Abraham is known as the "father of Israel" because God appeared to him and promised that his descendants would become a great nation. Yet Abraham is much more than the patriarch of a select group of ancient people. Through Abraham's descendants, God's own Son, Jesus, was born. It's through Abraham that God blessed all people. In this study, pastor John MacArthur will guide you through an in-depth look at the historical period beginning with Abraham's call from God, continuing through his relocation in the land of Canaan, and concluding with the story of his grandsons Jacob and Esau. This study includes close-up examinations of Sarah, Hagar, Ishmael, and Isaac, as well as careful considerations of doctrinal themes such as "Covenant and Obedience" and "Wrestling with God." -ABOUT THE SERIES- The MacArthur Bible Study series is designed to help you study the Word of God with guidance from widely respected pastor and author John MacArthur. Each guide provides intriguing examinations of the whole of Scripture by examining its parts and incorporates: Extensive, but straight-forward commentary on the text. Detailed observations on overriding themes, timelines, history, and context. Word and phrase studies to help you unlock the broader meaning and apply it to your life. Probing, interactive questions with plenty of space to write down your response and thoughts.

The word ruah (commonly translated as breath, wind, spirit, or Spirit) occurs in the Old Testament 378 times--more frequently than torah, shalom, or Sabbath. In this volume, a popular Old Testament scholar, whose previous books have received wide acclaim, cracks open the challenging and provocative world of the Spirit in the Old Testament, offering readers cogent yet comprehensive insights. Grounded in scholarship yet accessible and inviting, this book unlocks the world of the Spirit, plunging readers into an imaginative realm of fresh senses, sounds, and skills. The book gives readers the opportunity to recapture Israel's tenacious sense of the Spirit's energy as it was expressed by a series of vibrant verbs: blowing, breathing, coming, resting, passing, pouring, filling, cleansing, standing, and guiding. Readers will encounter in these pages all of the Old Testament expressions of the Spirit--passages that will challenge the conventional, confront the commonplace, and transport them to a world of wisdom, work, and wonder.

Environmental issues are an ever-increasing focus of public discourse and have proved concerning to religious groups as well as society more widely. Among biblical scholars, criticism of the Judeo-Christian tradition for its part in the worsening crisis has led to a small but growing field of study on ecology and the Bible. This volume in the Oxford Handbook series makes a significant contribution to this burgeoning interest in ecological hermeneutics, incorporating the best of international scholarship on ecology and the Bible. The Handbook comprises 30 individual essays on a wide range of relevant topics by established and emerging scholars. Arranged in four sections, the volume begins with a historical overview before tackling some key methodological issues. The second, substantial, section comprises thirteen essays offering detailed exegesis from an ecological perspective of selected biblical books. This is followed by a section exploring broader thematic topics such as the Imago Dei and stewardship. Finally, the volume concludes with a number of essays on contemporary perspectives and applications, including political and ethical considerations. The editors Hilary Marlow and Mark Harris have drawn on their experience in Hebrew Bible and New Testament respectively to bring together a diverse and engaging collection of essays on a subject of immense relevance. Its accessible style, comprehensive scope, and range of material means that the volume is a valuable resource, not only to students and scholars of the Bible but also to religious leaders and practitioners.

This amazing, bestselling guide presents hundreds of facts about the Temple. The full-color, glossy 12-panel pamphlet covers the Tabernacle in the wilderness to the Temple built by King Solomon, Zerubbabel, and Herod's Temple, the one Jesus knew so well. The Temple pamphlet has colorful illustrations of the Temple drawn to scale based on Bible measurements. Each of the Temple furnishings are explained in detail, as well as their functions, purposes, and the meanings they have for believers today. Size: 8.5x 5.5 unfolds to 33 long. Fits inside most Bible covers. A beautiful cutaway illustration of the first temple, Solomon's Temple, shows what the Temple may have looked like inside and out. Teachers can show students the outer courtyards of the Temple and the area where Jesus praised the widow who gave sacrificially to the Lord, giving the widow's mite. The Temple pamphlet explains each of the Temple's key features: the Ark of the Covenant, the Veil, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place (the Holy of Holies), to name a few. The Temple pamphlet includes: A tour of the temple and its features An historical time line and fascinating facts A Q & A about the Temple A beautiful illustration of Herod's Temple (sometimes called the third temple) References to Jesus in the Temple Biblical encounters that happened in God's Temple The Temple pamphlet provides a numbered list indicating each of the key features of the temple and explains their original purposes and what their uses mean to us today. For example: The Brazen Altar (Bronze Altar). Back THEN it was the place where the perfect animal was sacrificed for the sins of the people. NOW Jesus is the perfect sacrifice. Old andNew Testament Scripture references are provided for each Temple feature: Sacrifice / the Brazen Altar (Bronze Altar) The Sea (Bronze Basin) Brass Pillars (Bronze Pillars) Holy Place Golden Lampstand and Tables of Showbread Golden Incense Altar The Veil Most Holy Place Cherubim Ark of the Covenant and Mercy Seat Storerooms An historical timeline shows the years the Temples were built, destroyed, and rebuilt. The timeline covers: The Tabernacle Solomon's Temple Zerubbabel's Temple Herod's Temple The Temple pamphlet provides fascinating details: Learn who made the plans for the Temple Who raided and destroyed the Temples Whether the Temple will be restored

