stories in their sacred text are also found in the pages of Islam's sacred text, the Qur'an. By exploring the relationship between the Bible and the Qur'an in Ishmael Instructs Isaac, John Kaltner challenges Bible readers to think about their sacred book in new, exciting ways. In doing so, he leads all to a better appreciation of Islam. After a brief overview of the text, themes, structure, and use of the Qur'an, Kaltner focuses on traditions that are shared with the Bible. He explains that the Bible and Qur'an contain many of the same themes, figures, and episodes. However, at times, there are significant differences in their descriptions of the same event or figure. By discussing such topics and figures as God, humanity, prophecy, creation, life after death, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mary, Kaltner examines the similarities and differences between the two texts. This comparative method allows readers to better appreciate both what is distinctive about Islam and what it shares with Judaism and Christianity. Jews and Christians view Isaac as the son of Abraham in whom the family line continued. Muslims, on the other hand, view Isaac's brother Ishmael as the rightful heir. This difference must not obscure what is held in common: a belief in the one God and a family - albeit distant - relationship. Written for undergraduate and seminary courses on Islam, the Qur'an, comparative religions, inter-religious dialogue, world scriptures, and biblical interpretation, Ishmael Instructs Isaac is also a useful resource for discussion groups in churches, synagogues, and mosques. Includes English translations of the Qur'anic texts discussed. John Kaltner, PhD, is assistant professor of religious studies at Rhodes College where he teaches courses in the Bible and Islam. He has worked in the Middle East with the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America.

"The editors have performed a great service in making widely available a documentary history of the interpretation of the Eve and Adam story." Publishers Weekly

"This fascinating volume examines Genesis 1-3 and the different ways that Jewish, Christian, and Muslim interpreters have used these passages to define and enforce gender roles.... a 'must'... " Choice

"Wonderful A marvelous introduction to the ways in which the three major Western religious traditions are both like, and unlike one another." Ellen Umansky, Fairfield University

No other text has affected women in the western world as much as the story of Eve and Adam. This remarkable anthology surveys more than 2,000 years of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim commentary and debate on the biblical story that continues to raise fundamental questions about what it means to be a man or to be a woman. The selections range widely from early postbiblical interpretations in the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha to the Qur an, from Thomas Aquinas to medieval Jewish commentaries, from Christian texts to 19th-century antebellum slavery writings, and on to pieces written especially for this volume."

In this paperback reprint (which includes a new Afterword, responding to critics), noted Rabbinic scholar David Weiss Halivni offers a new explanation for the willingness of the early Sages to attribute to scripture meanings nowhere suggested in the text itself. He posits a sharp discontinuity between what the sages considered a valid meaning and our own modern understanding of textual meaning. He argues that the original meaning of the very work "peshat" was actually "context" rather than "literal" meaning, thus explaining the Rabbis' expressions of respect for peshat in the face of their evident unconcern for literal meaning in the text.

In this exploration of Jewish wisdom during the Hellenistic period, internationally renowned scholar John J. Collins examines the books of Sirach and the Wisdom of Solomon, the Sentences of Pseudo-Phocylides, and the recently discovered Qumran Sapiential A text from the Dead Sea Scrolls - offering one of the first such examinations of this text in print. This commentary is a compelling analysis of these important texts and their continuing traditions.>

Volume 2 of the Mercer Commentary on the Bible (MCB, 1994), the fascicle edition, comprises commentaries on the so-called "historical" books of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, along with several appropriate articles from the Mercer Dictionary of the Bible (MDB, 1990; 5th corrected printing, August 1997). This convenient yet thorough text is for the classroom and for anyone who wishes to focus on the study of the Old Testament "historical" books. Other volumes in the series focus on other appropriate groups of canonical and deuterocanonical writings (Prophets, Torah, Gospels, and so forth -- see p. vii for list). Each volume includes the complete MCB commentaries on the focus texts and several relevant articles from MDB.

