Richard Coggins – författare

New to this edition: Includes rewritten material on historical questions in chapter 3, 'Did it all happen?'. Material on the theme of liberation theology in chapter 7, 'The Old Testament as Liberation', is revised and updated, as is material in chapter 4, 'What does archaelogy contribute?'. Women and the Bible are now considered in a separate chapter, and the new edition takes into account the continuing growth in biblical studies by women scholars. Other smaller revisions are made throughout, and a much revised bibliography now includes the most important works of recent years.Study of the Old Testament has in the past been dominated by what is often called the 'historical-critical' method': careful analysis of individual books with great emphasis on historical context, and concern to isolate what was original, and (it was therefore assumed) most important. This volume not only retains the values of adopting this traditional approach, but also outlines the alternative understandings of the Old Testament which have gained currency in recent years. Exploring these less conventional ways of looking at the Old Testament, Coggins introduces sociological and anthropological, feminist and liberation perspectives, and literary criticism. In this new edition, Coggins looks again at key issues in the light of recent scholarly developments, addressing contemporary debate on historical questions, radical developments in the field of archaeology, and considering women's readings in a separate chapter.This introductory volume offers students a concise and engaging discussion of the different perspectives available in Old Testament scholarship.

This successful volume of essays by distinguished scholars not only makes a contribution to the study of Old Testament prophets but also summarizes scholarship in a way particularly appropriate to students, giving access to material available otherwise only in other languages or in journals difficult to obtain.

Sirach is a book that raises a very distinctive set of problems. What should we call it (Sirach, Ecclesiasticus, Ben Sira)? What is the relation between the traditional Greek text and the recently rediscovered Hebrew parts of the book? Where did it stand in relation to Jewish tradition and the Hellenism that was sweeping the Mediterranean world? In this guide, a new addition to Sheffield''s series on the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, these questions are discussed, as well as the use the author made of Scripture, and the scholarly placing of the book in the Wisdom tradition. The author''s attitude to women is considered and the volume ends with a consideration of some of the chief theological themes of Sirach.

In the first half of this Guide the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah (chs. 1-8) is placed within its historical setting of Persian rule and within the history of prophetism. The latter part of the book explores how the two parts of the book of Zechariah are related, and investigates problems in Zechariah 9-14, with its special importance for the background of the New Testament, and Malachi.