The author analyzes the different ideas of the political structure of the province of Juda which is presupposed by the book Esra-Nehemia. Three constitutional concepts and their theological outline are worked out to give insight into the development of the theological-political thoughts of post-exilic times.

The editors of The Jewish Annotated New Testament explore how Jews and Christians can learn from and understand each other better by exploring how they read many of the same Bible stories through different lens. Esteemed Bible scholars Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Brettler take readers on a guided tour of the most popular Old Testament stories referenced in the New Testament to explore how Christians, Jews, and scholars read these ancient texts differently. Among the passages analyzed are the creation story, the role of Adam and Eve, the suffering servant passages in Isaiah, the sign of "Jonah" Jesus refers to, and the words Jesus quotes from Psalm 22 as he is dying on the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Comparing Jewish, Christian, and academic interpretations of each ancient narrative, Levine and Brettler offer a deeper understanding of these contrasting faiths, and illuminate the historical and literary significance of the Bible and its place in our culture. Revealing not only what Jews and Christians can learn from each other, The Bible With and Without Jesus also shows how to appreciate the distinctive perspectives of each. By understanding the depth and variety of reading these passages, we not only enhance our knowledge of each other, but also see more clearly the beauty and power of Scripture itself.

The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible and the scriptures read by early Christians. Septuagint studies have been a growth field in the past twenty years. It has become an area of interest not only for textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible but as a product of Judaism in the Graeco-Roman world. It is even being utilized occasionally by scholars of Greek religion. At the same time renewed interest in the daughter versions (Syriac, Vulgate, Ethiopic, Coptic etc.) has thrown new attention onto the Septuagint. This "Companion" provides a cutting-edge survey of scholarly opinion on the Septuagint text of each biblical book. It covers the characteristics of each Septuagint book, its translation features, origins, text-critical problems and history. As such it provides a comprehensive companion to the Septuagint, featuring contributions from experts in the field.

The Biblical World is a comprehensive guide to the contents, historical settings, and social context of the Bible. This new edition is updated with several new chapters as well as a new section on biblical interpretation. Contributions from leading scholars in the field present wide-ranging views not just of biblical materials and their literary and linguistic context, but also of the social institutions, history and archaeology, and religious concepts. New chapters cover topics such as the priesthood and festivals, creation and covenant, ethics, and family life, while a new section on biblical interpretation discusses Jewish and Christian bible translation and key thematic emphases, and modern reader-response and cultural approaches. This revised edition of The Biblical World offers an up-to-date and thorough survey of the Bible and its world, and will continue to be an invaluable resource for students and scholars of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament and their history and interpretation, as well as anyone working on the societies, religions, and political and cultural institutions that created and influenced these texts.

The Word Biblical Commentary delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars of our day who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. This series emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology. These widely acclaimed commentaries serve as exceptional resources for the professional theologian and instructor, the seminary or university student, the working minister, and everyone concerned with building theological understanding from a solid base of biblical scholarship. Overview of Commentary Organization Introduction-covers issues pertaining to the whole book, including context, date, authorship, composition, interpretive issues, purpose, and theology. Each section of the commentary includes: Pericope Bibliography-a helpful resource containing the most important works that pertain to each particular pericope. Translation-the author's own translation of the biblical text, reflecting the end result of exegesis and attending to Hebrew and Greek idiomatic usage of words, phrases, and tenses, yet in reasonably good English. Notes-the author's notes to the translation that address any textual variants, grammatical forms, syntactical constructions, basic meanings of words, and problems of translation. Form/Structure/Setting-a discussion of redaction, genre, sources, and tradition as they concern the origin of the pericope, its canonical form, and its relation to the biblical and extra-biblical contexts in order to illuminate the structure and character of the pericope. Rhetorical or compositional features important to understanding the passage are also introduced here. Comment-verse-by-verse interpretation of the text and dialogue with other interpreters, engaging with current opinion and scholarly research. Explanation-brings together all the results of the discussion in previous sections to expose the meaning and intention of the text at several levels: (1) within the context of the book itself; (2) its meaning in the OT or NT; (3) its place in the entire canon; (4) theological relevance to broader OT or NT issues. General Bibliography-occurring at the end of each volume, this extensive bibliography contains all sources used anywhere in the commentary.

