Die Beitrage in diesem Sammelband wollen dazu beitragen, aus christlich-theologischer Perspektive die Antwort auf die Frage zu prazisieren, wem das in den biblischen UEberlieferungen dem Bundesvolk Israel verheissene Land gehoert. Aus verschiedenen Blickwinkeln laden die Beitrage dazu ein, den theologischen Austausch hinsichtlich der "Landbesitzfrage" anzuregen und die Sinne fur die theologische Urteilsbildung zu scharfen. Die vierzehn verschiedenen Autoren stimmen konfessionell und theologisch nicht in allem miteinander uberein. Trotzdem liegt allen Beitragen die Absicht zugrunde, fachrelevante Untersuchungsergebnisse vorzulegen, die eine ausgewogene und begrundete Israellehre foerdern und die einen "theologischen Astigmatismus" in der "Landbesitzfrage" vermeiden wollen.

Middle school students are exposed to a lot of outside influences they don t necessarily understand. It s important to establish moral guidelines and role models early on, so they can grow with a strong understanding of Christian values. Where better to look for these role models than in the godly heroes of the Bible? The Talksheets series returns with another year of thought-provoking stories from the Old Testament to discuss with your youth group or bible studies. David Lynn shares discussion topics and questions written specifically with middle school students in mind, promoting meaningful and thought-provoking conversations. The stories in these pages highlight pure moral principles and practices for teenagers to learn about and emulate. Each of the 52 epic bible stories is easy to use and fit to your lesson plan, including hints and tips to facilitate conversation. These lessons also include optional activities, giving teenagers the opportunity to actively participate and have fun while they learn."

Ruth and Esther, the only two biblical books that centre on the lives of women, display the hand of a God who works in the lives of individuals to bring about his plan for the salvation of many. Ruth is an outsider who finds a home among the people of God and whose descendants include not only King David, but David's greater son, Christ the King of Kings. While Ruth's story focuses through the mundane dynamics of a peasant family, Esther's story plays out in the palace precincts of a despotic king. While God's name is famously never mentioned, we see his handiwork in each twist and turn of the narrative. He uses improbable means and improbable individuals to save His people, and we see that God is on His throne. Focus on the Bible commentaries are popular level commentaries especially useful for pastors and small group leaders. They are also useful for personal devotions and spiritual growth. The series holds to the inerrancy of scripture and the uniqueness of Christ in salvation.

This book aims to enable a user to become closely familiar with a limited number of Older Testament texts and so be in a position to form judgments about them and, resulting from that, to have an under- standing of the nature of biblical text itself. Beyond this, the reality that these are key texts for the understanding of the Bible means that they have fundamental impact for the basics of faith todayuour understanding of ourselves before God, essential to faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Israel's prophets reflect on the role of God in human life; faith in God's love, God's passion for justice, the essential place of fidelity in faith. Israel's foundational narratives explore the nature of human lives before God; they include issues such as creation, human freedom, and faith in God's unshakeable commitment to human life. Alongside these concerns, there is the importance of getting a feel for the nature of scripture.

The book of Isaiah is a composite work whose formation took place over a long period of time, incorporating the work of many different hands rather than the work of a single author. A crucial stage in this process came with the Jewish return from Babylonian exile, and the subsequent efforts at restoration. In this new context, how were the older Isaianic oracles to be seen? What did they say? Isaiah After Exile examines this question in depth from the point of view of the book's formation. Jacob Stromberg illuminates the textual hermeneutics embedded in the post-exilic shape of Isaiah, contributing to our understanding of the dynamics of scriptural formation in this influential period of Jewish history. The author of Third Isaiah is shown to have edited the book in line with his reading of it to project the old word into the new post-exilic situation.
Stromberg unfolds this argument in three parts. The first defines Third Isaiah's final form, finding the work of its author especially in its 'frame' (56.1-8; 65-66). The second part analyzes this 'frame' for references to earlier Isaianic oracles, uncovering allusions to older material from throughout the book. A portrait emerges of the author of Third Isaiah as a reader of the book, providing an important key to unlock the door on his work as a redactor - the premise being that his hermeneutics as a reader would inevitably reflect his hermeneutics as a redactor. Working in the light of this portrait, the third part examines the author of Third Isaiah as a redactor of the book, uncovering several examples throughout Isaiah where probability seems to favor this hand at work.

This book is designed to serve as a textbook for intermediate Hebrew students and above. Sung Jin Park presents the fundamental features of the Tiberian Hebrew accents, focusing on their divisions and exegetical roles. Providing innovative methods for diagramming biblical texts, the volume explores the two major rules (hierarchy and dichotomy) of disjunctive accents. Students will also attain biblical insights from the exegetical application of the biblical texts that Hebrew syntax alone does not provide. Park's volume shows how the new perspectives on Hebrew accents enhance our understanding of biblical texts.

