Stuart Weeks - Böcker

This is a new and ground-breaking study of the nature and origins of the earliest material in the book of Proverbs, drawing on evidence from Israel and neighbouring countries in the ancient Near East. This literature has widely been believed to have originated as pedagogical material, designed for the education of future administrators in the royal bureaucracy from the time of Solomon. That belief has played an important part not only in the interpretation of the texts, but in reconstructions of Israelite society and history. In this book, Dr Weeks challenges this view, arguing that it is largely founded on assumptions which are now widely discredited, and he sets out to re-evaluate the evidence in the light of more recent research. Dr Weeks's conclusions will have important implications for the future study of this material, and for our understanding of ancient Israel's society and history.

A detailed examination of Proverbs 1-9, an early Jewish poetic work. Stuart Weeks incorporates studies of literature from ancient Egypt and from the Dead Sea scrolls, but his focus is on the background and use of certain key images in the text. Proverbs 1-9 belongs to an important class of biblical literature (wisdom literature), and is less well known as a whole than the related books of Job and Ecclesiastes, partly because it has been viewed until recently as a dull and muddled school-book. However, parts of it have been profoundly influential on the development of both Judaism and Christianity, and occupy a key role in modern feminist theology. Weeks demonstrates that those parts belong to a much broader and more intricate set of ideas than older scholarship allowed.

The first volume in Travis B. Williams’ and David G. Horrell’s magisterial ICC commentary on first Peter.Williams and Horrell bring together all the relevant aids to exegesis - linguistic, textual, archaeological, historical, literary, and theological - to help the reader understand the letter. This first volume presents introductory maps, and a comprehensive introduction covering aspects such as genre, canonicity, early citations of the letter, and its theology and influence. A particular feature of the introduction is that each section is preceded by an initial bibliography. The exegesis also provides for each passage sections on bibliography, text-criticism, literary introduction, detailed exegesis, and overall summary.Following the introduction volume 1 provides commentary up to 2.10, the conclusion of the first major section of the letter.

In contrast to much of the other literature in the Hebrew Bible, the wisdom books – Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes – have little interest in Israel’s national history and worship, but focus instead on the needs of each individual, struggling to survive and prosper in a world that can be dangerous and confusing. This introduction to the study of Wisdom Literature is geared to questions of method and approach. The introduction and first chapter examine the basic questions central to the literature. Subsequent chapters outline the content, characteristics, and thought of each book, and discuss the problems involved in approaching and interpreting them. Examination of the biblical wisdom books is followed by a survey and discussion of other Jewish literature with a claim to be called ‘wisdom literature’, including psalms, and works from the apocrypha and from Qumran. The final chapters turn to more general issues of thought, place, and definition, concluding that wisdom literature must be understood not in terms of a shared origin, theology, or ideology, but as a type of literary discourse.

By emphasising observation and empiricism as a key influence on human behaviour, this work excludes any consideration of tradition or revelation. Scholars often view the apparent scepticism of Ecclesiastes in terms of a reaction against the more confident assertions found in works like Proverbs , and the book does indeed seem to deny the possibility of humans shaping their future or changing their fate through informed action. What appears to concern the works protagonist, whose monologue occupies most of its length, is not any scepticism about Gods activity or consistency rather the problems that arise from a human inability to discern divine action or purpose. This study will seek to understand both the roots and the implications of this empiricism, comparing the monologue with other biblical and ancient literature, and suggesting that, although it has points of contact with other texts, its scepticism is largely distinctive and, unlikely to represent some broader tradition. For that reason and others, the work as a whole is unlikely to be a satire, as is sometimes suggested, but it may be inviting critical reflection on the outlook and limitations of its protagonist.Over the last 30 years this pioneering series has established an unrivaled reputation for cutting-edge international scholarship in Biblical Studies and has attracted leading authors and editors in the field. The series takes many original and creative approaches to its subjects, including innovative work from historical and theological perspectives, social-scientific and literary theory, and more recent developments in cultural studies and reception history.

In this ICC Martin de Boer provides an introduction and commentary on chapters 1-6 of John’s Gospel.de Boer sets out to interpret the Gospel in the historical context in which it was written and first read, and to explain it both historically and theologically. Taking his primary bearings from the seminal work of Raymond E. Brown and J.L. Martyn, de Boer applies and advances their approach through each section of his commentary, whilst also engaging with the latest scholarship, alternative viewpoints, and critiques of the Brown/Martyn approach.As such de Boer takes very seriously the view that John’s Gospel was written for a particular community, and that the composition of the text as we know it took place over an extended period of time. Examination of the historical realities of this community is a hallmark of this commentary including the notion that, as members of the community, women may have played a role in the Gospel’s composition.