The notion implied in the word «servant necessarily points to someone (the lord) of whom he is the servant. Isaianic notion of the servant is not an exception to this idea: the prophet is not presenting an isolated and abstract concept of a «servant but he is speaking about the servant of Yahweh. The servant passages in Second Isaiah should therefore be read in relation to other texts that present Yahweh as the Lord. These texts together explain the concept of the servant. The work therefore reads twelve suggested Isaianic servant passages as original and integral parts of Isaiah 40-53. Thirteen texts that present Yahweh as the Lord are also analyzed. The Isaianic idea of the servant appears to be the result of the exilic reinterpretation of the traditional servant of Yahweh concept.

This book deals with the identity of the Torah that Yahweh promised he would write on the hearts of New Covenant participants, as prophesied in Jeremiah 31:33 and understood later in New Testament times by Paul. This theological and exegetical monograph is an invaluable reference work and textbook for all theological seminaries and Christian religious departments of universities worldwide. Pastors and virtually all Christians interested in reading or researching Paul and the subject of Gospel/law controversy in biblical studies will benefit from it. The book's investigative study of the history of interpretation of the church's teaching on the subject from the early church to modern theological era, and Second Temple Judaism's writings on the topic, is unsurpassed. No work currently existing on this subject can compete with this book's historical survey and exegetical analysis, reading Jeremiah and Paul contextually on the issue.

Described variously as divinely appointed mighty warrior, fearful son, hesitant solider, clever tactician, commanding father, ruthless killer, idolater, and illegitimate king, the character of Gideon from the biblical book of Judges has long challenged readers. How did so many conflicting portraits of Gideon the man become inscribed in our biblical text? What might these different portraits tell us about the authors and editors of Gideon's story, especially in how they expected men to act? And how have interpreters rewritten the story of Gideon in order to create their own expectations for how to act-or not-as a man? By interweaving redaction criticism, reception history, and masculinity studies, Rewriting Masculinity explores how Gideon went from being understood as a mighty warrior to a weakling, from a successful leader to a man who led Israel astray. Kelly J. Murphy first considers the ways that older traditions about Gideon were rewritten at key moments in ancient Israel's history, sometimes so that the story of Gideon might better align with new ideas about what it meant to be a man. At other times, she shows, the story of Gideon was used to explain why older standards of masculinity no longer worked in new contexts. From here, Murphy traces how later generations of interpreters, from the ancient to the contemporary, continually rewrote Gideon in light of their own models for men, might, and masculinity. Rewriting Masculinity is an in-depth case study of how a biblical text was continuously updated. Emphasizing the importance of reading biblical stories and expansions alongside the later reception history of the narrative, Murphy shows that the story of Gideon the mighty warrior is, in many ways, the story of masculinity in miniature: an ever-changing, always-in-crisis, and constantly-transforming ideal.

The Real Story of the Exodus

Colin Humphreys, a world-renowned Cambridge University scientist, reveals for the first time the concrete, scientific truth behind the Exodus miracles. The Burning Bush: Caused by a volcanic vent that opened up under the bush. Crossing the Red Sea: The water was pushed back by a very strong wind blowing all night. This is a known physical phenomenon called wind setdown. The details given in the Bible mean we can pinpoint where the Red Sea crossing occurred. Drowning Pharaoh's Army: When the very strong wind suddenly stopped blowing, the water rushed back in the form of a rapidly returning "bore" wave, sweeping Pharaoh's army into the sea. Mount Sinai: The real Mount Sinai is in present-day Saudi Arabia, not the Sinai Desert as is generally assumed.

The present study is concerned with the textual history of the Books of Samuel and of Kings, about which scholars have still not been able to agree. Various textual forms can be identified in these books, in both the Hebrew (MT, Qumran) and the Greek texts (a oeKaige Recensiona, a oeThe Antiochian Texta ). The text forms and their history are first analysed in more detail using 2 Sam 15:1-19:9. Working from this, the study then takes an overall view of the Books of Samuel and of Kings. Finally, a textual history is reconstructed from the 2nd Century BC up to the Middle Ages.

