Jack M. Sasson – författare

Were Jonah's experiences true to the history of ancient Israel?  Were they meant to be read comically, philosophically, allegorically, symbolically, or realistically?  And is God godly when acting beyond the comprehension of prophets, let alone ordinary human beings?These issues, and many more, are thoughtfully considered in this meticulously detailed and insightful translation of the original Hebrew text of Jonah as created by Jewish authorities during the second half of the first millennium B.C.E.  In these profound and enduring tales, realistic events and miraculous incidents merge, and we never have to wait long to witness the power of God's love or wrath.One of the twelve prophets, Jonah faced more challenges in a short span of time than any other biblical hero. He went to sea and nearly drowned in the belly of a great fish.  On land, Jonah journeyed east to Nineveh, where his mission was to spread the word of God in a city plagued by evil.  He was tested by God at every turn. But even during his darkest hours, his faith never wavered and through all the tumult, he always listened for the comforting voice of the Lord.Author Jack M. Sasson employs the very latest information in biblical scholarship to interpret the many nuances in Jonah's seemingly simple story.  Providing Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Aramaic, and, occasionally, Syriac and Arabic translations, this Anchor Bible Commentary volume is an exciting addition to the world-acclaimed series.

The second volume of Jack M. Sasson’s authoritative commentary on the book of Judges  The second half of Judges is set when “there was no king in Israel; anyone could do whatever felt right.” It narrates the tale of Samson, the would-be liberator of Israel who comes to a violent end; the conquest of the land of Laish; and a vicious rape that, when followed by a shocking dismemberment, ignites a war among the tribes. In the second installment of his authoritative two-volume commentary, Jack M. Sasson invites his readers to ponder the many levels of meaning in the Hebrew text through a careful survey of its contents, evolution, and reception.  By situating the text alongside its earliest translations into Greek, Aramaic, and Latin, Sasson offers compelling observations on the characters, action, pacing, and style of the narrative, focusing on the characterization of Samson as a resourceful avenger of Philistine cruelties and as an instrument of God intended to humiliate false divinities. Sasson draws widely on comparative literature from Egypt, Greece, and Mesopotamia to enrich our understanding of how biblical writers adapted older regional sagas; and he derives insights from Hellenistic and rabbinic sources to re-create how Judges was understood by its earliest readers. Comprehensive and engagingly written, Judges 13–21 is an invitation to readers to rediscover these ancient stories and, in so doing, gain a greater appreciation for the art of Hebrew storytelling.

This work offers its users a convenient form by which to locate dated texts from the Old Babylonian Period which have been published in the Archives Royales de Mari I-XVIII as well as in various periodicals. It includes other texts dated to the same period which were parts of the Chagar Bazar, Tell Taya and Rimah archives. Pre-dating the era of widespread use of spreadsheets, the work takes the form of loose, unbound large-format printed sheets, contained within a paper wallet. Also within the wallet is a 20-page booklet containing an introduction to the work. From the introductory text: "On individual sheets of 22 x 35.5 cm, dated materials have been entered into spaces of approximately 1 sq. cm. Each one of these squares represents one day of one month of a particular year or eponym."

For over 40 years, Jack M. Sasson has been studying and commenting on the cuneiform archives from Mari on the Euphrates River, especially those from the age of Hammurabi of Babylon. Among Mari’s wealth of documents, some of the most interesting are letters from and to kings, their advisers and functionaries, their wives and daughters, their scribes and messengers, and a variety of military personnel. The letters are revealing and often poignant. Sasson selects more than 700 letters as well as several excerpts from administrative documents, translating them and providing them with illuminating comments. In distilling a lifetime of study and interpretation, Sasson hopes to welcome readers into a fuller appreciation of a remarkable period in Mesopotamian civilization.Sasson’s presentation is organized around major institutions in an ancient culture: (1) Kingship, treating accumulation of wealth, control of vassals, dynastic marriages, treaty-obligations, as well as illustrating the hazards and vexation of ruling a large territory; (2) Administration, from palaces that teem with bureaucrats, musicians, and cooks, to the management of provinces and vassal kingdoms; (3) Warfare, military establishment and martial practices; (4) Society, including organs of justice (and shortcuts to it), crime, punishment, and civil transactions; (5) Religion, including notices on diverse pantheons, rituals, priesthood, cultic paraphernalia, vows, ordeals, and channels to the gods (divination, dreams, and prophecy); and (6) Culture, including ethnic distinctions, class structure, and moments in the life cycle (birth, childhood, family life, health matters, death, and commemoration).Sasson’s presentation of the material brings to life a world entombed for four millennia, concretizes the realities of ancient life, and gives it a human perspective that is at once instructive and entertaining.The book is accompanied by extensive concordances and indexes (including to biblical passages) that will be useful to those who wish to study the letters more intensively.