Scholars often view the apparent scepticism of Ecclesiastes in terms of a reaction against the more confident assertions found in works like Proverbs, and the book does indeed seem to deny the possibility of humans shaping their future or changing their fate through informed action. What appears to concern the work's protagonist, whose monologue occupies most of its length, is not any scepticism about God's activity or consistency, but rather the problems that arise from a human inability to discern divine action or purpose. This study seeks to understand both the roots and the implications of this empiricism, comparing the monologue with other biblical and ancient literature, and suggesting that, although it has points of contact with other texts, its scepticism is largely distinctive, and unlikely to represent some broader tradition.

This volume completes Stuart Weeks' commentary on the book of Ecclesiastes, also known as Qoheleth. Weeks draws together all the relevant tools for understanding this complex wisdom book in the Old Testament. As is the hallmark of the ICC no stone is left unturned as Weeks considers the full range of linguistic, textual, archaeological, literary and theological interpretations of the text.Week incorporates recent interpretation alongside the history of research to examine the text of Ecclesiastes 6-12 in the closest possible, offering a reading of what may have be the original writer's linguistic and theological intent.The volume is a companion to Weeks' previous commentary on chapters 1-5 of Ecclesiastes, which also contains his exhaustive bibliography of works relevant to the study of the text.

Craig S. Keener provides an in-depth critical and exegetical commentary of the first four chapters of Gospel of Mark in this first of four volumes of commentary on the Markan text. Keener brings together all the relevant aids to exegesis - linguistic, textual, archaeological, historical, literary and theological - to provide a complete overview and understanding of this crucial Christian document. Keener incorporates new evidence available in the field and applies new methods of studies. As is a hallmark of the series, the volumes on Mark are not bound by a single theological or critical approach. Keener's own distinctive approach brings great erudition and scholarly expertise with careful and comprehensive consideration of every aspect of the text.This first volume of commentary covers the start of Mark's Gospel, the commissioning of the twelve disciples, the baptism of Jesus, and gives full attention to the teaching of Jesus in parables, and the culmination of this section of the Gospel in the calming of the storm.

In this second volume of his four volume work on the text of Mark's Gospel Craig S. Keener provides an in-depth critical and exegetical commentary on Mark chapters 5-9. As befits an ICC volume Keener brings together all the relevant aids to exegesis - linguistic, textual, archaeological, historical, literary and theological - to provide a complete overview and understanding of these chapters. Keener provides a close reading of the text and incorporates the wealth of secondary scholarship in providing readers with a highly comprehensive commentary that offers new insights into the meaning and development of the text.The text covered in this volume focuses largely on the healings of Jesus including the raising of Jairus' daughter, the Canaanite woman's daughter, the deaf mute and the man born blind. Also featured are the feeding of the 5000, Peter's confession of faith, and Jesus' predictions of his death. This part of the Gospel finishes with the Transfiguration.

Graham I. Davies provides his long-awaited commentary on the first ten chapters of the second book of the Torah in this in-depth engagement with Exodus chapters 1-10. Davies brings together all the relevant aids to exegesis - linguistic, textual, philological, archaeological, historical, literary, and theological - to help the reader understand the text at hand. The first ten chapters of Exodus cover the affliction in Egypt and the finding of Moses as well as the plagues of Egypt and Moses' interactions with Pharaoh. Davies plumbs the depths of these well-known texts, bringing out many profound insights into their structure and meaning, and into the history of scholarship.Two results of Davies's research are to place the old hypothesis of an Elohistic source on a much stronger footing and to reaffirm that both it and the J source extended through both Genesis and Exodus.

The second volume in Travis B. Williams’ and David G. Horrell’s magisterial ICC commentary on first Peter.Williams and Horrell bring together all the relevant aids to exegesis - linguistic, textual, archaeological, historical, literary, and theological - to help the reader understand the letter. This second covers the major part of the letter, providing commentary on 2.11 to the end of the letter. The exegesis provides for each passage sections on bibliography, text-criticism, literary introduction, detailed exegesis, and overall summary.The volume concludes with a comprehensive bibliography, which covers the whole epistle.

For over 100 years the International Critical Commentary has had a special place amongst works on the Bible. In this third of four volumes, Craig S. Keener provides an in-depth critical and exegetical commentary of the Gospel of Mark.Keener brings together all the relevant aids to exegesis - linguistic, textual, archaeological, historical, literary and theological - to provide a complete overview and understanding of this crucial Christian document. Keener incorporates new evidence available in the field and applies new methods of studies. As is a hallmark of the series, the volumes on Mark are not bound by a single theological or critical approach, but rather present a comprehensive view of the text at hand.

For over 100 years the International Critical Commentary has had a special place amongst works on the Bible. In this fourth and final volume, Craig S. Keener continues his in-depth critical and exegetical commentary of the Gospel of Mark.Keener brings together all the relevant aids to exegesis - linguistic, textual, archaeological, historical, literary and theological - to provide a complete overview and understanding of this crucial Christian document. Keener incorporates new evidence available in the field and applies new methods of studies. As is a hallmark of the series, the volumes on Mark are not bound by a single theological or critical approach, but rather present a comprehensive view of the text at hand.

