This study guide introduces students to the Book of Proverbs from the Old Testament. Zoltán Schwáb examines the book's structure and characteristics; covers the latest Biblical scholarship, including historical and interpretive issues; and considers a range of scholarly approaches from historical-critical through feminist to theological. The guide encourages existential engagement with Proverbs, and uses diverse tools in order to achieve this. A brief chapter by chapter commentary on Proverbs will highlight the major themes of each of its sections. The playful ambiguity and poetry of the proverbs is also discussed. A special emphasis will be placed on how different historical, literary, or performance contexts can influence a proverb’s meaning. Finally, the guide presents an overview of the rich heritage of African interpretation of proverbs. With suggestions of further reading at the end of each chapter, this guide will be an essential accompaniment to the study of the Book of Proverbs.

Recent advances in cognitive linguistics provide new avenues for reading and interpreting Biblical Hebrew prophetic text. This volume utilises a multi-layered cognitive linguistics approach to explore Jeremiah 1:1-6:30, incorporating insights from cognitive grammar, cognitive science and conceptual blending theory. While the modern reader is separated from the originators of these texts by time, space and culture, this analysis rests on the theory that both the originators and the modern reader share common features of embodied experience. This opens the way for utilising cognitive models, conceptual metaphor and mental spaces theory when reading and interpreting ancient texts. This volume provides an introduction to cognitive theory and method. Initially, short examples from Jeremiah 1:1-6:30 are used to introduce the theory and method. This is followed by a detailed comparison of traditional and cognitive approaches to Biblical Hebrew grammar. These insights are then applied to further examples taken from Jeremiah 1:1-6:30 in order to test and refine the approach. These findings show that Jeremiah 1:1-1:3 establishes perspective for the text as a whole and that subsequent shifts in perspective may be tracked using aspects of mental spaces theory. Much of the textual content yields to concepts derived from conceptual metaphor studies and from conceptual blending theory, which are introduced and explained using examples taken from Jeremiah 1:1-6:30. The entire analysis demonstrates some of the strengths and weaknesses of using recent cognitive theories and methods for analysing and interpreting ancient texts. While such theories and methods do not obviate the need for traditional interpretive methods, they do provide a more nuanced understanding of the ancient text.

This study examines the physical form and cultic function of the biblical cherubim. Previous studies of the cherubim have placed too great an emphasis on archaeological and etymological data. This monograph presents a new synthetic study, which prioritises the evidence supplied by the biblical texts. Biblical exegesis, using literary and historical-critical methods, forms the large part of the investigation (Part I). The findings arising from the exegetical discussion provide the basis upon which comparison with etymological and archaeological data is made (Parts II and III). The results suggest that traditions envisaging the cherubim as tutelary winged quadrupeds, with one head and one set of wings, were supplanted by traditions that conceived of them as more enigmatic, obeisant beings. In the portrayal of the cherubim in Ezekiel and Chronicles, we can detect signs of a conceptual shift that prefigures the description of the cherubim in post-biblical texts, such as The Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice and the Enochic texts.

From support for racial discrimination to justification for struggle against the status quo, the biblical text and its key figures have played a prominent role in the development of religious discourse on pressing socio-political issues. Slavery and continued discrimination were given theological sanction through the Old Testament story of Ham, but what of his descendent Nimrod the hunter?" African American Religious Life and the Story of Nimrod" interrogates the nature and meaning of the biblical figure Nimrod's legacy for the children of Africa, shedding light on an intriguing question: For people of African descent is Nimrod famous, or infamous?

James Limburg introduces the first six of the minor prophets and provides a commentary that relates to today's world. He demonstrates why attention should be given to the words of these prophets as they communicate the word of God.

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.

As the first man and woman leave the Garden I am with them. I feel their longing to return, their guilt and shame, and their fears about the future. I feel their anxiety about their Creator: Is He still with them? Does He still love them? I feel their rising panic as they realize that this no-longer-so-cozy world might make life impossible for them.

As Abraham walks silently up the mountain to sacrifice his son I ask the questions he asks. Should I obey the dictates of my God, or is there a higher good involving the sanctity of human life? Can I be Abraham if I refuse to listen to the God I revere? Can I be Abraham if my beloved God demands human blood for His adoration?

