Synopsis: In this volume, Richard Hiers challenges the popular assumption that the Bible has a low view of women and that biblical law either ignores women or requires them to be subject and subservient to men. He does so by identifying and carefully examining hundreds of biblical texts and allowing them to speak for themselves. Among the findings: --that biblical tradition generally represents women positively, as strong and independent persons; --that no text represents wives as subject to their husbands and that no biblical law requires such subjection; --that biblical laws provide many protections for women's rights and interests--in several instances, rights equal to those enjoyed by men. The book focuses particularly on the Old Testament and Old Testament law, and argues that Old Testament laws and their underlying values provide important resources for Christian ethics and social policy today. Endorsements: "Richard Heirs has offered us a persuasive account of the view of women in the Bible, with special attention to the Old Testament. He focuses on the Old Testament because . . . the Christian community . . . has addressed this issue almost exclusively from a New Testament perspective. He argues that the overarching perspective of the biblical law is that women should be treated equally and fairly. His work is well researched, balanced, and integrative. This volume is timely, given the current discussion of women's rights." --Duncan Ferguson Retired Professor of Religious Studies, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Florida author, Exploring the Spirituality of the World Religions(2010) "Using a comprehensive catalogue of biblical evidence . . ., Richard Hiers successfully demonstrates that women's role in Old Testament times was more powerful, and their legal rights more secure, than the common wisdom would suggest. Modern advocates for women's rights worldwide should find this text helpful in setting straight the historical record on legal protections for women." --Marie Failinger Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Law and Religion Professor of Law, Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota "Once again, Richard Hiers . . . demonstrates the persisting pertinence of biblical writings--specifically the Old Testament--to our times. Drawing on specializations in both biblical studies and American law, he focuses on the precise status of women in these ancient texts. Granting exceptions, he finds the vast preponderance of the evidence portrays women as equal to men in cultural significance and legal standing. His sharp conclusion: we have yet in the modern age to meet that high standard." --Douglas Sturm Presidential Professor Emeritus of Religion and Political Science, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania Former President, Society of Christian Ethics Author Biography: Richard Hiers is Professor of Religion, emeritus, and Affiliate Professor of Law, emeritus, at the University of Florida. He is the author of more than a dozen books including Justice and Compassion in Biblical Law.

The theory and praxis of biblical law in the historical and contemporary landscape of American law and culture is contentious and controversial. Richard Hiers provides a new consideration of the subject with an emphasis upon the underlying justice and compassion implicit within. Special consideration is given to matters of civil law, the death penalty, and due process. An analysis of various biblical trial scenes are also included. The book draws on, and in turn relates to three areas of scholarship and concern: biblical studies, social ethics, and jurisprudence (legal theory). Modern legal categories often illuminate the nature of biblical law: for instance, by distinguishing between inheritance and bequests or wills (a distinction not found in traditional biblical commentaries), and by identifying the meaning or function of biblical laws by using such categories as "contract" and "tort" law, "due process," "equal protection," and "social welfare legislation."Several discussions throughout the book compare or contrast biblical laws with modern Anglo-American law or social policies. Each chapter begins with two or three relevant quotations: one or two from biblical texts, and sometimes from one or two relevant latter-day sources, notably, Magna Carta, the United States Constitution, and writings by Ayn Rand, and Robert Bellah. Although modern law usually shows greater compassion, biblical law often combines concern for both justice and compassion in ways that sometime provide grounds for critiquing modern counterparts.>

The theory and praxis of biblical law in the historical and contemporary landscape of American law and culture is contentious and controversial. Richard Hiers provides a new consideration of the subject with an emphasis upon the underlying justice and compassion implicit within. Special consideration is given to matters of civil law, the death penalty, and due process. An analysis of various biblical trial scenes are also included.

The book draws on, and in turn relates to three areas of scholarship and concern: biblical studies, social ethics, and jurisprudence (legal theory). Modern legal categories often illuminate the nature of biblical law: for instance, by distinguishing between inheritance and bequests or wills (a distinction not found in traditional biblical commentaries), and by identifying the meaning or function of biblical laws by using such categories as "contract" and "tort" law, "due process," "equal protection," and "social welfare legislation."
Several discussions throughout the book compare or contrast biblical laws with modern Anglo-American law or social policies. Each chapter begins with two or three relevant quotations: one or two from biblical texts, and sometimes from one or two relevant latter-day sources, notably, Magna Carta, the United States Constitution, and writings by Ayn Rand, and Robert Bellah. Although modern law usually shows greater compassion, biblical law often combines concern for both justice and compassion in ways that sometime provide grounds for critiquing modern counterparts.

Full of strange tales, obscure symbols, and archaic language, the Bible can be difficult to understand and interpret without some guidance. In The Trinity Guide to the Bible, Richard Hiers provides readers with information on the historical contexts and literary forms of the various books that will make the Bible more accessible. For each book of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, as well as the books of the Old Testament Apocrypha, Hiers supplies a summary of the book's basic features, highlights significant passages, and provides information about each book's likely historical settings. Rather than emphasizing a modern interpretation f the texts, Hiers focuses primarily on the beliefs and concerns inherent in each of the books of the Bible, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions. Background essays, at the end of the book, explore the major events and periods of biblical history, the principal literary and editorial features of biblical writing, and the central themes of biblical religion and faith. This important reference book will be a useful tool for readers encountering the Bible for the firs time, as well as for students and study groups searching for a deeper background and detail about the books of the Bible. Richard H. Hiers is Professor of Religion at the University of Florida, and the author of many books in New Testament studies and biblical scholarship.