Histories you can trust. The Oxford History of the Holy Land covers the 3,000 years which saw the rise of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - and relates the familiar stories of the sacred texts with the fruits of modern scholarship. Beginning with the origins of the people who became the Israel of the Bible, it follows the course of the ensuing millennia down to the time when the Ottoman Empire succumbed to British and French rule at the end of the First World War. Parts of the story, especially as known from the Bible, will be widely familiar. Less familiar are the ways in which modern research, both from archaeology and from other ancient sources, sometimes modify this story historically. Better understanding, however, enables us to appreciate crucial chapters in the story of the Holy Land, such as how and why Judaism developed in the way that it did from the earlier sovereign states of Israel and Judah and the historical circumstances in which Christianity emerged from its Jewish cradle. Later parts of the story are vital not only for the history of Islam and its relationships with the two older religions, but also for the development of pilgrimage and religious tourism, as well as the notions of sacred space and of holy books with which we are still familiar today. From the time of Napoleon on, European powers came increasingly to develop both cultural and political interest in the region, culminating in the British and French conquests which carved out the modern states of the Middle East. Sensitive to the concerns of those for whom the sacred books of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are of paramount religious authority, the authors all try sympathetically to show how historical information from other sources, as well as scholarly study of the texts themselves, enriches our understanding of the history of the region and its prominent position in the world's cultural and intellectual history.

Can the Old Testament provide relevant principles for modern concepts of social justice? Today citing our human rights is used as recourse for anything and everything. Excessive use has corrupted a defining ideal of mankind. Williamson explores the meaning of Old Testament justice to discover its significance for us today. Concentrating on social justice he unearths the value and relevance of the phrase 'justice and righteousness'. Tracing this phrase and its context within and without the pages of Scripture Williamson elaborates an argument that passes from Abraham to Amos. He expounds a biblical ideal that he argues is not rooted in the legalistic Law of Moses, or necessarily an idealized history, but is a concept that is fluid, constructed in an organic appreciation for natural law. Williamson has written an engaging and highly articulate book that exposes the relevance of the Old Testament as a blueprint for a way of life; a mode of living that developed in accordance with the existence of the ancient Israelite. The ideal maintained a form, as derived from natural law that was applicable to all creeds and ranks, and therefore is potentially relevant for us today.

This book analyses a much neglected writer's contribution to the debate within Judaism in the post-exilic period about who might legitimately be included within the reconstituted Jerusalem community, and notably the Chronicler's attitude to the status of the Samaritan sect. It has been almost universally accepted that Chronicles and Ezra-Nehemiah are all parts of a single work, and so the rather 'exclusive' attitude of Ezra-Nehemiah has been read back into Chronicles. Many believe that the Chronicles intended to reject the Samaritan claim to inclusion. Dr Williamson challenges both the assumption of unity of authorship and the attribution of an exclusive attitude to the Chronicler, providing evidence to support the case for separate authorship, and examining Chronicles in its own right. A study of the use of the word 'Israel' and an analysis of the narrative structure jointly lead to the conclusion that the Chronicler reacted against the over-exclusive attitudes of some of his contemporaries, and looked for the reunion of 'all Israel' around Jerusalem and its temple. This study will interest both Old Testament scholars and students of Jewish history and culture.

Ever since the first century, Christians have regarded the book of Isaiah as a high point of the Old Testament prophetic literature. Its key themes, such as the suffering servant, deliverance from exile, and new creation, have been viewed as reaching particular fulfilment in the gospel. Isaiah has been formative to the identity of the people of God. It is a text to be weighed, on which to meditate and pray, and through which to explore the ways in which God works. Isaiah has also received more than its fair share of scholarly examination. While many excellent resources are now available, these tend to be either introductory or highly specialized; there are fewer that bridge the gap between the two. This volume contributes to that need: it assumes some foundational knowledge and guides readers through current issues and approaches. Here is evangelical scholarship that will inform, stimulate and reward diligent teachers and preachers of the Old Testament. Contributors: John Goldingay, Philip Johnston, Nathan MacDonald, David Reimer, Richard Schultz, S. D. Snyman, Jacob Stromberg, Dwight Swanson, Torsten Uhlig, Rikk Watts, Paul Wegner, H. G. M. Williamson and Lindsay Wilson.

