J is the title that scholars ascribe to the nameless writer they believe is responsible for the text, written between 950 and 900 BCE, on which Genesis, Exodus and Numbers is based. In The Book of J, Bloom and Rosenberg draw the J text out of the surrounding material and present it as the seminal classic that it is. In addition to Rosenberg's original translations, Bloom argues in several essays that J was not a religious writer but a fierce ironist and a woman living in the court of King Solomon. He also argues that J is a writer on par with Homer, Shakespeare and Tolstoy. Bloom also offers historical context, a discussion of the theory of how the different texts came together to create the Bible, and translation notes. Rosenberg's translations from the Hebrew bring J's stories to life and reveal her towering originality and grasp of humanity.

This second part of Genesis is the story of God's choosing of the Jews. As you read and study your way through this second part of Genesis, I think you'll be struck, as I was, at what a total mess this chosen family was. And perhaps you'll come to the same conclusion I have: All families are dysfunctional in more ways than we know! Genesis Part 2 is full of hope and a little humor for all of us dysfunctionals.

This volume is the latest addition to the Bible in Medieval Tradition series, which seeks to reconnect today's church with part of its rich history of biblical interpretation. Joy Schroeder here provides substantial excerpts - none previously available in English - from seven noteworthy medieval biblical interpreters who commented on Genesis between the ninth and the fifteenth centuries. Representing a chronological and geographical range of authors, these clear, readable translations illustrate the rich diversity of medieval approaches to biblical interpretation. This generous sampler of medieval writings is supplemented by an in-depth introduction that locates each of the medieval authors within his or her context. Covering the entire book of Genesis, this commentary offers modern readers a splendid opportunity to encounter the creative and reverent approaches to scripture practiced by medieval biblical scholars.

Love the Psalms? Struggle with them? Here are 36 brand new translations for you to enjoy, freshly translated from the original Hebrew. Betty Bracha Stone's translations of thirty-six Biblical psalms are innovative in their freshness, and yet deeply conservative in their faithfulness to the original Hebrew. Constructed in eloquent contemporary language, these interpretations give voice to the deepest sentiments in the human heart. Stone accomplishes the difficult task of renegotiating the passages that can plague the modern reader. For example, the concept of "enemy" is reinterpreted, as are allusions to ancient practices for which we have no meaningful reference. And yet, Stone's offerings bring forward the vibrant piety of the original supplicants. These translations carry the reader into the heart of the psalmists' service as we imagine it was practiced thousands of years ago. We are invited to join them and each other in gratitude, supplication and praise. Well voiced and well executed, this is an excellent companion volume for the personal and deeply felt spiritual journey. "Remarkable " "Bracha Stone's remarkable versions of thirty-six biblical psalms carry the reader into the hearts of religious poets who lived and wrote thousands of years ago. She has fashioned an eloquent contemporary language that reveals the spiritual experiences of these ancient worshipful writers." -- Rabbi Burt Jacobson, Founding Rabbi, Kehilla Community Synagogue "Innovative, fresh and yet deeply conservative" "Innovative in their contemporary freshness, and yet deeply conservative ... these re-voicings carry the prayerful reader to a place where all those who have prayed or sung these psalms join in one chorus." -- J. Gerald Janzen, Professor Emeritus, Christian Theological Seminary "To be savored" "Bracha Stone's offerings are to be savored by those new to the treasure of the Psalms and those who know them in the Hebrew. The words of each psalm take hold of her heart and demand her honest and fresh interpretation, and help us deepen to our own relationship with the Mystery we call God." -- Rabbi Chaya Gusfield, Chaplain, Kaiser Hospital, Oakland CA A perfect gift for yourself or your loved ones Order a copy now.

