This is a history of religion rather than a theological book. In the introduction, Erhard Gerstenberger argues that the Old Testament contains many different theologies and he pays attention to the context in which the Old Testament is studied. He follows this up with an outlined study of the history of Ancient Israel, and goes on to examine faith, cultic practices and ethics as illustrations of belief in God (or gods, or goddesses) in each of the different stages. The approach is essentially sociological with close attention paid to both archaeology and the biblical texts, and each chapter raises the issue of what these investigations mean for belief in the modern world.

Internationally renowned scholar Erhard Gerstenberger here offers a radical departure from traditional treatments. Rather than a systematic approach to theological topics in the Old Testament, Gerstenberger discusses its various theological voices rooted in different social settings within ancient Israel: the family and clan, the village, the tribal group, and the kingdom. Further, he discusses the variety of Israel's views concerning the divine-polytheism, syncretism, and monotheism. Gerstenberger concludes with his reflections on how contemporary theology is informed by the biblical witness and how it must be contextual and ecumenical in order to be authentic.

PSALMS, Part 2, and LAMENTATIONS is Volume XV of The Forms of the Old Testament Literature, a series that aims to present a form-critical analysis of every book and each unit in the Hebrew Bible. Fundamentally exegetical, the FOTL volumes examine the structure, genre, setting, and intention of the biblical literature in question. They also study the history behind the form-critical discussion of the material, attempt to bring consistency to the terminology for the genres and formulas of the biblical literature, and expose the exegetical procedures so as to enable students and pastors to engage in their own analysis and interpretation of the Old Testament texts. This volume completes Erhard Gerstenberger's widely praised discussion of the psalms literature begun in Volume XIV, and includes as well an admirable study of the book of Lamentations. Gerstenberger interprets the different kinds of songs and prayers that comprise the book of Psalms in light of their sociohistorical settings and provides a concise formal and structural analysis of each biblical text based on an illuminating comparison with other ancient Near Eastern prayers and hymns. Seeing the biblical writings in relation to the social, cultic, religious, and theological conceptions of Israel's neighboring peoples allows contemporary readers to better grasp the purpose and spiritual meaning of the psalms and Lamentations to the Jewish community that composed them.

Auch wenn die Perser im Alten Testament nur selten ausdrucklich erwahnt werden, hat doch die persische Periode (539-331 v.Chr.) dem alten Israel eine neue Gestalt gegeben. Die Heiligen Schriften sind entstanden, die Grundlagen fur die judisch-christliche Tradition wurden gelegt. Darum liefern - entgegen herkommlichen Einschatzungen - persische Politik, Kultur und Religion gleichsam das Buhnenbild, vor dem die entstehende judische Gemeinschaft auftritt. Neben der persischen Geschichte und Geisteswelt beschreibt Gerstenberger diesen sich uber 200 Jahre spannenden Abschnitt der Geschichte Israels, die damals entstandene biblische Literatur (historische, prophetische und poetische Schriften, namentlich die Psalmen) sowie wichtige theologische Entwicklungen (u.a. Gestalt und Kennzeichen der judischen Gemeinde, Monotheismus, neue Elemente der Weltgestaltung).

Although the Persians are seldom mentioned explicitly in the Hebrew Bible, the Persian period (539 331 B.C.E.) gave new shape to ancient Israel, as the biblical text evolved and the foundations of the Judeo-Christian tradition were laid. Therefore, contrary to earlier views, Persian politics, culture, and religion were the setting within which the nascent Jewish community lived and took shape. Against the backdrop of the history and intellectual world of Persia, Gerstenberger describes this exciting 200-year period in the history of Israel, which saw both the creation of biblical literature (historical, prophetic, and poetic writings, especially the Psalms) and important theological developments (e.g., the shape and characteristics of the Jewish community, monotheism, and new means of shaping one s world).