In Axis of Glory, Dan Lioy conducts a biblical and theological analysis of the temple motif as a conceptual and linguistic framework for understanding Scripture. His investigation takes a fresh look at the topic, assesses a representative group of the Judeo-Christian writings through the various prisms of secondary literature, and offers a synthesis of what appears in the biblical data. The author notes that references and allusions connected with the temple motif crisscross the entire literary landscape of Scripture. An additional finding is that the presence of the shrine concept is comparable to a series of rhetorical threads that join the fabric of God's Word and weaves together its seemingly eclectic and esoteric narratives into a richly textured, multicolored tapestry. The author concludes that the Bible's theocentric and Christocentric emphases are heightened in their intensity and sharpened in their focus due to the temple motif making its way through the pages of the sacred text, beginning with the opening chapter of Genesis and ending with the final chapter of Revelation.

The Old Testament as Authoritative Scripture in the Early Churches of the East represents the latest scholarly research in the field of Old Testament as Scripture in Eastern Christianity. Its twelve articles focus on the use of the Old Testament in the earliest Christian communities in the East. The collection explores the authoritative role of the Old Testament in the churches of the East and its impact on the church's doctrine, liturgy, canon law, and spirituality.

This unique study of the theology of the book of Daniel examines the cultic motif within the book as it relates to space and time. Numerous references and allusions to cult are investigated with linguistic, literary, and contextual analyses. The findings are then related to the main theological themes of the book such as judgment, eschatology, kingdom, and worship. It is evident that the idea of cult plays a dominant role in Daniel, and that it demonstrates the intention of the author to present the issue of conflict of two opposing systems of cult and worship. For all who are interested in an exegesis of Daniel that pays dutiful attention to the theology of Daniel, The Cultic Motif in the Book of Daniel is a must-read.

Text, translation, theology - the three nouns in the title indicate the main fields of Old Testament study which are covered in this collection of essays. Text refers both to the history of biblical texts and to problems of textual criticism. Translation of the Hebrew Bible as a philological task is a central subject in several essays. Theology does not define what the essays are but what some of them are about: religious ideologies are objects of enquiry. Bertil Albrektson gathers together a selection of his essays, some of which have become classics, which were written on separate occasions and published in different, sometimes rather remote, places. They cover more than four decades of research, and for the first time they are now brought together in this accessible volume. Bertil Albrektson is a Swedish Old Testament scholar of international repute, awarded the Burkitt Medal for Biblical Studies by The British Academy in 2003. His writing was characterized by the late Professor P.R. Ackroyd of King's College, London, as 'a model of learning, clarity and dry humour'. This volume offers a unique resource to current scholars of biblical studies.

Radio messages from J. Vernon McGee delighted and enthralled listeners for years with simple, straightforward language and clear understanding of the Scripture. Now enjoy his personable, yet scholarly, style in a 60-volume set of commentaries that takes you from Genesis to Revelation with new understanding and insight. Each volume includes introductory sections, detailed outlines and a thorough, paragraph-by-paragraph discussion of the text. A great choice for pastors - and even better choice for the average Bible reader and student! Very affordable in a size that can go anywhere, it's available as a complete 60-volume series, in Old Testament or New Testament sets, or individually.

The Trickster Revisited: Deception as a Motif in the Pentateuch explores the use of deception in the Pentateuch and uncovers a new understanding of the trickster's function in the Hebrew Bible. While traditional readings often «whitewash the biblical characters, exonerating them of any wrongdoing, modern scholars often explain these tales as significant at some earlier point in Israelite tradition. But this study asks the question: what role does the trickster have in the later pentateuchal setting? Considering the work of Victor Turner and the mythic function of the trickster, The Trickster Revisited explores the connections between tricksters, the rite de passage pattern, marginalization, and liminality. Marginalized individuals and communities often find trickster tales significant, therefore trickster stories often follow a similar literary pattern. After tracing this pattern throughout the Pentateuch, specifically the patriarchal narratives and Moses' interaction with Pharaoh in the Exodus, the book discusses the meaning these stories had for the canonizers of the Pentateuch. The author argues that in the Exile and post-exilic period, as the canon was forming, the trickster was the perfect manifestation of Israel's self-perception. The cognitive dissonance of prophetic words of hope and grandeur, in light of a meager socio-economic and political reality, caused the nation to identify itself as the trickster. In this way, Israel could explain its lowly state as a temporary (but still significant) «betwixt and between, on the threshold of a rise in status, i.e. the great imminent kingdom predicted by the prophets.