In the book of Jeremiah, gendered imagery appears in central passages. A first of its kind, this study follows the development of these gendered images through the entire prophetic book. Feminist hermeneutics and literary approaches join to show that female imagery in particular substantiates the theological movement of Jeremiah from call to repentance in the face of death and destruction through remembrance in mourning to an eschatological vision of redemption in exile. Further, theological considerations of power dynamics bring the ancient texts in conversation with contemporary contexts, reading and challenging Jeremianic theology from the perspectives of current feminist liberation theologies.

Veiling Esther, Unveiling Her Story: The Reception of a Biblical Book in Islamic Lands examines the ways in which the Biblical Book of Esther was read, understood, and used in Muslim lands, from ancient to modern times. It focuses on case studies covering works from various periods and regions of the Muslim world, including the Qur'an, pre-modern historical chronicles and literary works, the writings of a nineteenth-century Shia feminist, a twentieth-century Iranian encyclopaedia, and others. These case studies demonstrate that Muslim sources contain valuable materials on Esther, which shed light both on the Esther story itself and on the Muslim peoples and cultures that received it. Adam J. Silverstein argues that Muslim sources preserve important pre-Islamic materials on Esther that have not survived elsewhere, some of which offer answers to ancient questions about Esther, such as the meaning of Haman's epithet in the Greek versions of the story, the reason why Mordecai refused to prostrate before Haman, and the literary context of the 'plot of the eunuchs' to kill the Persian king. Throughout the book, Silverstein shows how each author's cultural and religious background influenced his or her understanding and retelling of the Esther story. In particular, he highlights that Persian Muslims (and Jews) were often forced to reconcile or choose between the conflicting historical narratives provided by their religious and cultural heritages respectively.

The Word Biblical Commentary delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars of our day who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. This series emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology. These widely acclaimed commentaries serve as exceptional resources for the professional theologian and instructor, the seminary or university student, the working minister, and everyone concerned with building theological understanding from a solid base of biblical scholarship. Overview of Commentary Organization Introduction - covers issues pertaining to the whole book, including context, date, authorship, composition, interpretive issues, purpose, and theology. Each section of the commentary includes: Pericope Bibliography - a helpful resource containing the most important works that pertain to each particular pericope. Translation - the author's own translation of the biblical text, reflecting the end result of exegesis and attending to Hebrew and Greek idiomatic usage of words, phrases, and tenses, yet in reasonably good English. Notes - the author's notes to the translation that address any textual variants, grammatical forms, syntactical constructions, basic meanings of words, and problems of translation. Form/Structure/Setting - a discussion of redaction, genre, sources, and tradition as they concern the origin of the pericope, its canonical form, and its relation to the biblical and extra-biblical contexts in order to illuminate the structure and character of the pericope. Rhetorical or compositional features important to understanding the passage are also introduced here. Comment - verse-by-verse interpretation of the text and dialogue with other interpreters, engaging with current opinion and scholarly research. Explanation brings together all the results of the discussion in previous sections to expose the meaning and intention of the text at several levels: (1) within the context of the book itself; (2) its meaning in the OT or NT; (3) its place in the entire canon; (4) theological relevance to broader OT or NT issues. General Bibliography - occurring at the end of each volume, this extensive bibliography contains all sources used anywhere in the commentary.

This concise volume introduces readers to the three main sections of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) and to the biblical books found in each. It is organized around two primary "stories": the story that scholars tell about the Old Testament and the story the literature itself tells. Concluding with a reconsideration of the Old Testament as more like poetry than a story, three main chapters cover: The Pentateuch (Torah) The Prophets (Nevi'im) The Writings (Ketuvim) With key summaries of what the parts of the Old Testament "are all about," and including suggestions for further reading, this volume is an ideal introduction for students of and newcomers to the Old Testament.

