A fascinating look at the founders of the world's main religions. The major religious traditions of the world owe their existence to the vision of an ancient founder. This important volume explores the lives of the five founders of major world religions-Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus, and Muhammad-chronicling what is actually known of these charismatic men and introducing readers to the cultural and religious worlds that heard their messages. Readers in predominantly Christian lands, in addition to learning about the lives of Confucius, Buddha, and Muhammad- whom they might not be familiar with- will also be introduced to modern research now casting fresh light on the careers of Moses and Jesus. Whether studied individually or in comparison with one another, these biographies, together with a chapter on the characteristics of religious leadership, chart the spiritual rivers that continue to feed the diversity of religious expression today.

The most extensive Bible dictionary ever created: - The first major Bible dictionary to be published in America in 30 years - 6 volumes of approximately 1,200 pages each - More than 6,000 entries - More than 7,000,000 words - Nearly 1,000 contributors -all the biggest names from around the world - Multicultural and interdisciplinary in scope - An unprecedented interfaith exploration of the Bible - Illustrated throughout with easy-to-find references - Endpaper maps of the Near Eastern world keyed to text for quick location of archaeological and biblical sites - Extensively cross-referenced for comprehensive coverage of topics - Easy-to-read article and chapter headings for speedy location of material - Full bibliographic references following all major entries Inside you'll find: - Exciting articles on pseudepigraphic and apocryphal texts, Nag Hammadi tractates, and individual dead Sea Scrolls-including the very latest on the most recently published sectarian Dead Sea Scrolls - "Minor entries" on personal and place-names that go well beyond the one- or two-sentence descriptions found in other Bible dictionaries - Outstanding summaries of the latest research on the historical Jesus - Fascinating new articles discussing the growing reappraisal of early Christianity's relationship with Judaism (was Christianity an "offspring" or "sibling" of rabbinic Judaism?) - Many articles illustrating the literary artistry of the biblical text - Intriguing discussions of everyday life in Bible lands-including articles that help us to understand health and disease, the role of animals and plants in the ancient ecosystem, and the demographics of human settlement in ancient Palestine - A richness of information unequaled in the history of biblical studies Edited by David Noel Freedman Editorial Consultants: Hans Dieter Betz-Greco-Roman Religin James H. Charlesworth-Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha Frank More Cross-Old Testament William G. Dever-Archaeology A. Kirk Grayson-Mesopotamia and Assyriology Peter Machinist-Bible and Ancient Near East Abraham J. Malherbe-New Testament Birger A. Pearson-Early Christianity Jack M. Sassoon-Bible and Ancient Near East William R. Schoedel-Early Christian Literature

You know the Scrolls are important . . . but you don't really know why. Sure, there are plenty of scholarly volumes on the Dead Sea Scrolls, full of indexes, footnotes, and jargon for those in the know. But what if you're not a specialist? What if you just want a basic understanding of what the Dead Sea Scrolls are, where they came from, and why they're so important? That's where this little book comes in. David Noel Freedman and Pam Fox Kuhlken here offer an informed, inside look at these significant ancient texts. Full of humor and behind-the-scenes glimpses into research on the Scrolls, What Are the Dead Sea Scrolls and Why Do They Matter? is a fascinating, accessible guidebook -- perfect for any reader seeking a brief, quality introduction to this inscrutable subject. Answers a gamut of questions from the general to the paranoid to the somewhat cynical -- for example: What are the Dead Sea Scrolls all about?Who wrote them, why, and in what languages? Have the Scrolls changed our understanding of any passages in the Bible? Who's hiding stolen fragments?Do the Scrolls tell us when the world will end?How has technology improved our ability to study the Scrolls?How much would a Scroll fragment sell for on eBay today?

From the Preface: “The alphabetic acrostic is one of the most easily identifiable poetic forms in the Hebrew Bible. Examples can be found in prophetic discourse (Nahum), the lament over the destruction of Jerusalem (Lamentations), liturgical song (Psalms), and wisdom literature (Proverbs). Yet its very obviousness has tended to deflect deeper exploration of its structure and purpose. Since Mowinckel denigrated the acrostics in the Psalms as a “disintegration of style,’ too often scholars have simply noted and then ignored the form. “There is no a priori reason that alphabetic acrostics should be less creative, expressive, or complex than other psalms. Thus the essays collected here investigate the acrostic format as a legitimate option for Israelite poets rather than as the refuge of uninspired epigones....The fruit of over twenty years’ close reading of these psalms, the following essays reveal the poets’ consummate mastery of the demanding acrostic form and deserve incorporation in future discussions of biblical poetic art.

Ancient Yahwistic Poetry is a particularly tempting field of study. In this small body of literature are preserved the oldest and most creative expressions of Israel's faith. this study of ancient Yahwistic poetry by Frank Moore Cross Jr. and David Noel Freedman untangles some of the serious textual difficulties and linguistic obscurities that have been a challenge to students of the Hebrew Bible for many generations.

The first in a series of volumes coming out of programs at the Department of Biblical and Judaic Studies at the University of California, San Diego, this book contains a number of essays originally presented at the Fourth Conversation in Biblical Studies held at UCSD, as well as pieces by each of the editors. Future volumes in the series will include both monographs and, like this one, collected essays.

A collection of 18 of the more important shorter essays on Hebrew poetry by one of the most prolific writers on early Hebrew poetry. These articles appeared originally in journals and festschriften, for the most part during the 1970s.

Here in one volume are two of Birger Gerhardsson's much-debated works on the transmission of tradition in Rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity. In Memory and Manuscript (1961), Gerhardsson explores the way in which Jewish rabbis during the first Christian centuries preserved and passed on their sacred tradition, and he shows how early Christianity is better understood in light of how that tradition developed in Rabbinic Judaism. In Tradition and Transmission in Early Christianity (1964), Gerhardsson further clarifies the discussion and answers criticism of his earlier book. This Biblical Resource Series combined edition corrects and expands Gerhardsson's original works and includes a new preface by the author and a lengthy new foreword by Jacob Neusner that summarizes these works' importance and subsequent influence.

Hosea, volume 24 in the Anchor Bible series of new, book-by-book translations of the Old and New Testaments and Apocrypha is a collaboration by world-renowned scholars Francis I. Andersen and David Noel Freedman. The authors' treatment of Hosea consists of: Introduction: A review and rethinking of Hosea research that offers a fascinating interpretation of the prophet's life and work. Translation: Based on one of the oldest of prophetic writings, this new translation of Hosea is unique insofar as the literary integrity of the text is scrupulously adhered to. Notes: For both scholar and general reader there is cultural and linguistic information which sets each passage within the sociohistoric context of eighth century B.C.E. Hebrew vocabulary, syntax, and poetic language are examined in an effort to confront one of the most obscure sections of biblical literature. Illustrations: Eight pages of photographs will take the reader through the ancient days of the Middle Bronze Age into the wonders of the Iron Age in which Hosea lived.