This book provides a new reading of the biblical book of Numbers in a commentary form. Mainstream readings have tended to see the book as a haphazard junkyard of material that connects Genesis-Leviticus with Deuteronomy (and Joshua), composed at a late stage in the history of ancient Israel. By contrast, this book reads Numbers as part of a wider work of Genesis-Joshua, a carefully crafted programmatic settler colonial document for a new society in Canaanite highlands in the late second millennium BCE that seeks to replace pre-existing indigenous societies. In the context of the tremendous influence that the biblical documents have had on the world in the last 2,000-3,000 years, the book also offers pointers towards reading these texts today. This volume is a fascinating study of this text, and will be of interest not only to biblical scholars, but to anyone with an interest in the history of the ancient Levant, and colonisation and colonialism in the ancient world more broadly.

The Bible tells us that David was a man after God's own heart, but what does that mean in practice? David, the Old Testament shepherd, king, and psalmist, offers an answer in the shape of his own incredible life. Poet, musician, courageous warrior, and national statesman, David distinguished himself as one of God's greatest men. He modeled invincible confidence in the face of impossible circumstances. He made decisions with wisdom and equity. And he wrote with transparent vulnerability and quiet trust. But how well do we really know David? In Great Lives: David, the first volume in Charles Swindoll's bestselling Great Lives series, Swindoll gives us a closer look at this incredible man who had his fair share of difficulties. Throughout his life, David was gripped by destructive passion, rocked by family chaos and personal tragedy, and motivated by political expediency. Like all of us, David was far from perfect, but Swindoll teaches us that David had the chance to become great when he placed himself at the Lord's disposal. As Swindoll guides us through David's remarkable life and legacy, he asks and answers key questions along the way, including: How did David become the national hero of God's chosen people? Why is he the one character in the Bible described as "a man after God's own heart?" How can modern believers become people after God's own heart? Join Swindoll as he teaches us that we can all endeavor to live a life marked by the humility, dependability, and integrity of David.

Christians sometimes approach the Old Testament with a mixture of awe and bewilderment, knowing that it contains pearls of wisdom, but unsure how to dive for them ... especially when it comes to the Prophets.In The Message of the Prophets, author J. Daniel Hays offers a scholarly, yet readable and student-friendly survey of the Old Testament prophetic literature that presents the message of each prophet in its historical and its biblical context and then tracks that message through the New Testament to challenge readers with what it means for them today. Hays focuses on synthesizing the message of the prophets, which enables students to grasp the major contours of the prophetic books clearly and concisely. Hundreds of colorful pictures help to illustrate the historical and cultural background of the prophets. After identifying what the message meant for ancient Israel, Hays helps the readers to move toward theological application today, helping readers to gain a better understanding of God and the relationship between God and his people. The Message of the Prophets is essential for professors, students, and others seeking to understand the role that the OT prophets play in the Christian faith.

Vita Daphna Arbel uses critical theories of gender to offer an alternative reading of the multilayered conceptualization of the Song of Song's feminine protagonist: "the most beautiful woman". Arbel treats "the most beautiful woman" as a culturally constructed and performed representation of "woman," and situates this representation within the cultural- discursive contexts in which the Song partly emerged. She examines the gender norms and cultural ideologies it both reflects and constructs, and considers the manner in which this complex representation disrupts rigid, ahistorical notions of femininity, and how it consequently indirectly characterizes "womanhood" as dynamic and diverse. Finally, Arbel examines the reception and impact of these ideas on later conceptualizations of the Song of Songs' female protagonist with a heuristic examination of Mark Chagall's Song of Songs painting cycle, Le Cantique des Cantiques. These compositions-selected for their diverse depictions of the Song's protagonist, their impact on European art, and their vast popularity and bearing in the broader cultural imagination-illustrate a fascinating dialogue between the present and the past about the "most beautiful woman" and about multiple femininities.

