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. "

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.

This book focuses on the interpretation of Malachi 2:10-16, which censures the lax marital practice of its contemporaries. In particular, Hugenberger investigates Malachi's identification of marriage as a "covenant" in response to recent scholarly challenges to this identification.
Taking the issues raised by Malachi as his point of departure, Hugenberger examines the nature of covenant and oath (including "verba solemnia and oath-signs), and, in light of these findings, explores the theory of marriage implied elsewhere in the Old Testament. Included in this investigation are an analysis of the concentric literary structure of Malachi and a study of the Old Testament's ethical perspectives on divorce, polygamy, and sexual fidelity.
An extensive bibliography and indices complete the book.

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.

Series: Compendia Rerum Iudaicarum ad Novum Testamentum Section 1 - The Jewish people in the first century Historial geography, political history, social, cultural and religious life and institutions Edited by S. Safrai and M. Stern in cooperation with D. Flusser and W.C. van Unnik Section 2 - The Literature of the Jewish People in the Period of the Second Temple and the Talmud Section 3 - Jewish Traditions in Early Christian Literature

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

In this original study, noted scholar and theologian David Hartman discusses the relation between Maimonides' halakhic writings and The Guide of the Perplexed--a connection much closer than is generally supposed. Maimonides: Torah and Philosophic Quest demonstrates that Maimonides' total philosophic endeavor was an attempt to show how the free search for truth, established through the study of logic, physics, and metaphysics, can live harmoniously with a way of life defined by the normative traditions of Judaism.

Milton's Earthly Paradise was first published in 1972. Minnesota Archive Editions uses digital technology to make long-unavailable books once again accessible, and are published unaltered from the original University of Minnesota Press editions.This study provides a history of the changing interpretations of the first earthly paradise--the garden of Eden--in Western thought and relates Paradise Lost and other literary works to this paradise tradition. The author traces the beginnings of the tradition as they appear in the Bible and in classical literature and shows how these two strains were joined in early Christian and medieval literature. His emphasis, however, is on the relation of Paradise Lost to Renaissance commentary and to other literary works of the period dealing with the paradise story.Professor Duncan views Paradise Lost as one of many Renaissance works that reveal an untiring effort to understand and explain the first chapters of Genesis. In the rational and humanistic commentary of the Renaissance, he explains, the aim was to provide an interpretation of the literal sense of the Scriptural account that was credible, detailed, and historically valid. He finds that the cumulative influence of the commentary is reflected in Milton's attention to the location of paradise, the emphasis on the natural and the rational in his description of paradise, and in the importance of the typological relationship between the terrestrial and celestial paradises. This illuminating discussion makes it clear that Milton's re-creation of paradise is not only superb poetry but also a penetrating account of the origins of man, involving highly complex and controversial issues.

Faith and History in the Old Testament was first published in 1963. Minnesota Archive Editions uses digital technology to make long-unavailable books once again accessible, and are published unaltered from the original University of Minnesota Press editions. This absorbing and readable account of the religion of ancient Israel is presented against the background of other cultures of the time. Father MacKenzie traces the development of Israel's belief and draws upon modern knowledge of the cultures of the ancient Near East to illuminate the history. But the main stress is on the religious meaning which the Israelites themselves perceived in the events they experienced, a meaning which is accepted and extended in different ways by modern Jews and by Christians. The author explains, in non-technical style, the distinctive features of the faith of the Old Testament as evident in such themes as covenant, creation, retribution, the pursuit of wisdom, and the hope of salvation. At the outset, he defines the study of theology and places the study of Chrisson with that of Israel. He analyzes Israel's concept of God and the character of the covenant between God and the people of Israel, discusses the Israelite literature on the creation of earth and its creatures, and considers the interrelationship between myth and history. He discusses the search for wisdom in Israel, the public prayers, and the concept of a promise from the deity. In conclusion, he presents the interpretation by the Old Testament authors of these distinctive features of Israel's religion. The book is intended for lay people interested in modern Bible interpretation, as well as for priests, ministers, and rabbis who wish a general survey of the Old Testament. It is suitable for use as a text or supplementary reading in religion or theology courses.

Moral injury is a profound violation of a human being's core moral identity through experiences of violence or trauma. This is the first book in which scholars from different faith and academic backgrounds consider the concept of moral injury not merely from a pastoral or philosophical point of view but through critical engagement with the sacred texts of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and American Civil Religion. This collection of essays explores the ambiguities of personal culpability among both perpetrators and victims of violence and the suffering involved in accepting personal agency in trauma. Contributors provide fresh and compelling readings of texts from different faith traditions and use their findings to reflect on real-life strategies for recovery from violations of core moral beliefs and their consequences such as shame, depression and addiction. With interpretations of the sacred texts, contributors reflect on the concerns of the morally-injured today and offer particular aspects of healing from their communities as support, making this a groundbreaking contribution to the study of moral injury and trauma.