This volume presents recent international research results of Old Testament studies and related fields. The topics of the individual contributions vary widely and are concerned with exegetic and literary questions, historical and religious problems, as well as central questions of Theology of the Old Testament. In den Beitragen dieses Bandes werden neueste Forschungsergebnisse dargelegt, die weltweit mit der wissenschaftlichen Arbeit am Alten Testament sowie in den mit ihm in Verbindung stehenden Wissenschaftsgebieten erzielt wurden. Die Themen der einzelnen Aufsatze sind breit gefachert; sie betreffen sowohl exegetische und literarische Fragen als auch historische und religionsgeschichtliche Probleme sowie zentrale Fragen der Theologie des Alten Testaments.

For hundreds of years, scholars have debated the meaning of Jesus' central theological term, the 'kingdom of God'. Most of the argument has focused on its assumed eschatological connotations and Jesus' adherence or deviation from these ideas. Within the North American context, the debate is dominated by the work of Norman Perrin, whose classification of the kingdom of God as a myth-evoking symbol remains one of the fundamental assumptions of scholarship. According to Perrin, Jesus' understanding of the kingdom of God is founded upon the myth of God acting as king on behalf of Israel as described in the Hebrew Bible. Moving Beyond Symbol and Myth challenges Perrin's classification, and advocates the reclassification of the kingdom of God as metaphor. Drawing upon insights from the cognitive theory of metaphor, this study examines all the occurrences of the 'God is king' metaphor within the literary context of the Hebrew Bible. Based on this review, it is proposed that the 'God is king' metaphor functions as a true metaphor with a range of expressions and meanings. It is employed within a variety of texts and conveys images of God as the covenantal sovereign of Israel; God as the eternal suzerain of the world, and God as the king of the disadvantaged. The interaction of the semantic fields of divinity and human kingship evoke a range of metaphoric expressions that are utilized throughout the history of the Hebrew Bible in response to differing socio-historical contexts and within a range of rhetorical strategies. It is this diversity inherent in the 'God is king' metaphor that is the foundation for the diversified expressions of the kingdom of God associated with the historical Jesus and early Christianity.

Today's biblical scholars and dogmaticians are giving a significant amount of attention to the topic of theological exegesis. A resource turned to for guidance and insight in this discussion is the history of interpretation, and Karl Barth's voice registers loudly as a helpful model for engaging Scripture and its subject matter. Most readers of Barth's theological exegesis encounter him on the level of his New Testament exegesis. This is understandable from several different vantage points. Unfortunately, Barth's theological exegesis of the Old Testament has not received the attention it deserves. This book seeks to fill this lacuna as it encounters Barth's theological exegesis of Isaiah in the Church Dogmatics. From the Church's inception, Isaiah has been understood as Christian Scripture. In the Church Dogmatics we find Barth reading Isaiah in multi-functional and multi-layered ways as he seeks to hear Isaiah as a living witness to God's triune revelation of himself in Jesus Christ.

Voices of Marginality is theoretically grounded in the theology of the diaspora, which according to Fernando F. Segovia has been forged in the migratory experience of American Hispanics. This theological perspective views Judean exiles (587 B.C.E.) and contemporary Mexican migrants as part of a recurring diasporic human experience. The present analysis «reads across from the exile and return envisioned in the poetry of Second Isaiah (40-55) to the corridos (ballads) about Mexican immigration to the United States. More specifically, the diasporic categories of exile and return in Second Isaiah inform our reading of exile and return in the Mexican immigrant corridos. Conversely, the rhetorical ability of these corridos to transmit a collective Mexican identity for immigrants in the United States provides a compelling lens for understanding the images of exile and return in Second Isaiah. Ultimately, both literary productions reflect voices of marginality.

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.