This volume intersects with the work of John Day to illuminate major aspects of the religion of Ancient Israel in its geographical and historical context as well as by attention to the literatures of neighbouring peoples (especially, though not exclusively, Ugaritic). The introduction to the volume uses Day’s scholarship as a framework within which the individual studies can be contextualized, whilst also describing broader developments within the field during the course of Day’s career (such as arguments over the dating of texts, and questions about the very nature of ‘ancient Israel’) in order to sketch the history of scholarship in this period and discuss its directions of travel.The chapters are organized into sections covering ‘private’ and ‘public’ religion and, whilst the volume does not seek to provide a comprehensive overview of ancient Israelite religion, it does provide a snapshot – by leading scholar scholars – that can stand as an overview of the current state of scholarly enquiry into the religious landscape of ancient Israel.

This volume completes Stuart Weeks' commentary on the book of Ecclesiastes, also known as Qoheleth. Weeks draws together all the relevant tools for understanding this complex wisdom book in the Old Testament. As is the hallmark of the ICC no stone is left unturned as Weeks considers the full range of linguistic, textual, archaeological, literary and theological interpretations of the text.Week incorporates recent interpretation alongside the history of research to examine the text of Ecclesiastes 6-12 in the closest possible, offering a reading of what may have be the original writer's linguistic and theological intent.The volume is a companion to Weeks' previous commentary on chapters 1-5 of Ecclesiastes, which also contains his exhaustive bibliography of works relevant to the study of the text.

This new volume in the ICC on Ecclesiastes 1-5 brings together all the relevant aids to exegesis - linguistic, textual, archaeological, historical, literary and theological - to enable the scholar to have a complete knowledge and understanding of this Old Testament book. Stuart Weeks incorporates new evidence available in the field, surveys the wealth of secondary literature and provides an extensive introduction to Ecclesiastes as a whole.

This volume presents a complete bibliography to the gospel of Mark, which completes Craig S. Keener’s magisterial ICC commentary on the gospel of Mark.The bibliography itself is a valuable resource for scholars, drawing together a truly comprehensive list of secondary literature. Scholars and researchers looking to broaden their work and scholarship in the study of the gospel will find Keener’s work an indispensable resource for studying this important New Testament text.

No stone is left unturned in this reference level introduction to the gospel of Mark. Craig S. Keener provides a thorough overview of both Mark’s textual history and every issue related to the authorship and context of the gospel. This volume lays the groundwork for Keener’s monumental International Critical Commentary on Mark. Keener begins by presenting an orientation to Markan studies as a whole, situating the reader within the scholarly debate and providing an overview of secondary sources and approaches. He then critically assesses the background to the gospel, with chapters on the Mark’s authorship, genre, sources, setting and date, and audience. Together, these provide an in-depth analysis of the gospel and its world, providing readers with measured interpretation of the evidence at hand and the wealth of secondary literature on these crucial topics. Keener is at his most creative in the chapters that follow on Markan style and narrative features, and in his synthesis of Mark’s theology. This rich and detailed volume provides readers with the perfect overview of all literary, historical and theological debates necessary for in depth study of the gospel of Mark, and outlines Keener’s key approach to the gospel, which will be developed further in his four commentary volumes on the gospel of Mark.

Craig S. Keener provides a rich volume of critical excurses on the gospel of Mark, providing valuable contextual material to his exhaustive commentary on the text of Mark. The volume provides detailed background for many passages in Mark, taking readers through the whole gospel and expanding on many points found in the commentary. The volume includes many of the Keener's most distinctive contributions to Markan research stemming from his commentary work. Whilst it is arranged by passage, many of the topics covered make many of the excursuses relevant to multiple passages throughout the gospel and to the study of ancient Christianity and its world. Such topics include marriage and divorce, ancient medicine and healing, ancient conceptions of anger, hospitality, baptism, the emotions, feasting and viticulture, as well as fascinating insights into the use of Aramaic in the world of Jesus and linguistic comments on biblical Hebrew and Greek. The volume will be an indispensable companion for anyone studying the world of Mark's gospel, and is a perfect complement to Keener's commentary on the text.

Taking advantage of the unprecedented access to books and information that has become available in the last few years, this bibliography identifies and traces the history of hundreds of books and articles on Ecclesiastes published in many different languages before 1875. It includes not just scholarly literature but exegetical sermons, homiletic works, and poetic paraphrases of the text in order to offer significantly more comprehensive coverage than in any earlier bibliography. The publication history of each work is outlined in detail, with brief discussions of the background or content where appropriate, cross-references are given to major bibliographies and bibliographical databases, and indexes of authors, publishers, and biblical references are provided. Intended to serve as an important resource not only for students of Ecclesiastes and for bibliographers but for all who are interested in the history of reception or interpretation of the Bible, this bibliography also includes coverage of many more general works on the Megillot, on the Old Testament, and on the Bible as a whole in this period.