The history of Israel is a much-debated topic in Old Testament studies. On one side are minimalists who find little of historical value in the Hebrew Bible. On the other side are those who assume the biblical text is a precise historical record. Many serious students of the Bible find themselves between these two positions and would benefit from a careful exploration of issues in Israelite history. This substantive history of Israel textbook values the Bible's historical contribution without overlooking critical issues and challenges. Featuring the latest scholarship, the book introduces students to the current state of research on issues relevant to the study of ancient Israel. The editors and contributors, all top biblical scholars and historians, discuss historical evidence in a readable manner, using both canonical and chronological lenses to explore Israelite history. Illustrative items, such as maps and images, visually support the book's content. Tables and sidebars are also included.

The ESV Archaeology Study Bible roots the biblical text in its historical and cultural context, giving Bible readers a framework for better understanding the people, places, and events recorded in Scripture.

A Respected Scholar Introduces Students to the Discipline of Old Testament Studies Richard Hess, a trusted scholar of the Old Testament and the ancient Near East, offers a substantial introduction to the Old Testament that is accessibly written and informed by the latest biblical scholarship. Hess summarizes the contents of the Old Testament, introduces the academic study of the discipline, and helps readers understand the complex world of critical and interpretive issues, addressing major concerns in the critical interpretation of each Old Testament book and key texts. This volume provides a fulsome treatment for students preparing for ministry and assumes no prior knowledge of the Old Testament. Readers will learn how each book of the Old Testament was understood by its first readers, how it advances the larger message of the whole Bible, and what its message contributes to Christian belief and the Christian community. Twenty maps, ninety photos, sidebars, and recommendations for further study add to the book's usefulness for students. Resources for professors are available through Baker Academic's Textbook eSources.

The book of Joshua memorializes a transitional episode in Israel's national history. The heroic figure Joshua, imbued with strength, courage and faith, leads the new generation of Israel across the Jordan and into the land of promise, conquering Canaanites and overseeing the allotment of the inheritance among the tribes. But the book of Joshua is foremost a story of God, who works powerfully on behalf of Israel and Joshua, fulfilling his covenant promises. It is God who leads Israel across the Jordan, God who defeats Israel's enemies and God who presides over the apportionment of the land. And so in the final chapter it is God who receives Israel's worshipful recommitment at Shechem. In this Tyndale Old Testament Commentary, Richard S. Hess explores these historical, theological and literary dimensions of the book of Joshua. An exceptional feature of his commentary is his careful consideration of the allocation of the Promised Land and the boundary lists the book of Joshua so prominently displays. And in a day when grave doubts have been raised over the historicity of the "conquest" story, Hess presents historical and archaeological evidence for placing the events of Joshua in the late second millennium B.C. The original, unrevised text of this volume has been completely retypeset and printed in a larger, more attractive format with the new cover design for the series.

The Old Testament makes up three-quarters of the Bible and has had an incalculable influence on Western civilization and culture. Yet it often is largely unread in the church, neglected by preachers, and avoided by students. This volume, written by experienced scholars and educators from five continents, offers fresh perspectives on teaching the Old Testament today. Addressing the problems of curriculum, context, and communication, these essays discuss such topics as which parts of the Old Testament should be taught, what approaches work best with each level of students, and what modern educational methods can be applied to teaching the Bible. Practical, insightful, and based on years of classroom experience in institutions ranging from seminaries to secular universities, this book will enable all teachers of the Bible or theology to make the Old Testament more vital for their students.

Zion, city of our God gathers studies by an international team of scholars that help portray the full significance of Jerusalem in the First Temple period of the Old Testament. John M. Monson explores Jerusalem's temple of Solomon in its original ancient Near Eastern context. Richard S. Hess looks at one of the most important events in the Bible's record of pre-exilic Jerusalem - Sennacherib's attack on the city. Martin J. Selman and Gary N. Knoppers outline the theological significance of Jerusalem in the books of Chronicles, providing as well a summary statement on the key role of the city in the entire Old Testament. Thomas Renz examines the Zion tradition as it underwent its greatest challenge, the fall of Jerusalem. Philip E. Satterthwaite and Knut M. Heim describe Jerusalem's place in the poetry of the Hebrew Bible, giving special attention, respectively, to the Songs of Ascents and Lamentations. Lastly, Rebecca Doyle discusses what Ugaritic, Old Testament, and other texts tell us about the cult of Molek and the worship of this god in Jerusalem.

Genesis 1-11 is a text that may well have received more attention than any other in the history of literature. Nevertheless, what do we know about the personal names that occur in these chapters and whose influence has permeated all of Western literature? Hess provides a thorough investigation of the ancient Near Eastern background of these names and discusses how each played a key role in adding significance to the stories and genealogies in which they are found. By studying both the linguistic contexts in the surrounding cultures and the wordplay in the biblical texts, the author provides the first comprehensive study of the importance of these names and traces the implications of his results for the antiquity and power of the familiar stories in which they appear.

This volume collects the best of recent research and classic essays on the Primeval History, including several articles that have not appeared heretofore in English. The articles provide students and scholars with easy access to significant scholarship illuminating both the world outside the text and the world within the text.

Equips Christians to defend the doctrine of inerrancy against a culture and academy ever skeptical of the Bible's historical claims.

Is historical accuracy an indispensable part of the Bible's storyline, or is Scripture only concerned with theological truths? As progressive evangelicals threaten to reduce the Bible's jurisdiction by undermining its historical claims, every Christian who cares about the integrity of Scripture must be prepared to answer this question.

Do Historical Matters Matter to Faith? offers a firm defense of Scripture's legitimacy and the theological implications of modern and postmodern approaches that teach otherwise. In this timely and timeless collection of essays, scholars from diverse areas of expertise lend strong arguments in support of the doctrine of inerrancy. Contributors explore how the specific challenges of history, authenticity, and authority are answered in the text of the Old and New Testaments as well as how the Bible is corroborated by philosophy and archaeology.

With contributions from respected scholars--including Allan Millard, Craig Blomberg, Graham Cole, Michael Haykin, Robert Yarbrough, and Darrell Bock--Do Historical Matters Matter to Faith? arms Christians with fresh insight, arguments, and language with which to defend Scripture's historical accuracy against a culture and academy skeptical of those claims.

The Amarna letters are foundational documents for the study of Late Bronze Age history and language in the ancient Near East. One of the most significant aspects of these letters has been the discovery of Canaanite influence in the Akkadian language of these letters. This discovery has provided a wealth of linguistic knowledge concerning that period and its influence on subsequent ages. Though much has been written about the Amarna letters, until now there has been no comprehensive study of the personal names found in the cuneiform texts from El-Amarna. Dr. Hess fills the void with this comprehensive reference tool. The main part of the book catalogs the Amarna personal names, providing necessary information for each name, including attested spellings, occurrences, identification, textual notes, and analysis. The author then offers a grammatical analysis of the names and glossaries of the seven languages attested in personal names in the letters. Glossaries of divine name and geographical name elements and an extensive bibliography complete the study. This volume is essential for research libraries and for scholars and students working with the Amarna letters or Akkadian and Northwest Semitic languages.

What does the Bible say about the importance of the family? How can we apply these ancient perspectives to modern Christian life? The essays gathered in this volume provide reflections from leading biblical scholars.
The authors focus on reading the Scriptures from the perspective of the authors in ancient Israelite society and the surrounding cultures. They find there an overarching sense of the central role the family played in the larger social structure. However different our contemporary culture might be, these reflections can form the basis of an evangelical vision of the family informed by a biblical worldview.