Michael R. Stead introduces the books of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi in light of the latest biblical scholarship. Over the past four decades, there has been an explosion of interest in the postexilic prophets and their role within the Book of the Twelve, which has coincided with paradigm shifts in biblical studies generally. This study guide integrates insights from both historio-critical and literary approaches to examine the authorship, form, structure, and composition of these texts. In particular, this guide explores how the intertextual connections with other scriptures help to shape their meaning. It includes a concise section-by-section overview that highlights key interpretive issues and guides readers in their approach to the text.

Situated in the years leading up to the overthrow of Judah by the Babylonians, Jeremiah's prophesies are set against a tense atmosphere of threat and invasion. Strongly warning of God's judgment and the nation's imminent catastrophe, Jeremiah lost credibility amongst his contemporaries as the years progressed, but the length of his book and the duration of his ministry establishes him as a major figure in the Old Testament. The fulfilment of his prophecies in later events of the Bible reassert the truth of his words and his speeches and prayers depict a God whose anger is a passionate response to the depths of love he feels for his people. Using personal anecdote, a witty and lively style, and drawing on his considerable theological knowledge, John Goldingay takes us deep into the unfolding story of the Old Testament.

In the last two decades, research on the Book of the Twelve has shown that this corpus is not just a collection of twelve prophetic books. It is rather a coherent work with a common history of formation and, based upon this, with an overall message and intention. The individual books of the Book of the Twelve are thus part of a larger whole in which they can be interpreted in a fruitful manner. The volume The Book of the Twelve: Composition, Reception, and Interpretation features 30 articles, written by renowned scholars, that explore different aspects regarding the formation, interpretation, and reception of the Book of the Twelve as a literary unity.

The stories of Samuel, Saul, and David are among the most memorable in the Old Testament. Yet the lives of these individuals are bound up in the larger story of God's purpose for his people. In this Tyndale Old Testament Commentary, V. Philips Long explores the meaning of the biblical history of Israel's vital transition from a confederation of tribes to nationhood under a king. He shows how attending to the books of Samuel repays its readers richly in terms of literary appreciation, historical knowledge, and theological grounding. The Tyndale Commentaries are designed to help the reader of the Bible understand what the text says and what it means. The Introduction to each book gives a concise but thorough treatment of its authorship, date, original setting, and purpose. Following a structural Analysis, the Commentary takes the book section by section, drawing out its main themes, and also comments on individual verses and problems of interpretation. Additional Notes provide fuller discussion of particular difficulties. In the new Old Testament volumes, the commentary on each section of the text is structured under three headings: Context, Comment, and Meaning. The goal is to explain the true meaning of the Bible and make its message plain.

Belonging to Hebrew Wisdom literature, the Song of Songs offers a fresh look at love and relationships through its main female character, the Shulamite, which profoundly differs from traditional religious approaches to love and sexuality. Drawing from exegetical as well as philosophical sources, Abi Doukhan follows the Shulamite's journey away from patriarchy to her own self-individuation as she discovers a wisdom of love that is deeply personal and feminine.

Der deuteronomische Bruderbegriff hat innerhalb des Volkes Israel seinen Platz und gilt fur dieses. Diese Studie befasst sich mit den 'wirtschaftlichen' und 'politischen' Hintergrunden der Bruderthematik, wie sie sich in den sozialrechtlichen Teilen des deuteronomischen Gesetzes sowie des Heiligkeitsgesetzes einerseits und im deuteronomischen AEmterrecht andererseits zeigen. Leitfragen sind: Besteht eine theologische Verbindung zwischen dem sozialrechtlichen und amterrechtlichen Gedankengut der untersuchten Brudertexte? Warum wird in ihnen das Wort 'Bruder' und nicht ein Synonym wie 'Nachbar' oder 'Volksgenosse' verwendet? Wo hat die Bezeichnung 'Bruder' in diesen Rechtskorpora historisch gesehen ihren Ursprung? Diesen Fragen wird mithilfe von altorientalischem Vergleichsmaterial sowie von synchronen und diachronen exegetischen Methoden nachgegangen.