..". a superb example of modern Orthodox Jewish biblicalinterpretation." -- Interpretation

"This detailed andintriguing work represents years of thought and meticulous analysis as well as afresh reading of several familiar prophetic narratives found in the OT." -- TheCatholic Biblical Quarterly

..". this book containswell-argued and thoughtful literary readings... Simon is thoroughly versed in thesecondary literature but has managed to write a volume accessible to both scholarsand informed general readers..." -- Choice

Noted biblicalscholar Uriel Simon undertakes a systematic study of prophetic narratives in theBible. He focuses on seven stories (including Samuel's call to prophecy, Saul atEndor, and David and Bathsheba), analyzing their form and structure, theirrhetorical devices, their descriptions of character and motive, their narrativetechniques -- in short, on the ways in which the stories are told.

This is a collection of essays drawn from Schwartz's previously published work in which he explores how each successive phase of Jewish literature has drawn upon and reimagined the previous ones. Arguing that there is a continuity in Jewish literature which extends from the biblical era to our own times, this collection serves as a useful guide to the history of that literature and its genres.

The bible remains one of the major literary achievements of human history, comprizing over 60 documents, with as many contributors, and composed over many centuries. In this book, Michael Fishbane approaches the Hebrew Bible from a literary point of view. He demonstrates how, just as orators use particular techniques such as repetition and pause to convey their message in the way they requie, so too the Hebrew Bible authors used a range of literary devices to communicate a religious message applicable to particular historical moments, each with their own political, moral and theological contexts.

The incredible discoveries at Qumran are unveiled in this compelling volume by one of the world's foremost experts on biblical archaeology and the ancient Qumran community. Drawing on the best of current research and a thorough knowledge of all the Dead Sea Scrolls, Hartmut Stegemann analyzes the purpose of the Qumran settlement, paints a picture of how daily life was carried on there, explores the relation of the Qumran community to John the Baptist, to Jesus, and to early Christianity, and uncovers the true nature of the Qumran writings, which continue to have a profound impact on biblical studies today

"A splendid piece of work: learned, witty, wide-ranging in its understanding of religion as a cultural phenomenon, passionate in its concern for the ethical implications of our reading of ancient texts."--Richard B. Hays, author of "Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul

"Boyarin's bracing argument turns us into strangers to ourselves, as the first century comes uncannily close to the twenty-first century. The importance of this stimulating and controversial book lies in promoting an awareness of the possibilities of solidarity, justice, and liberation in the time of the culture wars."--Homi K. Bhabha, author of "The Location of Culture

"Brilliant, thought-provoking and outrageous (a compliment in my lexicon). Demonstrates very clearly the merits of a Jewish look at Paul (that is, a Jew looking at Paul in his Jewishness)."--Adele Reinhartz, McMaster University

"Boyarin has mastered the literature of Paul in amazing detail and devastating understanding. His analytic skills are honed to perfection on the stone of critical theory. As a Jewish reader of a foundational Christian text, he has explained to Christians the power of Paul's thinking for Christians."--Burton L. Mack, author of "Myth of Innocence: Mark and Christian Origins

"This book is a polemic for difference based on genealogical memory as a creative force in the broadest human solidarity. In that sense it is a moral or philosophical tractate, what Boyarin calls cultural criticism, as well as an analysis of Paul's position. I have been greatly informed by a reading of this study."--Antoinette Wire, author of "The Corinthian Woman Prophets

"Boyarin weighs in with his usual eclat . . . reading the Epistles as if theywere contributions to contemporary debates over the issues of feminism, multiculturalism, Zionism, identity politics, and deconstruction, and reading these as if they were germane to an understanding of the Epistles. The book is a tour de force of PoMo criticism, and required reading for anyone interested in the history of religion, Judaism, Christianity, Western culture, 'Orientalism, ' identity politics, feminism--and the list could go on."--Hayden White, author of "Metahistory

Aiming to provide a concise account of the Hebrew Bible, this text gives a brief account of the place of the Hebrew scriptures in Jewish life and thought, from the early Rabbinic period to the present day. This is followed by an outline of each of the 36 books of the Jewish canon, and a brief presentation of their contents, illustrated by quotations from scripture. The presentation follows the actual structure of the book.

