Oxford Bible Series – serie

Because of the command not to make `graven images' the creativity of the ancient Jews was always somewhat constrained: instead of the visual arts, poetry and story became the two most important forms which depicted the relationship between God and his people. This book concentrates on the poetry of the Hebrew Bible. After considering the essential elements of Hebrew verse, it looks as the most familiar poems - the Psalms, the Song of Solomon, and the poetry in Job and Proverbs - as well as at less familiar examples of poems which by contrast are embedded in narrative, such as war poetry, harvest hymns, elegies, prayers of protest, and thanksgiving songs. Much of this poetry suggests an earlier setting in the life of the people - from a more popular family or clan setting as well as the official royal court, and from local outlying sanctuaries as well as at the Temple in Jerusalem. Hence although these biblical poems should be understood primarily as ancient literary texts, many also have a setting in life beyond the text, offering a broader framework of reference on account of their pre-literary history. This is a study for those who already have some grounding in the contents of the Hebrew Bible, but it is also designed to be read by non-specialists, and no knowledge of Hebrew is presumed. A select bibliography following each chapter offers suggestions for further study. This study completes the Oxford Bible Series.

After almost two centuries of historical criticism, biblical scholarship has recently taken major shifts in direction, most notably towards literary study of the Bible. Much germinal criticism has taken as its primary focus narrative texts of the Hebrew Bible (the `Old Testament'). This book belongs in this movement and provides a lucid guide to its interpretative possibilities. It tries to be both theoretical and practical, combining discussion of method and the business of reading in general with numerous illustrations through readings of particular texts. The opening chapter indicates how literary criticism is related to other dominant ways of reading the text over the last two thousand years, using as an example the story of Cain and Abel. In subsequent methodological chapters, the authors discuss characters, not excluding the narrator and God; plot, modifying recent theory to accommodate the peculiar complexity of biblical narratives; and the play of language through repetition, ambiguity, multivalence, metaphor and intertextuality. The concluding chapter, on readers and responsibility, explores the ideological dimension of narrative interpretation, with particular attention to Genesis 1-3, a story which has generated much discussion about gender and social hierarchy. Does this text define or challenge the statusquo (of either the ancient or the modern world)? The authors lay out some of the debate and question what values are at work when we and others read and champion readings. Other extended readings include: the stories of Abraham and Sarah, and of Tamar and Judah in Genesis, the book of Jonah, and the account of Nebuchadnezzar and the three Jews thrown into the fiery furnace, fromthe book of Daniel. An extensive bibliography completes the book, arranged by subject and biblical text.

Study of the Old Testament has long been dominated by what is sometimes called the `historical-critical method': careful analysis of individual books in order to discover their component sources, with great emphasis on historical context and concern, especially in the prophetic books, to isolate what was original and (it was therefore assumed) most important. In recent years people have asked whether this approach is the only proper one, and whether there may not be alternative understandings which are equally valid. This book attempts to outline some of those alternatives while retaining the values of the traditional methods. Nine separate chapters set out the importance of sociology and anthropology, of liberation and feminist perspectives, and of literary criticism, as well as the more traditional approaches, in a way that will be comprehensible to those approaching the Old Testament for the first time as well as for those who are not satisfied with existing conventions of study.

Modern critical study of the Bible in the West has made a deep impact on the fabric on Christian belief. This book explains what interpretation is and what special issues arise in biblical interpretation. It analyses the development of literary and historical criticism and more recent social-scientific and literary approaches, by focusing on the key figures from Reimarus to Gerd Theissen, and exposes the underlying theological issues. There emerges a pattern in the relationship between religious interests in these texts and the rational methods used to interpret them, providing guidance for a theologically sensitive use of the Bible today. An annotated index provides detailed information on some 250 biblical scholars and other interpreters.

Modern critical study of the Bible in the West has made a deep impact on the fabric on Christian belief. This book explains what interpretation is and what special issues arise in biblical interpretation. It analyses the development of literary and historical criticism and more recent social-scientific and literary approaches, by focusing on the key figures from Reimarus to Gerd Theissen, and exposes the underlying theological issues. There emerges a pattern in the relationship between religious interests in these texts and the rational methods used to interpret them, providing guidance for a theologically sensitive use of the Bible today. An annotated index provides detailed information on some 250 biblical scholars and other interpreters.

