This study examines the varieties and continuities of ethical exhortations and ideals in the Jewish and Christian traditions (c. 200 BCE-100 CE) that fall under the rubric of non-retaliation. One of the principal conclusions of this thought-provoking work is that a critical factor in determining the shape of non-retaliatory ethics is whether the exhortation is applied to relations within the local and/or elect community or to relations with oppressors of the elect community. It becomes apparent also that the non-retaliatory ethic of the NT stands solidly in the tradition of non-retaliatory...

First published in 1916, this volume remains an important contribution to studies on the Book of Job, and is an esteemed text by two of the finest biblical scholars of the beginning of the twentieth century.

G.A. Cooke's 1936 text offers an in-depth and useful discourse on the Book of Ezekiel, with a commentary that easily rivals modern-day studies. Abundant notes on the Hebrew assist readers not familiar with its complexities, and light is shed on some of the textual problems and challenges to be found in Ezekiel.

A comprehensive examination of the Chronicles by Curtis and Madsen, including critical discussions on historical and religious value, variations of the text and the genealogy and history of David, Solomon and Judah.

A key text in the study of the minor prophets, this volume by distinguished academic William Rainey Harper offers a comprehensive look at the pre-prophetic movement, and in-depth analysis of meaning and literary form in these prophetic works.

Covering the period from the Maccabean revolt to the destruction of Jerusalem under Titus, Fairweather's impressive work should be an important point of reference for those wanting to develop their knowledge on the evolution of Judaism as a spiritual movement.

Ancient Jewish and Christian writers frequently sought to persuade by claiming to understand the past through revelation. Hall shows how the long recitals of past events often found in apocalypses are not to be seen as mere preludes to predictions, but prove integral to the author's argument. This original study concludes that many ancient Jews and Christians found claims to inspiration an acceptable basis for re-telling past events and that early Christian prophets consciously shaped not only the sayings of Jesus but the narrative structure in which the sayings occur.

This is an innovative investigation of the puzzling animal imagery found in three 2nd-century BCE texts: the Animal Apocalypse (1 Enoch 85-90), the Testament of Naphtali and Daniel 7. It urges that a sense of cultural change is required to understand this well-known imagery, and argues in particular that the mentality underlying the kosher legislation played a significant, even if unconscious, role in the imagination of the various authors. A reading of the Animal Apocalypse is offered which argues that the author utilized the unclean precisely because they represent for him the forces of...

Important essays on Gnosis and Gnosticism. Contributors include Rudolph, Pagels, Grant, and Barrett.

The ancient world believed that the universe was made up of elements both material and spiritual. These elemental forces affected human life positively or negatively and any human being who could share their energy was a person of great significance - a human agent of cosmic power. This is a significant part of the background of the life and career of Jesus of Nazareth. The present work is a reappraisal of Synoptic accounts of Jesus and his followers in the light of recent developments in the study of ancient magic.