As Jacob wrestles throughout the long dark night I am with him. Like Jacob, I sweat as he faces his betrayal of father and brother; as he witnesses, full-face, his character, naked and base. Then, the next morning, I weep as he and his brother weep.

Join me on this pilgrimage into the wisdom that is Genesis. For this journey, it is Adam and Eve, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and even God who serve as guides. It is my fervent hope that by journey's end we will find ourselves.

Lessons from the book of Exodus: learn how to stop walking in circles and rely on God's grace to show you the way to his good promise. Do you wonder if you'll ever get back on track after suffering a major setback or traumatic experience? Do you wonder-even secretly-if God actually does keep his promises? Or if his love is far-reaching enough, his plan detailed enough to include even your daily struggles, habits, and hang-ups? In this Bible study, Rebecca Bender takes study groups and individuals straight into the book of Exodus where the Israelites are wandering after their own tracks immediately after escaping from bondage and oppression at the hands of Pharaoh. God is trying to get them to the land of his promise, but they, like many of us, are frustrated by doubts, fears, and self-destructive habits... This study guide will equip you to: See Exodus in a new and relatable way that will help you better understand God and yourself. Understand the historical and cultural nuances of Egypt to give you fresh insight into this powerful story. Learn applicable tips from the children of Israel by understanding what they did right and what they did wrong in order to reach their goals. Move beyond your own past and into your promises. Get back on track after experiencing a major setback in life or enduring a traumatic event. God has called you out of bondage-to sin, to doubt, to defeat-and into his Promised Land that flows with his grace and truth. This study guide includes biblical and historical background insights, practical application, group discussion questions, and a memory verse for each chapter. Inscribed is a collection of studies that lead women to not just survive but thrive by encouraging them to immerse themselves in the Word of God.

Arguably the biggest blockbuster love song ever composed, the Song of Songs holds a unique place in Jewish and Christian canons as the "holiest" book, in the minds of some readers, and the sexiest in its language and imagery. This commentary aims to interpret this vibrant Song in a contemporary feminist key, informed by close linguistic-literary and social-cultural analysis. Though finding much in the Song to celebrate for women (and men) in their embodied, passionate lives, this work also exposes tensions, vulnerabilities, and inequities between the sexes and among society at large-just what we would expect of a perceptive, poignant love ballad that still tops the charts. From the Wisdom Commentary series Feminist biblical interpretation has reached a level of maturity that now makes possible a commentary series on every book of the Bible. It is our hope that Wisdom Commentary, by making the best of current feminist biblical scholarship available in an accessible format to ministers, preachers, teachers, scholars, and students, will aid all readers in their advancement toward God's vision of dignity, equality, and justice for all. The aim of this commentary is to provide feminist interpretation of Scripture in serious, scholarly engagement with the whole text, not only those texts that explicitly mention women. A central concern is the world in front of the text, that is, how the text is heard and appropriated by women. At the same time, this commentary aims to be faithful to the ancient text, to explicate the world behind the text, where appropriate, and not impose contemporary questions onto the ancient texts. The commentary addresses not only issues of gender (which are primary in this project) but also those of power, authority, ethnicity, racism, and classism, which all intersect. Each volume incorporates diverse voices and differing interpretations from different parts of the world, showing the importance of social location in the process of interpretation and that there is no single definitive feminist interpretation of a text.

Western biblical studies have tended to follow either faith-based theological approaches or value-free historical-critical methods. This monograph challenges the two extremes by pursuing the middle path of philosophical hermeneutics. While drawing on Eastern and Western philosophical writings from ancient to modern times, the author proposes original interpretive solutions to a wide range of important biblical texts, including the Akedah, Second Isaiah, the Decalogue, Qohelet, Job, and Jeremiah. Yet, this is not a collection of antiquarian studies. Readers will also gain fresh and stimulating perspectives concerning monotheism, religious faith and identity, suffering and salvation, and modern and postmodern ethics. Finally, in a supplementary essay, the author introduces readers to the history of Old Testament studies in Japan, and he outlines prospects for the future.