In this engaging book, Graeme Goldsworthy reflects with clarity and practical insight on reading and using the Old Testament. By showing us how Jesus is central to the Old Testament's message, he encourages us to reinstate it as essential and transformative to our lives, churches and mission in today's world. The author asks important questions: Where is Jesus in the whole biblical storyline? How does the kingdom of God relate to him? In what way is he central to the divine revelation? This is a must-read for those who wish to transform their biblical understanding.

The Wisdom Literature of the Bible (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs) is filled with practical principles for everyday life. While some Christians are deterred by the secular character of these matter-of-fact guidelines, they are as integral to God's purposes for His people as the explicitly theological material that dominates other parts of Scripture. The Wisdom books tie these two streams of God's revelation together in a way that enriches and strengthens the church. Examining the background and perspective that characterizes Wisdom material, this book provides guidance for interpreting and proclaiming this part of Scripture. It is a thorough resource for pastors and teachers to help them navigate the sometimes bewildering waters of the Wisdom Literature.

Septuaginta: A Reader’s Edition offers the complete text of the Greek Old Testament as it appears in the Rahlfs-Hanhart revised Septuaginta, laid out in a clear and readable format. All deuterocanonical books are included, as well as all double-texts, which are presented on facing pages for easy textual comparison.

In order to facilitate natural and seamless reading of the text, every word occurring 100 times or fewer in the Rahlfs-Hanhart text (excluding proper names)—as well as every word that occurs more than 100 times in the Rahlfs-Hanhart text but fewer than 30 times in the Greek New Testament—is accompanied by a footnote that provides a contextual gloss for the word and (for verbs only) full parsing. Additionally, an appendix provides a complete alphabetized list of common vocabulary (namely, all the words that are not accompanied by a footnote), with glosses and (as applicable) comparison of a word’s usage in the Septuagint to its usage in the New Testament.

All of these combined features will make Septuaginta: A Reader’s Edition an indispensable resource for biblical scholars and an excellent tool for improving one’s comprehension of the Greek language.

This comprehensive yet user-friendly primer to the Septuagint (LXX) acquaints readers with the Greek versions of the Old Testament. It is accessible to students, assuming no prior knowledge about the Septuagint, yet is also informative for seasoned scholars. The authors, both prominent Septuagint scholars, explore the history of the LXX, the various versions of it available, and its importance for biblical studies. This new edition has been substantially revised, expanded, and updated to reflect major advances in Septuagint studies. Appendixes offer helpful reference resources for further study.

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.

Diese mentalitatsgeschichtliche Arbeit beschaftigt sich mit den Vorstellungen und Bewertungen koerperlicher Arbeit in der Spatantike und im fruhen Mittelalter. Als Grundlage dient eine bisher in diesem Zusammenhang kaum beachtete Quellengattung: Die lateinische Genesisexegese, die fur die Menschen der behandelten Zeit eine grosse Bedeutung hatte. Unter Verwendung einer philologisch-hermeneutischen Methode wird die Auslegung der Schoepfungsgeschichte untersucht, in der die koerperliche Arbeit einerseits als freudige Fortfuhrung des Schoepfungswerks und andererseits als Strafe fur den Sundenfall dargestellt wird. Die koerperliche Arbeit wird von den Exegeten religioes erhoeht und als ein Weg zum Heil, als eine Chance zur Erlangung eines besseren Jenseits verstanden.

Many of us find the Old testament daunting. It seems long and very distant. If the Old Testament is unknown territory to you, here's just the book to get you into it. Alec Motyer leads us through six key themes of the Old Testament, history, religion, worship, prophecy, wisdom and God himself. Each chapter shows with simplicity and warmth how important these themes are to the Old Testament, and how relevant they are to our lives today. At the end of each chapter the are seven short daily readings with crisp, practical comments, designed to help you explore that chapter's theme for yourself. Read through this book with your Old Testament in front of you and you will be amazed how it speaks directly to us today in our situations and our needs. The Scenic Route is a journey well worth taking. 'Alec Motyer proves again his faithfulness and reliability as a guide to the world of the Old Testament. The potential for confusion, with its ancient history, curious culture and perplexing events, is enormous, but Alec's sure-footed guide takes us on the scenic route. It is remarkable how, in such a brief and entertaining read, he can cover so much ground. Like any tour guide worth his shekels, the author highlights the most important vistas to be surveyed, while also taking us off the beaten track to some lesser-known alleyways of salvation history. The daily devotional Bible readings and notes make this useful for personal or group study and will provide readers not only with a good introduction to the Old Testament but also an opportunity to encounter the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.' - Chris Sinkinson

Ausgangspunkt der Arbeit ist Galileis Versuch, das kopernikanische Weltsystem mit der heiligen Schrift in UEbereinstimmung zu bringen. Anhand zahlreicher Originaltexte, zum grossen Teil erstmalig in deutscher UEbersetzung publiziert, werden wichtige Phasen der Auseinandersetzung mit der Kosmologie von Aristoteles bis in die Zeit der Scholastik und von Kopernikus und Kepler aufgezeigt. Eine wichtige Rolle spielten dabei die Argumente fur oder gegen die Bewegung der Erde, wie auch fur oder gegen die Bewegung des Himmels. Die Grunde fur das Festhalten am aristotelisch-ptolemaischen Weltbild durch die Fachastronomen, Philosophen und Theologen werden dargelegt. Schliesslich wird die Rolle der reformatorischen Theologie, insbesondere von Calvin, fur die Durchsetzung des kopernikanischen Weltsystems untersucht.