The blend of variety and unity apparent in the thought of the New Testament has been a subject for theological debate through the ages. Certain themes, teachings, and characterizations are clearly consistent, but others are perplexing in their diversity. This distinction was acknowledged by the New Testament writers themselves. For example, the author of 2 Peter looking back at the letters of `our beloved brother Paul' confesses that they contain `some things hard to understand'.John Reumann explores in detail the different aspects of variety and unity in the entire New Testament. He gives special attention to the sixteen books which fall outside the central Gospels and Pauline epistles and which offer the greatest challenge to the defence of unity. These include such important writings as Revelation, 1 Peter, Hebrews, and James. His discussion shows that, despite contemporary emphasis on the pluralism of the writings, there remains a central unifying focus: faith in Jesus as the Christ. Recent emphases on social setting, rhetoric, and narrative are shown to enrich traditional historical criticism and to open up the New Testament for readers today.

The blend of variety and unity apparent in the thought of the New Testament has been a subject for theological debate through the ages. Certain themse, teachings, and characterizations are clearly consistent, but others are perplexing in their diversity. This distinction was acknowledged by the New Testament writers themselves. For example, the author of 2 Peter looking back at the letters of "our beloved brother Paul", confesses that they contain "some things hard to understand". The author explores in detail the different aspects of variety and unity in the entire New Testament. He gives special attention to the sixteen books which fall outside the central gospels and Pauline epistles and which offer the greatest challenge to the defence of unity. These include such important writings as Revelation, 1 Peter, Hebrews, and James. He argues that, despite contemporary emphasis on the pluralism of the writings, there remains a central unifying focus: faith in Jesus as the Christ. Recent emphases on social setting, rhetoric, and narrative are shown to enrich traditional historical criticism and to open up the New Testament for readers today.

Including revisions and corrections to the text, this latest revised edition investigates the foundation of Christianity, and explores the development of the essential structure through which it has influenced subsequent religious and secular history.

Professor Sawyer first studies the phonemenon of prophecy in a wide context, the prophetic literature represented in the Bible, and the message of the prophets, and then he surveys all the prophets from Moses to Huldah, and the prophetic books from Isaiah to Malachi. He pays especial attention to legends about the propetis, both canonical and apocryphal, many of which have been considerably more influential in the history of western civilization than the prophets' original words. A final chapter in this revised edition continues the story of biblical prophecy into the early Church, and considers Jewish, Christian, and Muslim interpretation and the matter of fulfilment of prophecy. It also contains a new section on feminist interpretation. The revised bibliography supplements the brevity of discussion of so wide a range of topics in a small volume, and there is an index of passages discussed as well as a useful general index.Professor Sawyer has new things to say, as well as covering familiar ground authoritatively. Prophecy and the Prophets can be used as a basic text-book as well as a source of interest and suggestions for further research.

This revised edition of John Ziesler's broad yet detailed overview of St Paul's thought and distinctive kind of Christianity is intended for a general readership, and is therefore of wider value than individual and more technical commentaries. Dr Ziesler's starting point is St Paul's view of Jesus Christ as marking the end of an era and the beginning of a new world and a new humanity. The concentration is on theology, but matters of authorship and dating are discussed briefly where relevant. A number of key passages from the Pauline letters are given a more extended treatment.

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 new edition has been considerably expanded to take in work on the legal and didactic material published since the 1980s. It gives more attention to the different literary genres used by Israel's sages and to the social settings in which the material came into existence and circulated. References to relevant archaeological data have also been brought up to date. The main purpose of the book, however, remains the same: to trace the course of two related key streams of tradition, law and wisdom, throughout the history of Israel in the biblical period, and to demonstrate their essential lines of continuity with classical Jewish thought and early Christian theology.

A completely new, expanded edition of this classic college text book about two key kinds of writing in the Old Testament: wisdom and law. Completely revised and updated, the book also includes much more on literary interpretation.