In The Old Testament and God, Craig G. Bartholomew offers an innovative, compelling new introduction that takes a critical realist approach to our understanding of the history, literature and theology of the Old Testament. Opening up a distinctly theological interpretation, he explores the key questions that arise from reading the Old Testament against its environment and pays close attention to intertextuality - both within the Old Testament itself and between the Old and New Testaments. Packed full of brilliant insight, this is a fresh, illuminating account of the question of God in the context of Old Testament interpretation today. The Old Testament and God is the first volume in a ground-breaking new series, Old Testament Origins and the Question of God, which acts as a companion series to N. T. Wright's Christian Origins and the Question of God. Thorough and eye-opening, it is ideal for both students and professors of Old Testament studies who are looking for a big-picture, holistic narrative approach to the Old Testament that still takes into account its own unique challenges. A paradigm-shifting study, The Old Testament and God will leave you with a deeper, comprehensive understanding of the literary, historical and theological dimensions of the Old Testament, its interpretation, and its function as part of Christian scripture. Its cutting-edge approach has far-reaching implications for all areas of theological enquiry, making it essential reading for all serious students of the Bible and theology today.

What happened to Adam and Eve after their expulsion from paradise?
Where the biblical narrative fell silent apocryphal writings took up this intriguing question, notably including the Early Christian Latin text, the Life of Adam and Eve. This account describes the (failed) attempt of the couple to return to paradise by fasting whilst immersed in a river, and explores how they coped with new experiences such as childbirth and death.
Brian Murdoch guides the reader through the many variant versions of the Life, demonstrating how it was also adapted into most western and some eastern European languages in the Middle Ages and beyond, constantly developing and changing along the way. The study considers this development of the apocryphal texts whilst presenting a fascinating insight into the flourishing medieval tradition of Adam and Eve. A tradition that the Reformation would largely curtail, stories from the Life were celebrated in European prose, verse and drama in many different languages from Irish to Russian.

Jewish Theology Unbound challenges the widespread misinterpretation of Judaism as a religion of law as opposed to theology. James A. Diamond provides close readings of the Bible, classical rabbinic texts, Jewish philosophers, and mystics from the ancient, medieval, and modern period, which communicate a profound Jewish philosophical theology on human nature, God, and the relationship between the two. The study begins with an examination of questioning in the Hebrew Bible, demonstrating that what the Bible encourages is independent philosophical inquiry into how to situate oneself in the world ethically, spiritually, and teleologically. It explores such themes as the nature of God through the various names by which God is known in the Jewish intellectual tradition, love of others and of God, death, martyrdom, freedom, angels, the philosophical quest, the Holocaust, and the state of Israel, all in light of the Hebrew Bible and the way it is filtered through the rabbinic, philosophical, and mystical traditions.

Abram to Abraham explores the Abraham saga (11:27-22:24) through a literary lens, following the legendary figure of Abraham as he navigates the arduous odyssey to nationhood. Rather than overlook the textual discrepancies, repetitions and contradictions long noted by diachronic scholars, this study tackles them directly, demonstrating how many problems of the ancient text in fact hold the key to deeper understanding of the narrative and its objectives. Therefore, the book frequently notes the classic division of the text according to primary sources, but offers an alternative, more harmonious reading based on the assumption that the narrative forms a single, intentionally designed unit. The narrative's artistic design is especially evident in its arrangement of the two halves of the story around the protagonists' change of name. The stories of Abram and Sarai in the first half of the cycle (11:27-16:16) are parallel to the stories of Abraham and Sarah in the second half (18:1-22:24). A close reading of this transformation in the biblical narrative illuminates the moral and theological values championed by the figure of Abraham as luminary, soldier, family man, and loyal subject of God.

This is an examination of Ancient Israel and the Hebrew Bible through the lens of Postcolonial interpretation and Empire Studies. "Israel and Empire" introduces students to the history, literature, and theology of the Hebrew Bible and texts of early Judaism, enabling them to read these texts through the lens of postcolonial interpretation. This approach should allow students to recognize not only how cultural and socio-political forces shaped ancient Israel and the worldviews of the early Jews but also the impact of imperialism on modern readings of the Bible. Perdue and Niang cover a broad sweep of history, from 1300 BCE to 72 CE, including the late Bronze age, Egyptian imperialism, Israel's entrance into Canaan, the Davidic-Solomonic Empire, the Assyrian Empire, the Babylonian Empire, the Persian Empire, the Greek Empire, the Maccabean Empire, and Roman rule. Additionally the authors show how earlier examples of imperialism in the Ancient Near East provide a window through which to see the forces and effects of imperialism in modern history.