Two millennia ago a gifted poet in the Middle East composed the Earliest Christian Hymnbook called the Odes of Solomon, that gifted poet was the anonymous Odist who became the early poet laureate of Christianity. The poetry, hymns and odes of the first followers of Jesus are evidently present in the New Testament and this volume translates The Odes of Solomon with some of the hymns being obviously Christian while others perhaps Jewish. The beauty of these poems is a tribute to the depth of spirituality in early communities of Christians, some of whom were perhaps also Jews or converted Jews. Professor Charlesworth offers an inviting introduction and a translation of this work that is both engaging and true to the original languages. Having studied the Odes since 1966, Charlesworth believes the Odist received unique spiritual truths. His poetry explodes out of the genius of Jesus' Judaism and the energy released upon those who experienced God's resurrection of Jesus, there is a sense that the Odist lived on the highest mountain peaks and shares with us his own moments of experiencing God before a burning bush.

The question of the relationship between religion and rationality is highly relevant in today s world, as demonstrated by the debates that rage to this day concerning religious conflicts and their underpinnings in rationality. The conference proceedings in this volume examine this complex relationship by looking at a number of different sacred texts. This medium shows how religion can be classified in terms of rational coherencies. However, the very fact that religion is manifested in texts creates a paradox that places religion in an ongoing dialogue with rationality and this in turn is a precondition for religion s continued existence through time."

KAnig David ist eine der herausragendsten Gestalten der Alten Welt. Sein sagenhafter Aufstieg vom Hirten zum KAnig durch den Sieg A1/4ber Goliath hat Dichter und KA1/4nstler A1/4ber die Jahrhunderte inspiriert. In dieser erstmals auf deutsch verAffentlichten Biographie zeigt der renommierte amerikanische Alttestamentler Steven McKenzie auf, daA viele Geschichten, die sich um David ranken, tatsAchlich Mythen sind: Die Bezeichnung "Hirte" ist eine Metapher fA1/4r "KAnig," und David kam aus einer reichen Familie der Oberschicht und nicht aus "kleinen VerhAltnissen." Der David, der bei kritischer Durchsicht der biblischen Texte, althistorischen Dokumente und neuen archAologischen Funde zum Vorschein kommt, war ein ThronrAuber, Ehebrecher und MArder, der seinen Aufstieg zum KAnig geschickter Machtpolitik und Terror verdankte. Steven McKenzie bietet mit dieser sorgfAltig recherchierten und spannend geschriebenen Biographie ein provokantes Portrait. Die englische Originalausgabe wurde mit dem Preis "Best Book of the Year 2000" der Los Angeles Times Book Review ausgezeichnet.

Comprised of contributions from scholars across the globe, The Oxford Handbook to Biblical Narrative is a state-of-the-art anthology, offering critical treatments of both the Bible's narratives and topics related to the Bible's narrative constructions. The Handbook covers the Bible's narrative literature, from Genesis to Revelation, providing concise overviews of literary-critical scholarship as well as innovative readings of individual narratives informed by a variety of methodological approaches and theoretical frameworks. The volume as a whole combines literary sensitivities with the traditional historical and sociological questions of biblical criticism and puts biblical studies into intentional conversation with other disciplines in the humanities. It reframes biblical literature in a way that highlights its aesthetic characteristics, its ethical and religious appeal, its organic qualities as communal literature, its witness to various forms of social and political negotiation, and its uncanny power to affect readers and hearers across disparate time-frames and global communities.

A cornerstone of the scriptural canon, the Book of Psalms has been a source of solace and joy for countless readers over millennia. This timeless poetry is beautifully wrought by a scholar whose translation of the Five Books of Moses was hailed as a "godsend" by Seamus Heaney and a "masterpiece" by Robert Fagles. Alter's The Book of Psalms captures the simplicity, the physicality, and the coiled rhythmic power of the Hebrew, restoring the remarkable eloquence of these ancient poems. His learned and insightful commentary illuminates the obscurities of the text.

The sabbatical year law in Lv 25,1 7 stipulates the rest of the land and includes foreigners in the list of the beneficiaries, differently from the fallow year law in Ex 23,10 11 and from the debt-release law in Dt 15,1 11. These characteristic features originate from the universalism of creation theology of the Holiness Code: the sabbatical year law in Leviticus aims to practice the God s creation order in Gn 1 2,4a in human history. Moreover, this law functions as a criterion of the interpretation of the history of Israel."