Reformation 21's End of Year Review of Books Preaching's Survey of Bibles and Bible Reference "Who shall ascend the mountain of the LORD?" --Psalm 24:3 In many ways, this is the fundamental question of Old Testament Israel's cult--and, indeed, of life itself. How can creatures made from dust become members of God's household "forever"? The question of ascending God's mountain to his house was likely recited by pilgrims on approaching the temple on Mount Zion during the annual festivals. This entrance liturgy runs as an undercurrent throughout the Pentateuch and is at the heart of its central book, Leviticus. Its dominating concern, as well as that of the rest of the Bible, is the way in which humanity may come to dwell with God. Israel's deepest hope was not merely a liturgical question, but a historical quest. Under the Mosaic covenant, the way opened up by God was through the Levitical cult of the tabernacle and later temple, its priesthood and rituals. The advent of Christ would open up a new and living way into the house of God--indeed, that was the goal of his taking our humanity upon himself, his suffering, his resurrection and ascension. In this stimulating volume in the New Studies in Biblical Theology, Michael Morales explores the narrative context, literary structure and theology of Leviticus. He follows its dramatic movement, examines the tabernacle cult and the Day of Atonement, and tracks the development from Sinai's tabernacle to Zion's temple--and from the earthly to the heavenly Mount Zion in the New Testament. He shows how life with God in the house of God was the original goal of the creation of the cosmos, and became the goal of redemption and the new creation. Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.

Hebraism in Religion, History, and Politics is an investigation into Hebraism as a category of cultural analysis within the history of Christendom. Its aim is to determine what Hebraism means or should mean when it is used. The characteristics of Hebraism indicate a changing relation between the Old and New Testaments that arose in Medieval and early modern Europe, between on the one hand a doctrinally universal Christianity, and on the other various Christian nations that were understood as being a 'new Israel'. Thus, Hebraism refers to the development of a paradoxically intriguing 'Jewish Christianity' or an 'Old Testament Christianity'. It represents a 'third culture' in contrast to the culture of Roman or Hellenistic empire and Christian universalism. There were attempts, with varying success, during the twentieth century to clarify Hebraism as a category of cultural history and religious history. Steven Grosby expertly contributes to that clarification. In so doing, the possibility arises that Hebraism and Hebraic culture offer a different way to look at religion, its history, and the history of the West.

Few phrases in Scripture have occasioned as much discussion as has the "I am who I am" of Exodus 3:14. What does this phrase mean? How does it relate to the divine name, YHWH? Is it an answer to Moses' question (v. 13), or an evasion of an answer? The trend in late-nineteenth- and twentieth-century scholarly interpretations of this verse was to superimpose later Christian interpretations, which built on Greek and Latin translations, on the Hebrew text. According to such views, the text presents an etymology of the divine name that suggests God's active presence with Israel or what God will accomplish for Israel; the text does not address the nature or being of God. However, this trend presents challenges to theological interpretation, which seeks to consider critically the value pre-modern Christian readings have for faithful appropriations of Scripture today. In "Too Much to Grasp": Exodus 3:13?15 and the Reality of God, Andrea Saner argues for an alternative way forward for twenty-first century readings of the passage, using Augustine of Hippo as representative of the misunderstood interpretive tradition. Read within the literary contexts of the received form of the book of Exodus and the Pentateuch as a whole, the literal sense of Exodus 3:13-15 addresses both who God is as well as God's action. The "I am who I am" of v. 14a expresses indefiniteness; while God reveals himself as YHWH and offers this name for the Israelites to call upon him, God is not exhausted by this revelation but rather remains beyond human comprehension and control.

The Book of Job is one of the most celebrated pieces of biblical literature, probing profound questions about faith. It is a beautifully written work, combining two literary forms, framing forty chapters of verse between two and a half chapters of prose at the beginning and the end. The Book of Job is presented here in five different versions: The King James Version, Douay-Rheims Version, The American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English Version and the Webster Bible Version.