Western interpretations of poverty proverbs in the Old Testament Book of Proverbs have tended to see a status quo acceptance in the ancient texts, thus neglecting existential challenges of the poverty issue. In contrast, Lechion Peter Kimilike argues that African proverbial material on poverty may - when used comparatively to interpret the corresponding Old Testament poverty proverbs - create a more dynamic analysis. The author's new and thought-provoking interpretation suggests "an African transformational hermeneutic" that balances between the questions and methodology of the "global [i.e., western] guild" and the concerns of the African interpretative context.

The topic of this book is to scholars what Uranus was to Scientists before 1781. The ignorance of astrologers about the existence of Uranus before 1781 does not negate the factuality of its being. This is similar in the case of the Servant of God in John. His predicates are there, although the title is missing. Scholars and epochs have witnessed researches and contributions in the Gospel of John. Many see aspects of the Servant of God in John. But just as Uranus could not be seen but its existence was proven because of its effects on the orbits of the other planets, so the Servant of God of the Fourth Gospel could not be seen as a title but its effects on the other christological titles of the gospel indicate its reality in the gospel. The author's approach is purely exegetico-theological.

The Narrative Effect of Book IV of the Hebrew Psalter takes seriously the canonical form to the text and suggests that there is a narrative effect that occurs as a reader of the Hebrew Bible encounters the canonical Psalter. Rather than reading the book of Psalms as an anthology, the reader can find lexical and thematic connections within the text that tell a story. The turning point of that story comes in Book IV (Psalms 90-106) when the text emphasizes the kingship of YHWH rather than David and a return to the covenant of Moses.

Grammarians have been unable to provide a sufficient explanation for the verbal system of Biblical Aramaic by means of the standard categories of tense and aspect. Michael B. Shepherd exposes this situation and suggests a way out of the present impasse through distributional analysis by proposing that Biblical Aramaic has a primary verbal form for narration and a primary verbal form for discourse. This simple yet comprehensive proposal holds true not only for Biblical Aramaic but also for extra-Biblical Aramaic texts. This volume is an indispensable resource for courses in Biblical Aramaic and for anyone who wishes to read and understand the Biblical Aramaic corpus.

It is said in 2 Samuel 21: 1-14 that Yhwh sends a three-year famine to his people because of their former King Saul's misdeed against the Gibeonites, their old treaty partner. As we know, Saul died earlier in the battle against the Philistines on Mount Gilboa (1 Sam. 31: 1-6) - YHWH'S punishment for Saul's disobedience to his command (1 Sam. 28: 15-19). Why then does his cause have to be retired, and why in David's reign, and why, this time, with a huge national disaster? Is YHWH so vengeful as to continue exact punishment?

Religion, Ethnicity and Xenophobia in the Bible looks at some of the Bible's most hostile and violent anti-foreigner texts and raises critical questions about how students of the Bible and ancient Near East should grapple with "ethnicity" and "foreignness" conceptually, hermeneutically and theologically. The author uses insights from social psychology, cognitive psychology, anthropology, sociology and ethnic studies to develop his own perspective on ethnicity and foreignness. Starting with legends about Mesopotamian kings from the third millennium BCE, then navigating the Deuteronomistic and Holiness traditions of the Hebrew Bible, and finally turning to Deuterocanonicals and the Apostle Paul, the book assesses the diverse and often inconsistent portrayals of foreigners in these ancient texts. This examination of the negative portrayal of foreigners in biblical and Mesopotamian texts also leads to a broader discussion about how to theorize ethnicity in biblical studies, ancient studies and the humanities. This volume will be invaluable to students of ethnicity and society in the Bible, at all levels.

Radio messages from J. Vernon McGee delighted and enthralled listeners for years with simple, straightforward language and clear understanding of the Scripture. Now enjoy his personable, yet scholarly, style in a 60-volume set of commentaries that takes you from Genesis to Revelation with new understanding and insight. Each volume includes introductory sections, detailed outlines and a thorough, paragraph-by-paragraph discussion of the text. A great choice for pastors - and even better choice for the average Bible reader and student! Very affordable in a size that can go anywhere, it's available as a complete 60-volume series, in Old Testament or New Testament sets, or individually.

