The prophetic books are some of the most captivating and fascinating texts of the Old Testament, but they are also some of the most misunderstood. Interpreting the Prophets equips the reader with the knowledge and skills they need to interpret the Prophets in a faithful and accurate fashion. Beginning with the nature of the prophetic role and prophetic books in Israel, Old Testament scholar Aaron Chalmers leads the reader through the various "worlds" of Israel's prophets--historical, social, theological and rhetorical-- providing the basic contextual and background information needed both for sound and sensible exegesis, and for sensitive interpretation and application for today. He concludes with a helpful chapter giving guidelines for preaching from the Prophets--including advice on choosing the texts, making appropriate analogies, and the potential problems and common pitfalls to avoid.

Love the Psalms? Struggle with them? Here are 36 brand new translations for you to enjoy, freshly translated from the original Hebrew. Betty Bracha Stone's translations of thirty-six Biblical psalms are innovative in their freshness, and yet deeply conservative in their faithfulness to the original Hebrew. Constructed in eloquent contemporary language, these interpretations give voice to the deepest sentiments in the human heart. Stone accomplishes the difficult task of renegotiating the passages that can plague the modern reader. For example, the concept of "enemy" is reinterpreted, as are allusions to ancient practices for which we have no meaningful reference. And yet, Stone's offerings bring forward the vibrant piety of the original supplicants. These translations carry the reader into the heart of the psalmists' service as we imagine it was practiced thousands of years ago. We are invited to join them and each other in gratitude, supplication and praise. Well voiced and well executed, this is an excellent companion volume for the personal and deeply felt spiritual journey. "Remarkable " "Bracha Stone's remarkable versions of thirty-six biblical psalms carry the reader into the hearts of religious poets who lived and wrote thousands of years ago. She has fashioned an eloquent contemporary language that reveals the spiritual experiences of these ancient worshipful writers." -- Rabbi Burt Jacobson, Founding Rabbi, Kehilla Community Synagogue "Innovative, fresh and yet deeply conservative" "Innovative in their contemporary freshness, and yet deeply conservative ... these re-voicings carry the prayerful reader to a place where all those who have prayed or sung these psalms join in one chorus." -- J. Gerald Janzen, Professor Emeritus, Christian Theological Seminary "To be savored" "Bracha Stone's offerings are to be savored by those new to the treasure of the Psalms and those who know them in the Hebrew. The words of each psalm take hold of her heart and demand her honest and fresh interpretation, and help us deepen to our own relationship with the Mystery we call God." -- Rabbi Chaya Gusfield, Chaplain, Kaiser Hospital, Oakland CA A perfect gift for yourself or your loved ones Order a copy now.

Kristin De Troyer -- University of St. Andrews -This finely revised and nicely updated version of one of the classics in our field can truly be called a grand introduction to the history of the biblical text.-Leonard Greenspoon -- Creighton University -Readers familiar with Wurthwein's earlier work will discover all of the strengths of his approach to Biblical Hebrew. Old and new readers will enjoy the thoroughly up-to-date discussion of the aims and methods of textual criticism as well as the unbiased analysis of ancient versions and their modern scholarly editions. Beautifully reproduced plates are easy to read, and the updated bibliography is satisfyingly full. . . . This successful project can be easily digested by newcomers and savored by specialists.-Robert L. Hubbard -- North Park Theological Seminary -A very welcome, thorough revision of the long-honored standard introduction to the Masoretic text. Its integration of recent scholarship is first-rate, and the rewritten text retains the clear, accessible style that won its predecessors decades of popularity as a textbook. Yet another generation of students will find in this book a friendly, reliable guide through the complex terrain of ancient Hebrew texts and their relationships. Highly commended.-The Bible Today -Every scholar and serious Bible student should have a passing knowledge of the work of the text critic. This book will provide such knowledge.-Books at a Glance -An important, up-to-date resource that will benefit everyone interested in Old Testament Textual criticism. The excellent bibliography, diagrams, and plates are unique contributions among introductory works in the field. Highly recommended.-