Die Weihnachtsvorlesung gehoert zu den fest etablierten Veranstaltungen der Padagogischen Hochschule Freiburg. Jedes Jahr referieren Wissenschaftler*innen aus der Perspektive ihrer jeweiligen Disziplin zum Thema "Weihnachten". Der vorliegende Band dokumentiert eine Reihe dieser interdisziplinaren Weihnachtsvorlesungen, prasentiert neue Beitrage und bildet so die gesellschaftlich-kulturelle Prasenz und Popularitat des Weihnachtsfestes ab. Das Spektrum der Aufsatze reicht von theologischen Artikeln wie "Weihnachten im Alten Testament?" und "Weihnachten bei Martin Luther" bis zu kulturwissenschaftlichen Beitragen wie "Weihnachtsszenen im Theater" und religionspadagogischen Aufsatzen wie "Der grosse Gott wird ein kleines Kind".

This book anchors its account of the beauty of Jesus Christ to a scheme found in St Augustine of Hippo's Expositions of the Psalms. There Augustine recognized the beauty of Christ at every stage-from his pre-existence ('beautiful in heaven'), through his incarnation, the public ministry ('beautiful in his miracles, beautiful in calling to life'), passion, crucifixion, burial, resurrection ('beautiful in taking up his life again'), and glorious life 'in heaven'. Augustine never filled out this laconic summary by writing a work on Christ and his beauty. The Beauty of Jesus Christ seems to be the first attempt in Christian history to write a comprehensive account of the beauty of Christ in the light of Augustine's list. The work begins by offering a working description of what it understands by beauty as being perfect, harmonious, and radiant. Beauty, above all the divine beauty, enjoys inexhaustible meaning and overlaps with 'the holy' or the awesome and fascinating mystery of God. Loving beauty opens the way to truth and helps us grasp and practise virtue. The books needs to add some items to Augustine's list by recognizing Christ's beauty in his baptism, transfiguration, and post-resurrection sending of the Holy Spirit. It also goes beyond Augustine by showing how the imagery and language Jesus prepared in his hidden life and then used in his ministry witness to the beautiful sensibility that developed during his years at home in Nazareth. Throughout, this book draws on the Scriptures to illustrate and justify Augustine's brief claims about the beauty revealed in the whole story of Christ, from his pre-existence to his risen 'post-existence'. Where appropriate, it also cites the witness to Christ's beauty that has come from artists, composers of sacred music, the creators of icons, and writers.

In this book, Katherine E. Southwood offers a new approach to interpreting Judges 21. Breaking away from traditional interpretations of kingship, feminism, or comparisons with Greek or Roman mythology, she explores the concepts of marriage, ethnicity, rape, and power as means of ethnic preservation and exclusion. She also exposes the many reasons why marriage by capture occurred during the post-exilic period. Judges 21 served as a warning against compromise - submission to superficial unity between the Israelites and the Benjaminites. Any such unity would result in drastic changes in the character, culture, and values of the ethnic group 'Israel'. The chapter encouraged post-exilic audiences to socially construct those categorised as 'Benjaminites' as foreigners who do not belong within the group, thereby silencing doubts about the merits of unity.

For some time scholars have debated whether the Song of Songs has connections to the wisdom genre and how this changes our understanding of it. In Wise and Foolish Love in the Song of Songs, Jennifer Andruska shows that the influence of the wisdom genre on the Song is pervasive, running throughout the book, and offers an entirely new understanding of the book's wisdom message. She demonstrates that the Song has combined elements of the ancient Near Eastern love song and wisdom genres to produce a wisdom literature about romantic love, inspiring readers to pursue a particular type of love relationship, modelled by the lovers throughout the poem, and aiming to transform them, through character formation, into wise lovers themselves.

'Incest' refers to illegal sexual relations between family members. Its precise contours, however, are culturally specific. Hence, an illegal incestuous union in one social context may be a legal close-kin union in another. First-degree sexual unions, between a parent and child, or between siblings, are most widely prohibited and abhorred. This book discusses all overt and covert first-degree incest relations in the Hebrew Bible and also probes the significance of gaps and what these imply about projected sexual and social values. As the dominant opinion on the origin of first-degree incest continues to be shaped, new voices such as those of queer and post-feminist criticism have joined the conversation. It navigates not only the incest laws of Leviticus and the narratives of Lot and his daughters and of Amnon and Tamar but pursues subtler intimations of first-degree sexual unions, such as between Adam and his (absent but arguably implied) mother, Haran and Terah's wife, Ham and Noah. In pursuing the psycho-social values that may be drawn from the Hebrew Bible regarding first-degree incest, this book will provide a thorough review of incest studies from the early 20th century onward and explain and assess the contribution of very recent critical approaches from queer and post-feminist perspectives.