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 bibliographycontains all sources used anywhere in the commentary.

For over one hundred years International Critical Commentaries have had a special place among works on the Bible. They bring together all the relevant aids to exegesis - linguistic, textual, archaeological, historical, literary, and theological - to help the reader understand the meaning of the books of the Old and New Testaments. The new commentaries continue this tradition. All new evidence now available is incorporated and new methods of study are applied. The authors are of the highest international standing. No attempt has been made to secure a uniform theological or critical approach to the biblical text: contributors have been invited for their scholarly distinction, not for their adherence to any one school of thought.

This eagerly anticipated volume is the second installment in H.G.M. Williamson's International Critical Commentary on first Isaiah. For over one hundred years International Critical Commentaries have had a special place among works on the Bible. They bring together all the relevant aids to exegesis - linguistic, textual, archaeological, historical, literary, and theological - to help the reader understand the meaning of the books of the Old and New Testaments. Williamson continues in this tradition, adding to his already published volume on Isaiah 1-5. Covering the next seven chapters of Isaiah Williamson incorporates a range of secondary scholarly material with examination of all the key textual and critical issues surrounding the text.

In this commentary on the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Dr. Williamson brings to light the theological and spiritual richness of these historical books. Composed in the era after the Babylonian Exile, they brought a new perspective to the idea of Israel and to the story of its past. Making full use of a wide range of studies by Jewish and Christian scholars, this commentary offers a wealth of new insights and conclusions.

Ever since the first century, Christians have regarded Isaiah as a high point in the Old Testament prophetic literature. Its themes of messiah and suffering servant, deliverance from exile and new creation--to name a few--have been viewed as reaching particular fulfillment in the gospel. Then too, the impact of Isaiah on the church's language of worship and hymnology, and on the Western tradition of art and literature, is beyond measure. The book of Isaiah has also received more than its fair share of scholarly examination, with various theories of its origin and composition proposed. Originating in a 2008 Tyndale Fellowship conference on Isaiah, Interpreting Isaiah presents some of the most significant evangelical scholarship on Isaiah today. Essays on recent scholarship and the theology of Isaiah offer valuable overviews that bring readers abreast of current understanding. And more sharply focused studies in particular Isaianic themes and texts explore issues and exercise methodologies that will interest and reward diligent teachers and preachers of the Old Testament.

In one form or another, the Trisagion, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory", entered Jewish and Christian liturgy at an early stage from Isaiah's account of his vision as recorded in Isaiah 6. Before that happened, however, it is likely that it went through a significant change of meaning from what the Old Testament prophet himself meant by it. Drawing on material that was familiar to him from the worship of the Jerusalem temple, he used it distinctly but characteristically to challenge his audience's view that God would automatically protect them from their enemies. In other words, the saying had a threatening rather than an encouraging tone. In the course of the following centuries, however, as the book of Isaiah grew, new reflections on the saying were added in the later chapters, with the result that when the book came to be translated into Greek the translator was justified in rendering the saying in the way that has become familiar to us. The unusual retention of the Hebrew word "Sabaoth", however, reminds us even today of the long path by which it has reached us from antiquity.

The Oxford Illustrated History of the Holy Land covers the 3,000 years which saw the rise of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam-and relates the familiar stories of the sacred texts with the fruits of modern scholarship. Beginning with the origins of the people who became the Israel of the Bible, it follows the course of the ensuing millennia down to the time when the Ottoman Empire succumbed to British and French rule at the end of the First World War. Parts of the story, especially as known from the Bible, will be widely familiar. Less familiar are the ways in which modern research, both from archaeology and from other ancient sources, sometimes modify this story historically. Better understanding, however, enables us to appreciate crucial chapters in the story of the Holy Land, such as how and why Judaism developed in the way that it did from the earlier sovereign states of Israel and Judah and the historical circumstances in which Christianity emerged from its Jewish cradle. Later parts of the story are vital not only for the history of Islam and its relationships with the two older religions, but also for the development of pilgrimage and religious tourism, as well as the notions of sacred space and of holy books with which we are still familiar today. From the time of Napoleon on, European powers came increasingly to develop both cultural and political interest in the region, culminating in the British and French conquests which carved out the modern states of the Middle East. Sensitive to the concerns of those for whom the sacred books of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are of paramount religious authority, the authors all try sympathetically to show how historical information from other sources, as well as scholarly study of the texts themselves, enriches our understanding of the history of the region and its prominent position in the world's cultural and intellectual history.

