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Victor Matthews, a veteran teacher and expert on the world of
ancient Israel, introduces students to the Hebrew prophets and
their social world. Drawing on archaeology and ancient Near Eastern
texts, Matthews examines the prophets chronologically, placing them
and their message into historical context. He explores pertinent
aspects of historical geography, economic conditions, and social
forces that influenced a prophet's life and message and explains
why prophets served an integral purpose in the development of
ancient Israelite religion. He also explores how prophets addressed
their audience and employed rhetorical methods, images, and
metaphors to communicate effectively. Logically organized, clearly
written, and classroom friendly, this book meets the needs of
beginning as well as advanced students. It is a substantially
revised and expanded edition of the successful text "Social World
of the Hebrew Prophets."
In this new edition of a successful book (over 120,000 copies
sold), now updated throughout, a leading expert on the social world
of the Bible offers students a reliable guide to the manners and
customs of the ancient world. From what people wore, ate, and built
to how they exercised justice, mourned, and viewed family and legal
customs, this illustrated introduction helps readers gain valuable
cultural background on the biblical world. The attractive,
full-color, user-friendly design will appeal to students, while
numerous pedagogical features--including fifty photos, sidebars,
callouts, maps, charts, a glossary of key terms, chapter outlines,
and discussion questions--increase classroom utility. Previously
published as Manners and Customs in the Bible.
Bringing to life the world portrayed in the stories in Judges and Ruth, this commentary offers readers an "insider" perspective on the narratives. After establishing a cultural and literary context, Victor Matthews analyzes each episode separately and as a whole.
The Old Testament was not written in a vacuum. It was written by
and to a specific people who lived within specific social,
historical, political, and literary contexts not only of their own
culture but also of the surrounding peoples. Clearly, an
understanding of ancient Israel and the ancient Near East is
essential for proper interpretation of the Bible. Unfortunately, as
readers seek this kind of understanding, they are confronted with a
variety of competing opinions and methods regarding the culture,
history, sociology, and geography of the biblical story. Does
archaeology "prove" the Bible? Is the Bible history, and if so,
what kind? How should the Old Testament be approached as
literature? These and other questions are addressed in 'Studying
the Ancient Israelites', which provides a guide to the tools,
methods, and goals of the study of ancient Israel. The book also
examines the insights that can be gained from geography,
archaeology, literary study, sociology, and historiography as well
as the limitations of each of these disciplines. Here is an
excellent text for Old Testament study. In 'Studying the Ancient
Israelites', a seasoned professor uses accessible writing and an
inviting page design to introduce students and serious readers to
the foundations of our understanding of the people of the Old
Testament.
This substantially updated edition of a classroom standard provides
students with an accessible introduction to the literature,
history, and social context of the Old Testament. Written by two
seasoned Old Testament professors, the book pays attention to
methodology, archaeology, history, and literary genre and includes
illustrations, sidebars, maps, and study questions.
Preaching's Preacher's Guide to the Best Bible Reference How can we
account for the "Book of the Law" suddenly being discovered during
Josiah's renovation of the temple (2 Chron 34:14)? We know from
Egypt and Mesopotamia that it was common to seal important
documents--including theological documents--in the masonry or
foundations of a palace or temple in order to inform a future king
who might undertake restoration of the building. What might the
psalmist have had in mind when praising God for removing our
transgressions "as far as the east is from the west" (Ps 103:12)?
In an Egyptian hymn to Amun-Re, the deity is praised for his
judgment of the guilty. As a result of the god's discernment the
guilty are assigned to the east and the righteous to the west. What
is meant by God "weighing the heart" (Prov 21:2)? In Egyptian
religious tradition we find the notion of the dead being judged
before the gods. As the soul is examined, the dead person's heart
is weighed in a scale against a feather symbolizing Truth. If the
answers are correct and the heart does not outweigh the feather,
the soul may enter the realm of everlasting life. The narratives,
genealogies, laws, poetry, proverbs and prophecies of the Old
Testament are deeply rooted in history. Archaeologists, historians
and social scientists have greatly advanced our knowledge of the
ancient world of the Bible. When we illuminate the stories of
Abraham or David, the imagery of the Psalms or Proverbs, or the
prophecies of Isaiah or Jeremiah with this backlight of culture and
history, these texts spring to new life. The unique commentary
joins The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament in
providing historical, social and cultural background for each
passage of the Old Testament. From Genesis through Malachi, this
single volume gathers and condenses an abundance of specialized
knowledge--making it available and accessible to ordinary readers
of the Old Testament. Expert scholars John Walton, Victor Matthews
and Mark Chavalas have included along with the fruits of their
research and collaboration a glossary of historical terms, ancient
peoples, texts and inscriptions maps and charts of important
historical resources expanded explanations of significant
background issues introductory essays on each book of the Old
Testament The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament will
enrich your experience of the Old Testament--and your teaching and
preaching from Scripture--in a way that no other commentary can do.