This book offers a careful study of biblical texts on menstruation and childbirth in the light of their ancient Near Eastern background. Close reading of the biblical texts, based on classical and feminist biblical interpretation, and supported by comparative study of ancient Near Eastern sources and anthropology, reveals a rich and varied picture of these female events. Fertility and impurity are closely connected to menstruation and childbirth, but their place and importance are different in priestly and nonpriestly writings of the Bible, which are therefore separately dealt with. This book contributes to a better understanding of physiological, social, cultural, and religious aspects of menstruation and childbirth in the larger context of body and society and women and men.

This book is a study of the various metaphors, figures, similes, and usages of water found in the book of Isaiah. It covers representations of water relating to: water as a blessing in nature; the sea as a symbol of the expanse of space; Yahweh, the rider of the clouds; water or absence of water as symbol of divine punishment, hardships, and affliction; water as a defense strategy in military circumstances; water as a means of dilution; rain and snow as symbols of Yahweh's word; various forms of water symbolizing arrogance; rain, streams, water, and snow as symbols of forgiveness; water as a metaphor for Yahweh's control over nations and triumph over enemies; calm water as a symbol of trust in Yahweh; Yahweh's knowledge as waters cover the sea; water, lack of water, and overcoming threatening water as metaphors or similes for restoration and help; the great river as a symbol of the influx of nations; tears as the manifestation of lament and mourning; dew as a symbol of serenity and life-giving power; the personification of water; troubled waters as a symbol of the wicked; swimming as desperate effort to survive; and cultic practices involving water. These themes emphasize important religious truths in the book of Isaiah. They include many concepts dealing with the nature and mighty acts of Yahweh; sin, punishment and forgiveness; Yahweh's work over and through nations; personal and corporate matters like trust and lament; and Yahweh's work in nature.

Mark O'Brien is a member of the Australian province of the Dominican order, also known as the Order of Preachers (OP). He joined the Order in 1967 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1973; he completed post-graduate biblical studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome and the Melbourne College of Divinity. He is the author of The Deuteronomistic History Hypothesis: A Reassessment and has co-authored several books on the Old Testament with Antony F. Campbell SJ. He is currently lecturing in Old Testament studies in the Melbourne College of Divinity. He has also lectured at the Catholic Institute of Sydney ain the Sydney College of Divinity, at Blackfriars, Oxford and at the National Catholic Institute of Theology in Karachi.

Although Maimonides did not write a running commentary on any book of the Bible, biblical exegesis occupies a central place in his writings, especially in the "Guide of the Perplexed". "Maimonides as Biblical Interpreter" offers a collection of essays on several key biblical interpretations by Maimonides dealing with the creation of the world, the story of the Garden of Eden, Jacob's dream of the ladder, King Solomon as an esoterist philosopher, and the problem of exoteric and esoteric biblical interpretations in the Guide. Special attention is paid to Maimonides' methods of interpretation and to his esoteric way of writing. Some of the articles in this volume were originally published in Hebrew, and appear here for the first time in an English translation.

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.

Written in accessible language and sensitive to those who have little or no experience in reading the Bible, each book in the Conversations with Scripture series focuses on exploring the historical and critical background of the biblical texts, while illustrating how these centuries-old writings still speak to us today. Countryman brings his considerable biblical studies erudition as well as his skills as a popular writer and published poet to bear on the Psalms. Though an accomplished scholar of the New Testament, Countryman illumines the Psalms with insight and creativity. Readers will experience this most beloved part of the scriptural canon in a fresh and exciting way.

Sometimes it s hard for people to reconcile their lives in this chaotic, energized, nonsensical world with their faith in God. They want to know what s really true, what they can count on, what they can build their futures on. They want their lives to matter. And yet to them the Bible often seems merely to be an ancient book about dead people who had no idea of the stresses and fears and challenges of living today.

This straightforward, real-world devotional guide is designed to help people of all ages connect powerfully with the God of the Bible as revealed in the Psalms the Bible s songbook. Within the exquisitely emotional lyrics in these songs, young readers will find all the feelings, struggles, and fears they face each day. And they ll find the spiritual resources to help them thrive.

Using 90 selected passages from the Psalms, Peter Wallace has put together a stimulating new devotional full of fresh ideas for finding ways to connect with God, with one another, and with the world at large. As a result, readers will gain encouragement and strength to face their uncertain world with the wisdom and love of the God who so deeply loves them."