These essays explore new methods and overlooked traditions that appear to shed light on how the founders of the Christian movement understood the older sacred tradition and sought new and creative ways to let it speak to their own times. Gurtner discusses the Matthean version of the temptation narrative. Chandler investigates the exhortation to 'love your neighbour as yourself' from Lev. 19.18b. Talbot re-examines Jesus' offer of rest in Mt. 11.28-30. Myers explores the ways Matthew's appeal to Isa. 42.1-4 in Mt. 12.17-21 affects the characterization of Jesus in his Gospel. Hamilton explores 1 Enoch 6-11 as a retelling of Genesis 3-6. Herzer seeks to explain varuiys aspects of Mt. 27.51b-53. McWhirter explores the citation of Exod 23.20, Mal. 3.1, and Isa. 40.3 in Mk 1.2-3. Hopkins investigates the manner in which Jesus engages questions and persons regarding purity and impurity. Miller notes that victory songs are a generally acknowledges category of Hebrew poetry. Gregerman argues that studies of early Christian proselytism to Gentiles are largely focussed on missionary methods of converts.

The books of the Bible covered in "Historical Books II" share a common emphasis centered on the need for the people to remain faithful to the covenant established between God and the Israelites. If the nation remains faithful to God's covenant, God will protect Israel and lead it to be victorious in battles, but if the nation abandons the covenant, God will abandon Israel and allow other nations to plunder and conquer this nation established by God.

In this study, Andrew J. Niggemann provides a comprehensive account of Martin Luther's Hebrew translation in his academic mid-career. Apart from the Psalms, no book of the Hebrew Bible has yet been examined in any comprehensive manner in terms of Luther's Hebrew translation. Andrew J. Niggemann furthers the scholarly understanding of Luther's Hebrew by examining his Minor Prophets translation, one of the final pieces of his first complete translation of the Hebrew Bible. As part of the analysis, he investigates the relationship between philology and theology in his Hebrew translation, focusing specifically on one of the themes that dominated his interpretation of the Prophets: his concept of Anfechtung. He thus shows that by mid-career, the impact of Hebrew on Luther's Bible translation was immense and very diverse, more so than has been appreciated. He expands the frame of reference with which scholars can understand Luther's Hebrew. He provides detailed analyses of many examples of his Hebrew translation which have never before been discussed or examined in any depth, and hundreds of examples of his methodological handling of Hebrew translation issues. He also includes one of the most exhaustive analyses to date of three key philological challenges that confronted Luther in translating the Bible: Hebrew figures of speech, the Hebrew trope of repetition, and Hebrew transliteration. Likewise included as an appendix is a substantial body of refined data from Luther's Hebrew translation, which further illuminates the examples in this study, and facilitates additional analysis for future research. The PhD dissertation this book is based on was awarded the Coventry Prize for the PhD dissertation in Theology with the highest mark and recommendation, University of Cambridge, St. Edmund's College in 2018.

The prophets Ezekiel and Daniel dealt with a people living in captivity and persecution under foreign kings. Though they mainly addressed the current issues of their era, their warnings could predict future destruction or offer peace and redemption after a period of affliction. These messages were rarely welcome, and at times they came from unwilling messengers. But in the face of confusion and suffering, paired with God's insistence, they speak with courage and give hope and truth to nations and generations.

The Church of the first century faced remarkable challenges: the deaths of the apostles and a new generation of Church leaders, a rapid influx of believers and converts, interactions with numerous cultures and often hostile nations. The pastoral letters the First and Second Letters to Timothy and the Letter to Titus contain necessary instructions for carrying out the pastoral or ministerial office of the Church. In this volume of his study, Fr. William A. Anderson also includes the Letter to the Hebrews, which served a similar teaching function in the first century, helping to bridge the gap between the old and new covenants. With these guides, Christian communities ensured the centrality of Jesus in the midst of change.