Catherine McDowell presents a detailed and insightful analysis of the creation of adam in Gen 2:5-3:24 in light of the Mesopotamian mis pi pit pi ("washing of the mouth, opening of the mouth") and the Egyptian wpt-r (opening of the mouth) rituals for the creation of a divine image. Parallels between the mouth washing and opening rituals and the Eden story suggest that the biblical author was comparing and contrasting human creation with the ritual creation, animation, and installation of a cult statue in order to redefine selem 'elohim as a human being-the living likeness of God tending and serving in the sacred garden. McDowell also considers the explicit image and likeness language in Gen 1:26-27. Drawing from biblical and extrabiblical texts, she demonstrates that selem and demut define the divine-human relationship, first and foremost, in terms of kinship. To be created in the image and likeness of Elohim was to be, metaphorically speaking, God's royal sons and daughters. While these royal qualities are explicit in Gen 1, McDowell persuasively argues that kinship is the primary metaphor Gen 1 uses to define humanity and its relationship to God. Further, she discusses critical issues, noting the problems inherent in the traditional views on the dating and authorship of Gen 1-3, and the relationship between the two creation accounts. Through a careful study of the toledot in Genesis, she demonstrates that Gen 2:4 serves as both a hinge and a "telescope": the creation of humanity in Gen 2:5-3:24 should be understood as a detailed account of the events of Day 6 in Gen 1. When Gen 1-3 are read together, as the final redactor intended, these texts redefine the divine-human relationship using three significant and theologically laden categories: kinship, kingship, and cult. Thus, they provide an important lens through which to view the relationship between God and humanity as presented in the rest of the Bible.

The prevalence of evil and violence in the world is a growing focus of scholarly attention, especially violence done in the name of religion and violence found within the pages of the Old Testament. Many atheists consider this reason enough to reject the notion of a supreme deity. Some Christians attempt to exonerate God by reinterpreting problematic passages or by prioritizing portrayals of God's nonviolence. Other Christians have begun to respond to violence in the Old Testament by questioning the nature of the text itself, though not rejecting belief in a good God. Wrestling with the Violence of God: Soundings in the Old Testament is a response to these challenging issues. The chapters in this volume present empathetic, holistic, and methodologically responsible readings of the Old Testament as Christian Scripture. Contributors from different nationalities, religious traditions, and educational institutions come together to address representative biblical material that depicts violence. Chapters address explicit portrayals of divine violence, human responses to violence of God and violence in the world, alternative understandings of supposedly violent texts, and a hopeful future in which violence is no more. Rather than attempt to offer a conclusive answer to the issue, this volume constructively contributes to the ongoing discussion.

'This is an exceptional piece of biblical theology ... Preachers will find this work a rich source of sermon material and all who are interested in the Bible will be amazed at its unity.' Evangelical Times Who shall ascend the mountain of the LORD?' (Psalm 24:3). This stimulating study explores the narrative context, literary structure and theology of Leviticus. Morales follows its dramatic movement, examines the tabernacle cult and the Day of Atonement, and tracks the development from Sinai's tabernacle to Zion's temple - and from the earthly to the heavenly Mount Zion in the New Testament. He shows how life with God in the house of God was the original goal of the creation of the cosmos, and became the goal of redemption and the new creation.

The books of the Bible covered in "Historical Books II" share a common emphasis centered on the need for the people to remain faithful to the covenant established between God and the Israelites. If the nation remains faithful to God's covenant, God will protect Israel and lead it to be victorious in battles, but if the nation abandons the covenant, God will abandon Israel and allow other nations to plunder and conquer this nation established by God.

While there are many textbooks about the prophetic literature, most have taken either a historical or literary approach to studying the prophets. A Chorus of Prophetic Voices, by contrast, draws on both historical and literary approaches by paying careful attention to the prophets as narrative characters. It considers each unique prophetic voice in the canon, in its fully developed literary form, while also listening to what these voices say together about a particular experience in Israel's story. It presents these four scrollsaEURO"Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Book of the TwelveaEURO"as works produced in the aftermath of destruction, works that employ prophetic characters, and as the words uttered during the crises. The prophetic literature became for Israel, living in a context of dispersion and imperial domination, a portable and adaptable resource at once both challenging and comforting. This book provides the fullest picture available for introducing students to the prophetic literature by valuing the role of the original prophetic characters, the finished state of the books that bear their names, the separate historical crises in the life of Israel they address, and the aEUROoechorus of prophetic voicesaEURO one hears when reading them as part of a coherent literary corpus.