More than a simple exchange of words, conversations in the biblical
narratives offer an array of clues that define the characters and
their relationships, the setting, and the language they employ.
Using current critical communication theories from a number of
fields -- anthropology, sociology, psychology, and literary studies
-- Victor Matthews analyzes such biblical conversations as the
interchanges between Judah and Tamar, Moses and Jethro's
back-and-forth, Ezra's public address, and the dialogues recorded
in Daniel. By crossing disciplinary divides as he does, Matthews
creates a working synthesis that brings these embedded biblical
dialogues off the page and breathes life into the social world that
created them. His groundbreaking study will appeal to serious Old
Testament students who want to stretch beyond traditional
exegetical methods.
Getting a fix on the social context of the Hebrew Bible is
imperative for anyone reconstructing either the "story" of the text
or the "history" behind the text. Resources in this area often
prove overspecialized and arcane, and can require highly
sophisticated skills in cultural anthropology or Semitic languages
just to read the table of contents. "Social World of Ancient
Israel, 1250-587 BCE" offers those interested in learning about the
biblical world a more user-friendly framework for viewing the
broader picture; at the same time it relies upon the latest
methodologies of cultural anthropology and biblical analysis in its
presentation. Painting a picture in broad but precise strokes, the
authors portray the landscape of ancient Israel in new and exciting
colors that expert and student alike will appreciate.
"Social World of Ancient Israel "takes a unique look at the most
prominent social institutions of the world of early Israel and the
period of the monarchy, and then shows how properly understanding
these social institutions is essential for sound biblical
interpretation. Immersing the reader into five major areas of daily
life in antiquity--politics, economics, diplomacy, law, and
education--Matthews and Benjamin explore the ways in which knowing
how "players" function in these institutions, such as
"father/mother," "prophet/wise one," "host/stranger," can shape our
understanding of earliest Israel. Perhaps most significantly, the
book gently exposes the inefficiency of past anthropological models
for interpreting the relationships, attitudes and social
conventions of earliest Israel. Its corrective insights will enable
scholar and student alike to plot new approaches for studying the
Hebrew Bible and the ancient people of Israel.
Grounded in the latest archeological developments, Victor
Matthews's "A Brief History of Ancient Israel" presents a concise
history of Israel covering the ancestral period, conquest and
settlement, the monarchy, and both the exilic and postexilic
periods. Using supplemental figures and insets, the author
concentrates on providing a cogent and condensed discussion of
events. He examines historical geography, archaeological data, and,
where relevant, comparative cultural materials from other ancient
Near Eastern civilizations. With an accessible yet high-quality
introduction, "A Brief History of Ancient Israel" will be of
immense value to both students of the Old Testament and the
scholars who teach them.
This striking new contribution to gender studies demonstrates the
essential role of Israelite and Near East law in the historical
analysis of gender. The theme of these studies of Babylonian,
Hittite, Assyrian, and Israelite law is this: What is the
significance of gender in the formulation of ancient law and
custom? Feminist scholarship is enriched by these studies in family
history and the status of women in antiquity. At the same time,
conventional legal history is repositioned, as new and classical
texts are interpreted from the vantage point of feminist theory and
social history. Papers from SBL Biblical Law Section form the core
of this collection.>
Adam and Eve, God's covenant with Abraham, the deportation of Judah
and their eventual return to Jerusalem--these are the Old Testament
stories most people remember, and for good reason. According to
veteran Old Testament professor Victor Matthews, these stories are
essential to the identity of Israel as God's people.
Matthews identifies eight landmark stories that not only shaped
Israelite identity but also continued to echo throughout the Old
Testament as Israel grew into its role as the people of God. He
examines the stories in detail, showing how they provide a
foundation for later Old Testament stories and events. Helpful
sidebars, a glossary, indexes, and a selected bibliography provide
readers with tools for further exploration.
This book will be of interest to serious lay readers, Bible
students, and church leaders.
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