This volume examines Jewish literature produced from c. 700 B.C.E. to c. 200 C.E. from a socio-theological perspective. In this context, it offers a scholarly attempt to understand how the ancient Jewish psyche dealt with times of extreme turmoil and how Jewish theology altered to meet the challenges experienced. The volume explores various early Jewish literature, including both the canonical and apocryphal scripture. Here, reference is often made to a divine epiphany (a moment of unexpected and prodigious revelation or insight) as a response to abuse, suffering and passion. Many of the chapters deal with these issues in relation to the Antiochan crisis of 169 to 164 B.C.E. in Judea, one of the more notable periods of oppression. This watershed event appears to have served as a catalyst for the new apocalyptic texts which were produced up until c. 200 C.E, and which reflect a new theological dynamic in Judaism - one that informed subsequent Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism. Passion, Persecution and Epiphany in Early Jewish Literature will be of interest to anyone working on the Bible (both Masoretic and LXX) and early Jewish literature, as well as students of Jewish history and the Levant in the classical period.

The first in a major new series of guides to the books of the Old Testament written in an accessible and anecdotal style. The series is suitable for personal or group use and the format is also appropriate for daily study. 'In the beginning God created . . .' This gripping opening line draws attention to the irresistible creative nature of God - the One who is able to bring something out of nothing. There is no more fitting way to introduce us to the first and most obvious indication of God s goodness and greatness. The book of Genesis goes on to tell stories (both exciting and commonplace), offer profound mysteries, and engage us in the biggest issues of all: who we are, where we come from, and where we're going. Using personal anecdote, a witty and lively style, and drawing on his considerable theological knowledge, John Goldingay takes us deep into the unfolding story. He explores the character and nature of the God we meet so powerfully in that opening line, the God we can encounter daily on the journey through this revelatory book. And, as Professor Goldingay guides us in our understanding of these time-honoured words and the ancient world they describe, he helps us to apply what we read to our lives. This series offers a natural progression from the successful 'For Everyone' series of New Testament translations and commentaries.

During the past two millennia, the Christian church has repeatedly faced challenges to its acknowledgment of both Old and New Testaments as Scripture. None of these challenges has been successful: at the dawn of the third Christian millennium, the Bible contains the same books as it did in the early church, with only slight variations between different traditions. And yet, doubts remain and questions continue to be asked. Do we need the Old Testament today? Is this collection of ancient writings still relevant in our postmodern and increasingly post-literary world? Isn't the New Testament a sufficient basis for the Christian faith? What does the Old Testament God of power and glory have to do with the New Testament God of love whom Jesus calls 'Father'? Are these two very different Testaments really one Bible? In this thoroughly revised, updated and expanded edition of Two Testaments, One Bible, David L. Baker investigates the theological basis for the continued acceptance of the Old Testament as Christian Scripture, through a study of its relationship to the New Testament. He introduces the main issues, surveys the history of interpretation, and critically examines four major approaches. He then considers four key themes, which provide a framework for Christian interpretation of two Testaments in the context of one Bible: 'typology', 'promise and fulfilment', 'continuity and discontinuity', and 'covenant'. He completes his study with a summary of the main conclusions and reflection on their implications for the use of the Bible today.

ECPA Top Shelf Book Cover Award Biblical Foundations Book Award Winner Sandra L. Richter cares about the Bible. She also cares about creation. An expert in ancient Israelite society and economy as well as biblical theology, she walks readers through passages familiar and not-so-familiar, showing how significant environmental theology is to the Bible's witness. She then calls Christians to apply that message to today's environmental concerns. Richter is a master Bible scholar. Each chapter draws out a biblical mandate about humanity's responsibility to care for the land, domestic and wild creatures, and people on the margins. She is also a master storyteller. Well informed on present-day environmental challenges, Richter includes case studies that connect the biblical mandates to current issues. Though modern political alliances may tempt readers to sever Christian faith from environmental stewardship, in this concise and accessible book, Richter urges us to be driven by God's values instead.

A political crisis erupts when the Persian government falls to fanatics, and a Jewish insider goes rogue, determined to save her people at all costs. God and Politics in Esther explores politics and faith. It is about an era in which the prophets have been silenced and miracles have ceased, and Jewish politics has come to depend not on commands from on high, but on the boldness and belief of each woman and man. Esther takes radical action to win friends and allies, reverse terrifying decrees, and bring God's justice into the world with her own hands. Hazony's The Dawn has long been a cult classic, read at Purim each year the world over. Twenty years on, this revised edition brings the book to much wider attention. Three controversial new chapters address the astonishingly radical theology that emerges from amid the political intrigues of the book.