The juxtaposition of 'favour' and 'righteousness' in the flood narrative raises an interpretative and theological problem: Is Noah chosen because of divine favour or because of his piety ? Source-critical scholars identify two different theologies by J and P: J understands Noah's election to be an act of grace whereas P emphasizes Noah's righteousness as the basis for his election. Scholars who interpret the flood narrative according to its final form argue that Noah is chosen because he is righteous. This view is problematic, however, since in the primaeval history grace is shown to the 'undeserving', thus it is characteristically unmerited. This book entails an exegetical analysis of, and according to, the final form of the text, with particular attention being given to the meaning and function of these verses in the Toledot structure. Kaminski argues against the commonly held view that Noah finds favour because he is righteous, and seeks to demonstrate that divine favour is unmerited in accordance with the theme of grace in the primaeval history and in Genesis as a whole. Thus what sets the flood story in motion is not Noah's righteousness, but the divine favour he finds.

The Body As Property indicates that physical disfigurement functioned in biblical law to verify legal property acquisition, when changes in the status of dependents were formalized. It is based on the reality the cuneiform script, in particular, was developed in Sumer and Mesopotamia for the purpose of record keeping: to provide legal proof of ownership where the inscription of a tablet evidenced the sale, or transfer, of property. Legitimate property acquisition was as important in biblical law, where physical disfigurements marked dependents, in a similar way that the veil or the head covering identified a wife or concubine in ancient Assyrian and Judean societies. This is primarily substantiated in the accounts of prescriptive disfigurements: namely circumcision and the piercing of a slave's ear, both of which were required only when a son, or slave, was acquired permanently. It is further argued that legal entitlement was relevant also to the punitive disfigurements recorded in Exodus 21:22-24, and Deuteronomy 25:11-12, where the physical violation of women was of concern solely as an infringement of male property rights.

Reflections on the Psalms provides insightful commentary on each of the Psalms from the same experienced team of writers that have made Reflections for Daily Prayer so popular. It offers inspiring and undated reflections on all 150 psalms, with longer psalms split into parts in accordance with the Lectionary. Each reflection is accompanied by its corresponding Psalm refrain and prayer from the Common Worship Psalter, making this a valuable resource for personal or devotional use. Specially written introductions by Paula Gooder and Steven Croft explore the Psalms and the Bible and the Psalms in the life of the Church.

It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of the Bible in the medieval world. For the Anglo-Saxons, literary culture emerged from sustained and intensive biblical study. Further, at least to judge from the Old English texts which survive, the Old Testament was the primary influence, both in terms of content and modes of interpretation. Though the Old Testament was only partially translated into Old English, recent studies have shown how completely interconnected Anglo-Latin and Old English literary traditions are.Old English Literature and the Old Testament considers the importance of the Old Testament from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, from comparative to intertextual and historical. Though the essays focus on individual works, authors, or trends, including the Interrogationes Sigewulfi, Genesis A, and Daniel, each ultimately speaks to the vernacular corpus as a whole, suggesting approaches and methodologies for further study.

This major work explores the message and meaning of Ezekiel, one of the longest and most difficult of the prophetic books. An introduction explains what is involved in reading a prophetic book, and how the book of Ezekiel was put together and structured. It looks at the form of speech used and discusses Ezekiel's author and those who transmitted, edited, and enlarged upon what he had to say. The destruction of Jerusalem is a primary concern, and attention is focused on the political and social situation of the time in order to provide a clear understanding of the political and religious crisis facing the prophet's contemporaries.

For almost 3000 years the story of Jonah has intrigued, amused, inspired, encouraged, a,d challenged people of faith. This timeless story about one imperfect, complex man and his difficult relationship with God continues to engage contemporary audiences. Jonah enjoys a unique place in salvation history. His life reprises the actions of key Old Testament figures and also points forward to the New Testament and the coming Messiah. Jonah's story is a beautiful, complex, artfully crafted, work of minimalist literature which speaks a profound and resounding message of grace that still captures the human heart. This book is designed to facilitate a 40 day, shared journey through the book of Jonah. The radical revelation of the book of Jonah is that God's grace is wild. It refuses all human attempts to tame, domesticate, or restrain it. This grace continually bursts forth, in the most unexpected of places, and reaches out to the most unlikely of people.