A Companion WORKBOOK to Help You Discover the Great Story of Scripture and Find Your Place in It Living God's Word is your pathway to read the Bible as it was meant to be read: as God's Great Story. This WORKBOOK is designed for use alongside the second edition of Living God's Word. While the textbook helps you see the big picture of what God is doing throughout the Bible, the WORKBOOK lets you reflect on and internalize what you are reading. Many Christians resolve to study the Bible more fervently, but often struggle to grasp the progression of Scripture as a whole. They encounter various passages each week through unrelated readings, studies, and sermons and it all feels disconnected. But once they see the Bible as God's Great Story, they begin to understand how it all fits together and they start see how their own lives fit into what God has done and is doing in the world. In Living God's Word, Second Edition, New Testament scholar J. Scott Duvall and Old Testament expert J. Daniel Hays help Christians consider how their lives can be integrated into the story of the Bible, thus enabling them to live faithfully in deep and important ways. Living God's Word explores the entire Bible through broad themes that trace the progression of God's redemptive plan. Each section deals with a certain portion of Scripture's story and includes: Reading/listening preparation Explanation Summary Observations about theological significance Connections to the Great Story Written assignments for further study These features--combined with the authors' engaging style--make Living God's Word an ideal book for those who want to understand the Bible better, for introductory college courses, Sunday school electives, or small group study. When used alongside the textbook, this workbook is the ideal resource for anyone looking to better understand how the entire Bible fits together as God's Great Story.

Violence and Personhood in Ancient Israel and Comparative Contexts is the first book-length work on personhood in ancient Israel. T. M. Lemos reveals widespread intersections between violence and personhood in both this society and the wider region. Relations of domination and subordination were incredibly important to the culture and social organization of ancient Israel often resulting in these relations becoming determined by the boundaries of personhood itself. Personhood was malleable-it could be and was violently erased in many social contexts. This study exposes a violence-personhood-masculinity nexus in which domination allowed those in control to animalize and brutalize the bodies of subordinates. Lemos argues that in particular social contexts in the contemporary "western" world, this same nexus operates, holding devastating consequences for particular social groups.

Telling Terror in Judges 19 explores the value of performing a 'reparative reading' of the terror-filled story of the Levite's pilegesh (commonly referred to as the Levite's concubine) in Judges 19, and how such a reparative reading can be brought to bear upon elements of modern rape culture. Historically, the story has been used as a morality tale to warn young women about what constitutes appropriate behaviour. More recently, (mainly male) commentators have tended to write the woman out of the story, by making claims about its purpose and theme which bear no relation to her suffering. In response to this, feminist critics have attempted to write the woman back into the story, generally using the hermeneutics of suspicion. This book begins by surveying some of the traditional commentators, and the three great feminist commentators of the text (Bal, Exum and Trible). It then offers a reparative reading by attending to the pilegesh's surprising prominence, her moral and marital agency, and her speaking voice. In the final chapter, there is a detailed comparison of the story with elements of modern rape culture.

This book suggests that Old Testament scholars should strengthen their growing links with neighbouring academic disciplines and encourage a number of interpretative interests within biblical studies. Given such a pluralistic context, the author's contention is that the 'canonical' approach to Old Testament study will have a distinctive contribution to make to the discipline without necessarily displacing other traditions of historical and literary inquiry, as many scholars have assumed. Dr Brett offers a comprehensive critique of the canonical approach as developed by Brevard Childs, and examines the development of Childs's exegetical practice, his hermeneutical theory, and the many critical responses which his work has elicited. In responding to these criticisms, the author examines the most problematic aspects of the canonical approach (notably Childs's inadequate reply to those who emphasize the ideological conflicts that lie behind biblical texts in their final form) and seeks to reconstruct the approach in light of contemporary discussions of interpretation in literary theory and the social sciences.

This book plays with the notion of the laughter of delight, and the way in which it has gone largely unheard in the Western interpretative tradition. The scope of the work stretches from the ancient to the modern, but it has a consistent leitmotif: the delighted laughter of the matriarch Sarah in the book of Genesis, when she gives birth to her son Isaac. This laughter is "heard" first through biblical commentaries, then through twentieth-century theorists of laughter; finally, contemporary feminist theorists are used to help realize the radical openness of the laughter of delight.