The burgeoning use of modern literary theory and cultural criticism in recent biblical studies has led to stimulating-but often bewildering-new readings of the Bible. This book, argued from a perspective shaped by postmodernism, is at once an accessible guide to and an engagement with various methods, theories, and critical practices transforming biblical scholarship today. Written by a collective of cutting-edge scholars-with each page the work of multiple hands-The Postmodern Bible deliberately breaks with the individualist model of authorship that has traditionally dominated scholarship in the humanities and is itself an illustration of the postmodern transformation of biblical studies for which it argues. The book introduces, illustrates, and critiques seven prominent strategies of reading. Several of these interpretive strategies-rhetorical criticism, structuralism and narratology, reader-response criticism, and feminist criticism-have been instrumental in the transformation of biblical studies up to now. Many-feminist and womanist criticism, ideological criticism, poststructuralism, and psychoanalytic criticism-hold promise for the continued transformation of these studies in the future. Focusing on readings from both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, this volume illuminates the current multidisciplinary debates emerging from postmodernism by exposing the still highly contested epistemological, political, and ethical positions in the field of biblical studies.

Sirach is a book that raises a very distinctive set of problems. What should we call it (Sirach, Ecclesiasticus, Ben Sira)? What is the relation between the traditional Greek text and the recently rediscovered Hebrew parts of the book? Where did it stand in relation to Jewish tradition and the Hellenism that was sweeping the Mediterranean world? In this guide, a new addition to Sheffield's series on the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, these questions are discussed, as well as the use the author made of Scripture, and the scholarly placing of the book in the Wisdom tradition. The author's attitude to women is considered and the volume ends with a consideration of some of the chief theological themes of Sirach.

This fascinating book brings together a unique collection of commentaries, translated from the original Arabic, on some of the key passages of the Quran. Presenting the views of a broad range of commentators, both classical and modern, it focuses on such topics as God, Muhammad, revelation, and Muslim beliefs and duties, in addition to chapters exploring mystical, philosophical and Shiite quaranic exegesis. The Quran and its Exegesis offers an unparalleled overview of Muslim thinking through the ages and around the world, an essential addition to the libraries of all students of Islam and comparative religion.

With this selection of his essays and studies, Moshe Greenberg joins JPS's Scholars of Distinction. One of the world's foremost Bible experts, Dr. Greenberg's viewpoint has been shaped by the study of the ancient Near Eastern context of biblical Israel and the history of the interpretation of the Bible from its earliest translations until today. He regards the text with admiration for its enduring power, for the features that set it apart from the literatures of surrounding cultures, and for the riches discovered in it through the ages by "faith-full" interpreters. For Dr. Greenberg, the Jewish Bible scholar is, ultimately, charged with the task of identifying and explaining the impact that Hebrew scriptures have had on humanity in general and on Judaism in particular. These essays, composed during a period of some forty-five years, are presented essentially in their original form, many with newly added notes by the author; some of the essays have never before been published.

Considering the extent of social injustice in the world today, how can Christians combine their efforts with those of other concerned people to solve this problem? Social Justice in the Hebrew Bible offers an answer to this question by examining how Israel used the social justice thought of other Near Eastern peoples to face its own justice crises. It uses as its framework the Hebrew Bible's statements about this issue in its law codes, prophetic books, psalms, narrative works, and wisdom literature. Malchow demonstrates that Israel did not originate the concept of social justice. Rather, it drew its resources for overcoming it from Near Eastern thought on the subject. By combining its own ideas of social justice with those of its neighbors, Israel's people fought injustice with what was new" and what was "old." Israel's three methods of acceptance, adaptation, and transformation remain relevant to the changing conditions of life today. They are useful in our integrations of non-Christian thought with our own and continue to shape Israel's justice tradition. Social injustice is an immense and world-wide problem. Social Justice in the Hebrew Bible stresses that in order for Christians to be ethically responsible and true to their tradition, they must join forces with other concerned people in the struggle against it. Bruce V. Malchow, PhD, is professor of Hebrew Bible at the Sacred Heart School of Theology, Hales Corners, Wisconsin. He has published articles in numerous journals, including the Journal of Biblical Literature and Catholic Biblical Quarterly. "

