Biblical studies & exegesis

Archival Historiography in Jewish Antiquity

The question of how the Bible received its unusual form has been a question addressed by scholars since critical study of the text began. Early attention focused on the Pentateuch and the Primary History. Archival Historiography in Jewish Antiquity argues that Ezra and Nehemiah, late texts sometimes overlooked in such discussions, reveal another piece of this longstanding puzzle. Laura Carlson Hasler suggests that the concept of archival historiography makes sense of Ezra and Nehemiah's unusual format and place in the Bible. Adapting the symbolic quality of ancient Near Eastern archives to their own purposes, the writers of these books found archiving an expression of religious and social power in a colonized context. Using the book of Esther as a comparative example, Carlson Hasler addresses literary disruption, a form unpalatable to modern readers, as an expected element of archival historiography. This book argues that archiving within the experience of trauma is more than sophisticated history writing, and in fact served to facilitate Judean recovery after the losses of exile.

Graded Reader of Biblical Hebrew, Second Edition A Guide to Reading the Hebrew Bible

This is a must have resources for second-year Hebrew students, giving them the necessary practice to gain greater proficiency in using the language for exegesis and preaching. The updated second edition of the Graded Reader of Biblical Hebrew: A Guide to Reading the Hebrew Bible by Miles V. Van Pelt and Gary D. Pratico is a structured introduction to the reading of Biblical Hebrew texts. This book is the ideal next-step resource for the student who has completed a year of elementary Hebrew or the pastor or scholar whose language skills need some refreshing. Through these readings, students will be able to review basic Hebrew grammar, become familiar with issues of intermediate grammar, and gain confidence in handling the Hebrew text. The readings chosen for inclusion, which are arranged generally in order of increasing difficulty, span the whole of the Old Testament and represent some of the most important Old Testament texts from the standpoint of biblical history, theology, and exegesis. Parsing exercises are included with each reading, and there is room for readers to write their own English translation. The many notes that accompany the text include information on: Grammar Exegetically significant constructions Vocabulary words Idioms Bibliographic information and much more. A vital resource for those wanting to take the next step in learning Biblical Hebrew, the Graded Reader of Biblical Hebrew guides students as they move beyond the basics and build competency in translating and exegeting the text of the Old Testament.

The City in the Hebrew Bible Critical, Literary and Exegetical Approaches

These essays explore the idea of the city in the Hebrew Bible by means of thematic and textual studies. The essays are united by their portrayal of how the city is envisaged in the Hebrew Bible and how the city shapes the writing of the literature considered. In its conceptual framework the volume draws upon a number of other disciplines, including literary studies, urban geography and psycho-linguistics, to present chapters that stimulate further discussion on the role of urbanism in the biblical text. The introduction examines how cities can be conceived and portrayed, before surveying recent studies on the city and the Hebrew Bible. Chapters then address such issues as the use of the Hebrew term for 'city', the rhythm of the city throughout the biblical text, as well as reflections on textual geography and the work of urban theorists in relation to the Song of Songs. Issues both ancient and modern, historical and literary, are addressed in this fascinating collection, which provides readers with a multi-faceted and interdisciplinary view of the city in the Hebrew Bible.

Searching for Sarah in the Second Temple Era Images in the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint, the Genesis Apocryphon, and the Antiquities

Seeking to build upon recent scholarship based on Biblical women, Joseph McDonald uses a character-centered literary approach to read the story of Sarah as it was told and retold in the Second Temple period. McDonald offers an alternative to the usual approaches to rewritten Bible narratives, which often emphasize near-context, synoptic comparison of retold stories and their scriptural precursors, arguing that examination of retold narratives as narratives reveals important aspects of their internal literary effects, that may otherwise go unnoticed. Taken together, McDonald suggests that such readings reveal one of Sarah's trans-narrative or deep traits, as a curious, multi-faceted resemblance to the character of Abraham. The richness of her images, however, shows that this resemblance is not the ultimate distillation of Sarah, but a symptom of the kind of restriction that she consistently faces in this literature. McDonald concludes that creative readings of the narratives featuring Sarah in the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint, the Genesis Apocryphon, and the Jewish Antiquities of Josephus illuminate Sarah as a complex and sometimes contradictory figure, whose individuality and agency often struggle to escape limitations placed upon her - both by other characters, such as Abraham and God, and by the narrators of her tales.