Hugh Williamson's Isaiah 1-5 is the first of three volumes in a important new commentary on Isiah 1-27. For over one hundred years International Critical Commentaries have had a special place among works on the Bible. They bring together all the relevant aids to exegesis - linguistic, textual, archaeological, historical, literary, and theological - to help the reader understand the meaning of the books of the Old and New Testaments. The new commentaries continue this tradition. All new evidence now available is incorporated and new methods of study are applied. The authors are of the highest international standing. No attempt has been made to secure a uniform theological or critical approach to the biblical text: contributors have been invited for their scholarly distinction, not for their adherence to any one school of thought.

Lambdin's Introduction to Biblical Hebrew has established itself as a standard textbook in colleges and universities as well as being frequently used by those who wish to teach themselves Biblical Hebrew. The lack of a key to the many exercises in the book has been widely regretted, but this lack is made good with the present publication. Having used Lambdin as a teaching aid for more than ten years, however, Williamson has become aware of some areas in which students still find difficulty. He has therefore supplemented his Key with many further comments and explanations drawn from his teaching experience with the aim of helping readers to a better understanding of both grammar and syntax.

As the only historical source available for the period of the Jewish return from the Babylonian exile and its aftermath, the books of Ezra and Nehemiah are crucial for those who would study not only the political, but also the religious and social history of the Old Testament. In this valuable addition to the Guides series, Williamson seeks to steer a clear path for the student, showing how an understanding of the way the books were put together from their constituent sources can elucidate both the historical problems of the period and the theological outlook of the writer.>

The Oxford Illustrated History of the Holy Land covers the 3,000 years which saw the rise of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - and relates the familiar stories of the sacred texts with the fruits of modern scholarship. Beginning with the origins of the people who became the Israel of the Bible, it follows the course of the ensuing millennia down to the time when the Ottoman Empire succumbed to British and French rule at the end of the First World War. Parts of the story, especially as known from the Bible, will be widely familiar. Less familiar are the ways in which modern research, both from archaeology and from other ancient sources, sometimes modify this story historically. Better understanding, however, enables us to appreciate crucial chapters in the story of the Holy Land, such as how and why Judaism developed in the way that it did from the earlier sovereign states of Israel and Judah and the historical circumstances in which Christianity emerged from its Jewish cradle. Later parts of the story are vital not only for the history of Islam and its relationships with the two older religions, but also for the development of pilgrimage and religious tourism, as well as the notions of sacred space and of holy books with which we are still familiar today. From the time of Napoleon on, European powers came increasingly to develop both cultural and political interest in the region, culminating in the British and French conquests which carved out the modern states of the Middle East. Sensitive to the concerns of those for whom the sacred books of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are of paramount religious authority, the authors all try sympathetically to show how historical information from other sources, as well as scholarly study of the texts themselves, enriches our understanding of the history of the region and its prominent position in the world's cultural and intellectual history.

This eagerly anticipated volume is the second installment in H.G.M. Williamson's International Critical Commentary on first Isaiah. For over one hundred years International Critical Commentaries have had a special place among works on the Bible. They bring together all the relevant aids to exegesis - linguistic, textual, archaeological, historical, literary, and theological - to help the reader understand the meaning of the books of the Old and New Testaments. Williamson continues in this tradition, adding to his already published volume on Isaiah 1-5. Covering the next seven chapters of Isaiah Williamson incorporates a range of secondary scholarly material with examination of all the key textual and critical issues surrounding the text.