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

Oracles of God is a study of ideas about ancient prophecy current in Judaism and Christianity from the Exile to the end of the New Testament period. It examines the prophetic section of the Old Testament canon in both Hebrew and Greek traditions, the various pictures of prophets, their role and message, and looks at the various ways in which prophetic scripture were read in the period.
Source material discussed includes much apocryphal and pseudepigraphical writing, documents from Qumran, the works of Philo and Josephus, the New Testament and some rabbinic literature. The book is essential reading for all students of Old and New Testament ideas about prophecy.

In "Out of Eden," Paul W. Kahn offers a philosophical meditation on the problem of evil. He uses the Genesis story of the Fall as the starting point for a profound articulation of the human condition. Kahn shows us that evil expresses the rage of a subject who knows both that he is an image of an infinite God and that he must die. Kahn's interpretation of Genesis leads him to inquiries into a variety of modern forms of evil, including slavery, torture, and genocide.

Kahn takes issue with Hannah Arendt's theory of the banality of evil, arguing that her view is an instance of the modern world's lost capacity to speak of evil. Psychological, social, and political accounts do not explain evil as much as explain it away. Focusing on the existential roots of evil rather than on the occasions for its appearance, Kahn argues that evil originates in man's flight from death. He urges us to see that the opposite of evil is not good, but love: while evil would master death, love would transcend it.

Offering a unique perspective that combines political and cultural theory, law, and philosophy, Kahn here continues his project of advancing a political theology of modernity.

In this theological commentary on 1 Samuel, Stephen Chapman probes the tension between religious conviction and political power through the characters of Saul and David. Saul, Chapman argues, embodies civil religion, a form of belief that is ultimately captive to the needs of the state. David, on the other hand, stands for a vital religious faith that can support the state while still maintaining a theocentric freedom. Chapman offers a robustly theological and explicitly Christian reading of 1 Samuel, carefully studying the received Hebrew text to reveal its internal logic. He shows how the book's artful narrative explores the theological challenge presented by the emergence of the monarchy in ancient Israel. Chapman also illuminates the reception of the David tradition, both in the Bible and in later history: even while David as king becomes a potent symbol for state power, his biblical portrait continues to destabilize civil religion.

In der Septuaginta, der zwischentestamentlichen Literatur und den rabbinischen Schriften taucht das entwickelte Phanomen des Proselytentums auf. Diese exegetische Untersuchung geht der Frage nach, welche Spuren der Entwicklung des Proselytentums in der ersttestamentlichen Literatur des 9.-3. Jahrhunderts v.u.Z. auffindbar sind. Dazu werden aus der sozialpsychologischen, soziologischen und religionswissenschaftlichen Konversionsforschung Kriterien erarbeitet und auf Texte aller drei Bereiche des Ersten Testaments (Tora, Propheten, Schriften) angewandt. Es werden verschiedene Phanomene der persoenlich-religioesen Veranderung zum Judentum hin aus vorexilischer, exilischer und fruhnachexilischer Zeit herausgearbeitet und fruhe Formen der Konversion im hellenistischen Judentum entdeckt.

This six-session LifeGuide(R) Bible Study of Ruth we meet not only Ruth herself but also other significant players who populate the drama: Naomi, Elimelech, Mahlon, Kilion, Orpah and Boaz. In addition there are other unnamed characters: a kinsman, reapers, elders and neighbors. Like us, each of these characters in their own way needs the Redeemer who is foreshadowed here.These six studies follow the popular inductive study approach that has marked LifeGuide Bible studies for the past thirty years. For over three decades LifeGuide Bible Studies have provided solid biblical content and raised thought-provoking questions--making for a one-of-a-kind Bible study experience for individuals and groups. This series has more than 130 titles on Old and New Testament books, character studies, and topical studies.

Beloved author Dale Ralph Davis looks at one of the most fascinating characters in the Bible, and the God who was faithful to him. The character of Jacob that we meet in chapters 25-35 of Genesis is a fascinating one. A kaleidoscopic blend of deviousness and doggedness, of trickery and tenacity, of folly and faith. As readers we can't help being drawn into his story. With his trademark wit and perceptive comments Dale Ralph Davis guides us through the story of this rogue and traces the evidence of grace, providence, blessing throughout his life. Taking us chapter by chapter through this fundamental section of scripture, Davis highlights not only the character of Jacob, but the character of the God who cared for him and faithfully kept his promises to him.