It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of the Bible in the medieval world. For the Anglo-Saxons, literary culture emerged from sustained and intensive biblical study. Further, at least to judge from the Old English texts which survive, the Old Testament was the primary influence, both in terms of content and modes of interpretation. Though the Old Testament was only partially translated into Old English, recent studies have shown how completely interconnected Anglo-Latin and Old English literary traditions are.Old English Literature and the Old Testament considers the importance of the Old Testament from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, from comparative to intertextual and historical. Though the essays focus on individual works, authors, or trends, including the Interrogationes Sigewulfi, Genesis A, and Daniel, each ultimately speaks to the vernacular corpus as a whole, suggesting approaches and methodologies for further study.

This major work explores the message and meaning of Ezekiel, one of the longest and most difficult of the prophetic books. An introduction explains what is involved in reading a prophetic book, and how the book of Ezekiel was put together and structured. It looks at the form of speech used and discusses Ezekiel's author and those who transmitted, edited, and enlarged upon what he had to say. The destruction of Jerusalem is a primary concern, and attention is focused on the political and social situation of the time in order to provide a clear understanding of the political and religious crisis facing the prophet's contemporaries.

In Biblical Theology, Ben Witherington, III, examines the theology of the Old and New Testaments as a totality. Going beyond an account of carefully crafted Old and New Testament theologies, he demonstrates the ideas that make the Bible a sacred book with a unified theology. Witherington brings a distinctive methodology to this study. Taking a constructive approach, he first examines the foundations of the writers' symbolic universe - what they thought and presupposed about God - and how they revealed those thoughts through the narratives of the Old and New Testaments. He also shows how the historical contexts and intellectual worlds of the Old and New Testaments conditioned their narratives, and, in the process, created a large coherent Biblical world view, one that progressively reveals the character and action of God. Thus, the Yahweh of the Old Testament, the Son in the Gospels, and the Father, Son, and Spirit in the New Testament writings are viewed as persons who are part of the singular divine identity. Witherington's progressive revelation approach allows each part of the canon to be read in its original context and with its original meaning.

Since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, scholars have traced out the rich and complex traditions of biblical interpretation in Second Temple Judaism. Little attention has been given to date to Psalm 80, however. Andrew Streett demonstrates that the Psalm, which combines the story of Israel as a vine ravaged by others with hope for a "son" of God, a "son of man" who will restore the people's fortunes, became a rich trove for eschatological hope.This study traces interpretations of the Psalm, from the addition of verse 16b to its placement in the Psalter, its role as a source for Daniel 7, its interpretation in the Septuagint, and its use in the Dead Sea Scrolls (1QH XVI), the Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum, 2 Baruch, and later the Targum of the Psalms and Leviticus Rabbah. Further, Streett argues that the Psalm was an important biblical text through which early Christians understood the Christ event.

For decades, the prophetic book of Joel has been the focus of scrutiny that belies its brevity. It captures readers with its vivid descriptions of locusts and military invasion and the distress that they cause. It then reveals the concern of YHWH for the covenant community as it systematically reverses the crises that it announces. The book of Joel also offers a window into the rhetorical function of "the day of YHWH" as it uses the phrase to announce both judgment and restoration. Reflecting the creativity of the Old Testament prophetic spirit, the book then guides its readers from utter anguish to the hope of restoration, rooted in the presence of YHWH. From the Depths of Despair to the Promise of Presence delves into Joel's rhetoric and explores the ways in which it seeks to persuade its audience to adopt its perspective in order to respond to a time of crisis. Barker evaluates the state of the discussion surrounding Joel's composition and relationship to the Book of the Twelve. He develops a model of rhetorical criticism that builds on the foundations of previous approaches and proposes modifications that address the specific challenges posed by the book of Joel. He then puts this model into practice and demonstrates that the book of Joel moves from scenes of devastation to promises of restoration in articulating the necessity of calling and relying on YHWH in all circumstances. He explores the persuasive potential of Joel by focusing on its rhetorical structures and strategy. He examines the way the book of Joel engages its audience and guides the people to realize that they must turn to YHWH so that YHWH will turn and bring restoration. From the Depths of Despair to the Promise of Presence invites the reader to enter into the world of Joel. It calls the reader to experience the ways in which the book of Joel intertwines threats of destruction and the hope of renewal in order to reveal the character of YHWH.