Rather than being content with atomistic approaches to a text, recent scholarship has increasingly seen the value of tracing motifs and their variations as they run through biblical books, and even across book boundaries. Williamson takes up the important but inadequately explored messianic theme, tracing its development and variations through the canonical Isaiah. He sets this unifying thematic study against a counterpoint of redactional analysis, which exploits and builds on his previous work in The Book Called Isaiah: Deutero-Isaiah's Role in Composition and Redaction (1994). The current work was composed to serve as the source material for the 1997 Didsbury Lectures at the DEGREESNazarene Theological College near Manchester, England. In his introductory chapter, Williamson sets the foundation of his theme against the broader backdrop of the king, which moves from the minor tones of the human, Davidic king in the earlier chapters of Isaiah to the major key of the divine king later in the book. He goes against much recent scholarship in holding that the former derive most probably from before the exile. The second variation concerns Immanuel, looking in detail at chapters 6-9. He presents and critiques Buddes' century-old hypothesis that Isaiah 6-8 were an Isaianic Memoir which originally opened the book. Rather than taking the call narratives of other prophets as a comparison, Williamson finds closer parallels between the calls of Isaiah and of Micaiah (1 Kgs 22) and the literary shape of Amos 7-8. He sees the chief interest in the Immanuel figure being in fulfilling the role of righteous rule within the Davidic dynasty, rather than in identifying any specific individual. The third variation, the "Servant" is drawn from Deutero-Isaiah. There the original Davidic relationship with God is transferred to the nation of Israel. She will be God's witness and mediator to the world. As a Christian, Williamson brings up the interpretation that Jesus is the servant according to the NT. He defends his view by stating that "Jesus fulfills, but does not thereby exhaust, the prophecy" (p. 53). The theme of justice and righteousness in association with the servant ties his role to that of the king in the first section.

Recent research on the book of Isaiah has been dominated by discussions of its unity and authorship. Professor Williamson's important study provides a major and highly original contribution to these key issues, and is based upon a more rigorous methodology than ever used before. Isaiah is usually regarded as the work of two authors - the so-called Isaiah of Jerusalem (Isaiah 1-39) and Deutero-Isaiah (the author of Isaiah 40-55). Professor Williamson argues that the author of Isaiah 40-55 was in fact strongly influenced by the work of the earlier writer. Secondly, he demonstrates that the earlier work was regarded as a book which had been sealed up until the time when judgement was past and the day of salvation had arrived, and that Deutero-Isaiah believed himself to be heralding the arrival of that day. Thirdly, and most provocatively, Professor Williamson argues that Deutero-Isaiah both included and edited a version of the earlier prophecies along with his own, intending from the start that they should be read togather as a complete whole. This innovative and scholarly work, which sheds much new light on some of the more neglected passages, has had significant implications for future work on this much-loved prophetic book.

This work adopts the direction of the Hebrew script as a metaphor for the cultural transformation involved in every act of biblical interpretation. It is a concern that has been evident in much of the work of David Clines, to whom this volume was presented on his 65th birthday. Clines, who has been associated with the Department of Biblical Studies in the University of Sheffield for the whole of his scholarly career, and who was one of the founders and directors of Sheffield Academic Press for 25 years. The volume includes thirty-seven essays from established scholars around the world, covering topics including the Pentateuch prophecy, wisdom, ancient Israelite history, Greek tragedy and the ideology of biblical scholarship.

Recent research on the book of Isaiah has been dominated by discussions of its unity and authorship. Professor Williamson's important new study provides a major and highly original contribution to these key issues, and is based upon a more rigorous methodology than used ever before. Isaiah is usually regarded as the work of several authors, including prominently Isaiah of Jerusalem (Isaiah 1-39) and Deutero-Isaiah (the author of Isaiah 40-55). Professor Williamson argues that the author of Isaiah 40-55 was in fact strongly influenced by the work of the earlier writer. Secondly, he demonstrates that the earlier work was regarded as a book which had been sealed up until the time when judgement was past and the day of salvation had arrived, and that Deutero-Isaiah believed himself to be heralding the arrival of that day. Thirdly, and most provocatively, Professor Williamson argues that Deutero-Isaiah both included and edited a version of the earlier prophecies along with his own, intending from the start that they should be read together as a complete whole. This innovative and scholarly work, which sheds much new light on some of the more neglected passages in Isaiah, is certain to have significant implications for the future interpretation of this much-loved prophetic book.