By employing the same basic methodologies used to establish the currently accepted chronology, it has been possible for a group of young archaeologists, including David Rohl, to create a New Chronology which resolves many of the problems permeating ancient world studies. In particular, one model has been developed which has major implications for Old Testament research. Through the revision of the master chronology of ancient Egypt they have unlocked the key to biblical history - the epic events of the Bible really did happen as recorded in the Books of Genesis, Exodus, Judges, Samuel, Kings and Chronicles - the problem was that we had previously been looking for them in completely the wrong place in time.

Many of the conundrums of the past are explained, and legendary figures such as Joseph, Moses, David and Solomon find their true political setting. Exodus and Conquest will be restored to history and the magic of legend will begin to make its great comeback.

One of the world's foremost experts on the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Qumran community that produced them provides an authoritative new English translation of the two hundred longest and most important nonbiblical Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran, along with an introduction to the history of the discovery and publication of each manuscript and the background necessary for placing each manuscript in its actual historical context.

A fundamental issue for preachers of the Bible has always been achieving an approach that is both faithful to the textual intention as well as fitting for the listening audience. What is historical and distant (the text) is, in preaching, made contemporary and near (praxis). Particularly pertinent is how this transaction may be conducted with respect to the self-contained and well-defined quantum of the scriptural text that is regularly employed in liturgical contexts-the pericope. This book answers the question: In a sermon intending to proclaim application from a pericope, what is the hermeneutical basis for moving validly from text to praxis, i.e., with authority and relevance? The concept of theology as a bridge between text and praxis has not been specifically researched or rigorously substantiated. Kuruvilla seeks to do both, utilizing as entrees language philosophy, literary criticism, and a thorough understanding of "ordinary" language. Drawing from a variety of hermeneutical resources, he establishes "pericopal theology" as the intermediary between text and praxis. How this theology is discerned from the text and how application may be determined therefrom form the crux of this book. This novel approach lends validity to the movement from text to praxis and promises to be useful for any approach to the biblical text intended to culminate in application. Kuruvilla's approach provides a substantial technical basis for such an operation. Thus the preacher must be a "theologian-homiletician." It is the working out of this nomenclature, especially the "theologian" half of the appellation, that is the essence of this work, uniting as it does in one portfolio the responsibility of negotiating the demands of both hermeneutics and homiletics.

Preaching's Preacher's Guide to the Best Bible Reference The first eighteen verses of the Gospel of John make some of the most profound statements about the character and work of Christ in all of Scripture: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (1:1); "all things were made through him" (1:3); "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (1:14). Reformation commentators ruminated on the meaning and implications of such claims for shedding light on doctrines like the Trinity, the divinity of Christ and his incarnation, but also for grasping the saving benefits of Christ's work in justification (for those "who believed in his name") and new birth (those born of God as his children, 1:12-13). In this volume, Craig Farmer expertly guides readers through Reformation meditation on these themes and many others as they are unpacked in the first twelve chapters of the Gospel of John, from the Prologue to Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Here you will find a rich mosaic of reflection on the Gospel of John by a variety of significant well-known and lesser-known figures among the Reformed, Lutherans, Radicals and Roman Catholics. Farmer has done justice to the depth and nuance of the work of these Reformation-era pastors and scholars by drawing from a range of genres--extensive commentary, brief annotations, impassioned sermons, official confessions, and careful doctrinal and practical treatises. Contemporary scholars will find this volume indispensable for understanding the significance of the "spiritual Gospel" for Reformation theology and practice, and pastors will discover here a consistently fruitful source for preaching, teaching and discipleship in the "grace and truth" that have come through Jesus Christ (1:17).

"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

This volume inaugurates the publication of the Biblical Dead Sea Scrolls from the main collection discovered in Cave 4 at Qumran. It contains six biblical manuscripts written in the ancient palaeo-Hebrew script, four Septuagint manuscripts and five hitherto unknown compositions. There are also ten biblical manuscripts from Genesis to Deuteronomy and Job. The Hebrew texts antedate by a millennium what had previously been the earliest surviving biblical codices in the original language and they document the pluriform nature of the ancient biblical textual tradition before the text became standardized. The most extensive and significant manuscript, 4QpaleoExodm, exhibits the extended textual tradition that formed the basis for the Samaritan Pentateuch, and illumines the historical and theological relationship between the Jews and the Samaritans. Fragments of an unidentified Greek text mention Moses, Pharoah and Egypt, suggesting some development of the Exodus theme, and further witnessing to the rich religious literature to which Rabbinic Judaism and nascent Christianity were heirs. Patrick Skehan (died 1980) was the editor of the Old Testament text in the "New American Bible" (1970).

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.