Acts: An Earth Bible Commentary

The gospel of Luke presents an ecological symphony that reveals a Jesus connected to Earth. His ministry touches all aspects of creation, human and non-human, and invites disciples into an ecological asceticism. This same spirit continues in the Acts of the Apostles. In this Earth Bible Commentary on Acts, Michael Trainor allows our environmental concerns to shape his interpretative approach, and thus ecological nuances emerge. Luke's household of disciples, imbued with the spirit of the risen Jesus, to embrace the world and bring to it a word of reconciliation, embark on this mission. This formally begins at Pentecost with their reception of God's creative and renewing Spirit that empowers them as Earth's children. From this moment an explosion of activity moves them over Earth's lands, beginning in Jerusalem, Earth's navel (Acts 1.1-8.1), into Samaria, the space in-between that navel and Galilee, the garden of God's earthly delights (Acts 8.2-11.17), to the ends of Earth, Rome (Acts 11.18-28.33). As we trace Luke's vast geographical journey around the Mediterranean, key moments highlight fresh environmental insights that offer new hope for contemporary disciples seeking ecological affirmation at this particular time in world history.

A History of the Jews and Judaism in the Second Temple Period, Volume 3 The Maccabaean Revolt, Hasmonaean Rule, and Herod the Great (175-4 BCE)

This is the third volume of the projected four-volume history of the Second Temple period, collecting all that is known about the Jews from the period of the Maccabaean revolt to Hasmonean rule and Herod the Great. Based directly on primary sources, the study addresses aspects such as Jewish literary sources, economy, Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Diaspora, causes of the Maccabaen revolt, and the beginning and end of the Hasmonean kingdom and the reign of Herod the Great. Discussed in the context of the wider Hellenistic world and its history, and with an extensive up-to-date secondary bibliography, this volume is an invaluable addition to Lester Grabbe's in-depth study of the history of Judaism.

The Hasmoneans and Their Neighbors New Historical Reconstructions from the Dead Sea Scrolls and Classical Sources

Kenneth Atkinson adds to an already impressive body of work on the Hasmoneans, proposing that the history and theological beliefs of Jews during the period of the Hasmonean state cannot be understood without a close investigation of the histories of the Ptolemaic and Seleucid Empires, as well as the Roman Republic. Citing evidence from the Dead Sea Scrolls and classical sources, Atkinson offers a new reconstruction of this vital historical period, when the Hasmonean family changed the fates of their neighbors, the Roman Republic, the religion of Judaism, and created the foundation for the development of the nascent Christian faith. Atkinson additionally provides reconstructions of events in classical history, including the most detailed examination of Pompey the Great's assassination in light of Jewish sources; by focusing on his death, this volume uncovers new information that explains the discrepancies in the classical accounts of this pivotal event that shaped Middle Eastern and Roman history, and which helped end the Republic. Collecting sources ranging from the beginning of the Hasmonean monarchy, through its religious strife and golden age, to its eventual downfall, Atkinson concludes that that Jewish sectarianism and messianism played far greater roles in the Hasmonean state than has previously be assumed.

Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs

A new commentary for today's world, The Story of God Bible Commentary explains and illuminates each passage of Scripture in light of the Bible's grand story. Its story-centric approach is ideal for pastors, students, Sunday school teachers, and laypeople alike. Three easy-to-use sections designed to help readers live out God's story: LISTEN to the Story: Includes complete NIV text with references to other texts at work in each passage, encouraging the reader to hear it within the Bible's grand story EXPLAIN the Story: Explores and illuminates each text as embedded in its canonical and historical setting LIVE the Story: Reflects on how each text can be lived today and includes contemporary stories and illustrations to aid preachers, teachers, and students Praise for SGBC: Opens up the biblical story in ways that move us to act. - Darrell L. Bock It makes the text sing and helps us hear the story afresh. - John Ortberg This commentary breaks new ground. - Craig L. Blomberg

Come and Read Interpretive Approaches to the Gospel of John

Come and Read introduces numerous hermeneutical approaches to biblical literature and includes examples of those approaches in action through the contributions of top scholars in the field. The book takes up three different passages throughout John's Gospel-John 1:1-18, John 10, and John 20-setting different approaches to each passage side-by-side. The sections of this collection are interconnected by virtue of their association with John's story. In addition, each section of the book will include readings of the focus passage from the same four interpretive perspectives. These four umbrella perspectives (intertextual, ideological, rhetorical, and narrative) are intentionally broadly conceived so that a variety of particular reading strategies are surveyed in the collection. Overall, this book will provide insight into current hermeneutical practices on the Gospel of John, and implicitly the rest of the Bible as well. It will also demonstrate how to use these methods effectively, illustrating not only the value of using a variety of approaches for interpreting the text, but also the impact various methods have on the interpretations rendered.

NASB Pitt Minion Reference Bible, Black Goatskin Leather, Red-letter Text, NS446:XR

A brand new edition of the renowned New American Standard Bible, reflecting the best traditions of Cambridge Bible typography and production values. Cambridge's original Pitt Minion Bibles were notable for their use of a compact typeface designed for Cambridge University Press in the heyday of hot-metal composition. They have been a feature of the Cambridge list for over half a century. The NASB Pitt Minion Reference Edition now follows in this historic tradition, using a stylish modern digital typeface which like its predecessor combines utility and elegance. It uses the Lexicon typeface, carefully chosen for its economical use of space. This is the font used for dictionaries and encyclopaedias because it accommodates a lot of characters in a small space. The result is a classic Bible for the twenty first century produced in a remarkably compact yet readable form. Cambridge's NASB Pitt Minion Bibles feature red-letter text for the words of Christ and full cross-references. Printed on India paper, the pages are sewn for maximum resilience and durability. This Bible has a ribbon to keep the place and a presentation page. Extra study features include a concordance and 16 pages of maps.

The Politics of Purim Law, Sovereignty and Hospitality in the Aesthetic Afterlives of Esther

This book approaches the holiday of Purim as profane, freed to human use and ends, in order to consider the political legacy of the biblical story of Esther in festival and art works. Jo Carruthers explores carnival and synagogue practices, the purimshpiln (Purim's own dramatic genre), illuminated Esther scrolls, as well as artworks by Botticelli, Millais and Jan Steen. The complex and astute interrogation of political life in such festival and artworks is analysed through theories of sovereignty, law, precarity and hospitality by key political thinkers such as Giorgio Agamben, Hannah Arendt, Walter Benjamin, Judith Butler, Jacques Derrida, and Jacques Ranciere. Carruthers considers different motifs of boundary conservation and dissolution, as a means of contemplating the political implications of Purim and the Esther story for diaspora politics. How is sovereignty aspired to and attained by marginalized and threatened communities? How can one respond to the ethical call of hospitality to relax sovereign boundaries whilst protecting and celebrating that which is exceptional? The practice of giving gifts, mishloach manos, offers a model of hospitality that together with Purim's profane impulse is epitomized in the final chapter's discussion of a 2018 Brooklyn purimshpil, that offers a riotous ridiculing of white supremacist rhetoric, norms of domination, capitalist inequalities, modern slavery and ablest identities and assumptions.

A Week In the Life of a Greco-Roman Woman