This book compares a variety of biblical narratives with the stories found in several Northwest Semitic inscriptions from the ancient kingdom of Judah and its contemporary Syro-Palestinian neighbors. In genre, language, and cultural context, these epigraphic stories are closer to biblical narratives than any other ancient Near Eastern narrative corpus. For the first time, Parker analyzes and appreciates these stories as narratives and sets them beside comparable biblical stories. He illuminates the narrative character and techniques of both epigraphic and biblical stories and in many cases reveals their original social context and purpose. In some cases, he is able to shed light on the question of the sources and composition of the larger work in which most of the biblical stories appear, the Deuteronomistic history. Against the claim that the genius of biblical prose narrative derives from the monotheism of the authors, he shows that the presence or absence of a divine role in each type of story is consistent throughout both biblical and epigraphic examples, and that, when present, the role of the deity is essentially the same both inside and outside the Bible, inside and outside Israel.

The phenomenon of South Korean Christianity is, in a word, remarkable. In less than 250 years, 29% of South Korea's population adheres to Christianity, a staggering 71% of Korean Americans identify as Christian, and the powerful zeal of Korean Christians to spread the Gospel's influence in South Korea already overshadows other established religious groups (i.e. Buddhism, Confucianism). This phenomenon-particularly the rapid growth and unique interpretation of Christianity among Koreans around the world-is intimately and inextricably tied to how Koreans appropriated the Bible in their religio-cultural and socio-political milieu from the 18th century onward. Less noted and understood, however, is the tapestry of Korean biblical interpretation that emerged from being missionized, colonized, divided, and globalized. These influences reflect a distinctive Korean-ness of biblical interpretation that relates closely to Korean perceptions of divine liberating intervention, and the Korean diaspora that seeks to move beyond oppression. This Handbook offers a comprehensive overview on how the Bible has been used by faith communities in Korea and the Korean diaspora over two centuries. In this volume, noted theologically diverse scholars present representative thinking on creative inculturations of the Bible in Korea. Some conservatively align with received western orthodoxy. Others have a sense of complementarity that informs distinctive accents of Korean Christianity, the long-standing religious traditions of Korea, the diversity of Korea's global diaspora, and the learning of non-Koreans attentive to the impact of the Bible in Korea. Together, this volume presents an exquisite tapestry of Korean biblical interpretation in the making.

Das Handbuch bietet eine umfassende Einfuhrung in die historischen, literatur- und religionsgeschichtlichen Zusammenhange, in denen eminente religioese und literarische Texte in der Antike kanonisiert wurden. Es diskutiert zugleich die entscheidenden Faktoren, Grunde und wirkungsgeschichtlichen Folgen dieser Kanonisierungsprozesse: Es werden u.a. Homer und Vergil, die Septuaginta und Qumran, einzelne fruhchristliche Texte und das Neue Testament in Hinblick auf ihre Kanonizitat miteinander in Beziehung gesetzt. Indem die genannten Textsammlungen aus den Bereichen der griechischen, lateinischen, judischen und fruhchristlichen Textkultur gewahlt werden, wird ein vergleichender und multiperspektivischer Einblick in die Konstruktion, Autorisierung und Interpretation von Texten und Autoren, die Teil kanonisch gewordener Textcorpora geworden sind, moeglich. So bietet das Handbuch eine differenzierte Zusammenschau zur Erfassung und Beschreibung der vielfaltigen Aspekte antiker religioeser und literarischer Kanonisierungsprozesse. Es nimmt dabei besonders die soziale Konstruktion und Funktion von kanonischen Textsammlungen in den Blick und fragt nach moeglichen kanonspezifischen Formen von literarischer und religioeser Kommunikation. Zugleich werden auf der Grundlage der modernen Text-, Kultur-, Literatur- und Medienforschung wichtige hermeneutische Fragen zur Rezeptionsgeschichte, Deutung und moeglichen Fortschreibung dieser Textsammlungen bis in die gegenwartige Kanondebatte hinein diskutiert.