Garfield translates Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamakakarika and provides a philosophical commentary. Mulamadhyamakakarika is the foundational text for all Mahayana Buddhism and is one of the most influential works in the history of Indian philosophy.

In this critical analysis Enrico Mazza concentrates on structure as he traces the evolution of the Eucharistic Prayer (anaphora) from its origins in the ancient Jewish rites and its Christian beginnings in the Didache. He then examines the paleoanaphoras of the early centuries and moves through the origin and progressive development of the larger anaphoric families (Alexandrian, Roman, Antiochene), showing the influence of the Jewish rites on the formation of the Christian texts before arriving finally at the classical anaphoras of the fourth century. Enrico Mazza is professor of liturgical history at the Universit... Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan. He is the author of Mystagogy: A Theology of Liturgy in the Patristic Ages and Eucharistic Prayers of the Roman Rite.

The separate events of Islamic scripture are not difficult to chronicle, but what kind of event does the whole of the Qur'an represent? How should we understand the coming together of a charismtic personality, poetic eloquence, developing Arab consciousness, and a vibrant longing for God, into the single phenomenon of the Qur'an? What is the inner story of the prophethood that Islam regards as God's final revelation for humanity? How did geographical setting, culture and traditions enter into the Qur'an's metaphors and shape its message? These questions are examined in this study of Islam in scripture.

Here is a kaleidoscope of tales, a key to many of the richest literary and artistic traditions of the western world: Adam's ascent into Heaven in a chariot, Abraham's trail by fire, Jonah's fabulous adventrure in the whale, the life of Moses, Hannah's desire for a son, Solomon as a beggar, the wooing of Rebekah, and Balshazzar's feast. This is storytelling with a grain of salt and a lot of wit; tales springing from the antiquity of oral tradition, told with sheer delight in the glory of a book transformed by a hundred generations whose daily thoughts and deeds were transformed by The Book.

The books of the Hebrew Bible were created by anonymous writers during the first millennium before the Common Era (BCE). Their messages and concerns are the central theme of the book. The writings that make up the Hebrew Bible are expressions of their great creativity, their interpretation of life in their own time and their perception of its meaning. It is easy for readers to get lost in the minutiae of biblical criticism, which has concerned itself for so long with historical reconstruction. This book will encourage them to listen carefully to what the biblical writers are saying to allow the message of the Hebrew Bible to emerge once again.
In a sense, too, the intrinsic value of the Hebrew Bible is now re-emerging, after centuries of Christian interpretation, and its importance - as a literature from which three major religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have developed - is beginning to be understood.
This book is not another history of Israel, nor an introduction to the books of the Hebrew Bible. It is an exploration, an invitation to the reader to set off on an expedition of discovery. It may perplex readers that scholars disagree, often fundamentally, on virtually every issue: Creating the Old Testament raises and discusses issues, so that the reader can observe how hypotheses are formed and how the apparently 'assured results' of scholarship are constantly tested. In following this path, readers are encouraged to develop their skill in evaluating historical data, recognizing textual problems, interpreting symbolic language and understanding the deep concerns of biblical writers. They will investigate different and varied exegetical traditions. They will be stirred to reflect on what the biblical books have to say for life today, whether viewed from a Jewish, Christian, Muslim or secular perspective.

An exploration in the Baha'i Writings of the dual nature of human relationships. (World Religions)