This original study offers, for the first time, an analysis of the characterization of Esther as she is portrayed in each of the three primary versions of the book of Esther-the Masoretic text, the Septuagint text, and the Greek a text. This study of characterization has implications beyond itself. It permits a reasssessment of relations between the book of Esther and other literature of the time, it sheds light on the place of origin of the ancient versions of Esther, and it raises serious feminist and canon-critical questions about the role of the book.

Hosea and the Hosean tradition play an important role in the internal Israelite dispute about the nature of God and his relation to the world and Israel. Hosea refers to traditions of the past in which the interdependence between Yahweh and Israel, and in particular Yahweh's care for his people, are recurrent themes. The prophet can presuppose that certain portions of these traditions, both "historical" and "theological," are known to his audience, but it is his claim that what is not known to Israel is the demand that is inherent in Yahweh's past dealings with his people, the demand for...

Using features of the narrative-critical method, this book offers an innovative approach to a notable phenomenon in the book of Acts: the conversion of entire households to the Christian faith. When viewed against the household mission of the seventy(-two) messengers in Luke, the stories of Cornelius, Lydia, the Roman jailer and Crispus comprise a pattern of evangelistic activity that provides a common framework for their interpretation. Repetition and variation of the pattern offer important clues for the way each story functions within the wider context of Acts, opening up new lines of...

This work highlights the growing dissatisfaction with the Succession Narrative hypothesis. Keys argues rather that 2 Samuel 10-20 is a self-contained document in its own right, a theological biography examining the nature of punishment for sin in the life of David. The nexus of sin and punishment is the motivating force behind the document. Of particular interest to many will be the opening chapter, which charts in detail the development of the Succession Narrative hypothesis from Rost until the present day. Also notable is the author's accounting for the absence of much of the David...

The biblical jubilee represents one of the most radical programmes for land reform from the ancient Near East, yet it was never practised in ancient Israel. What then is the meaning of this sacred law that was never enforced? This cogently argued book attempts to answer that question by using the tools of sociological analysis. Fager examines three levels of meaning within the jubilee legislation, which was produced by the priestly intellectuals during the period of exile. The actual words of the text carry one meaning and the priests intended a slightly different meaning, but underlying...

A study of the growth of Joshua and Judges illustrates how the theme of divine anger has been used differently, according to different historical and social settings. In the deuteronomistic texts the main reason for God's anger is idolatry, which symbolizes a totally negative attitude to everything that God has done or given to the Israelites. This theology of anger is deeply bound to experiences of national catastrophes or threats of crises, and reflects the theological enigma of the exile. A century later, post-deuteronomistic theology gives a wholly different view: the anger of God...

This magnificent collection of articles on OT literature, history, religion and culture comprises the following studies: A.L. Merrill and J.R. Spencer, 'The Uppsala School' of Biblical Studies. W. Boyd Barrick, G.W. Ahlstrom in Profile. B. Glazier-McDonald, G.W. Ahlstrom: A Bibliography. W. Boyd Barrick and J.R. Spencer, Parentheses in a Snowstorm: G.W. Ahlstrom and the Study of Ancient Palestine. P.A.H. de Boer, Psalm 81.6a: Observations on Translation and Meaning of One Hebrew Line. N.C. Habel, The Role of Elihu in the Design of the Book of Job. C.E. L'Heureux, The Redactional History of...

Ash re-examines the question of the relationship between Egypt and Palestine during the time of David and Solomon. By analysing all the available evidence-epigraphical sources from Egypt, archaeological data from Palestine and the pertinent biblical texts-he concludes that relations and contacts between Egypt and the peoples inhabiting ancient Palestine at the time of David and Solomon were minimal. Any reconstructions of the history of relations and contacts between Egypt and Palestine, including ancient Israel, must take this study into consideration.

Building on the biblical narrative and on social world analysis, Leeb argues that the terms NA'AR and NA'ARAH refer to persons displaced from the father's house (BET 'AB), usually as a result of debt slavery. Hence, rather than working his father's land, and becoming in turn the head of his own household, the NA'AR, as a domestic or military servant, helps build the household of another. Less frequently, the weakness or absence of the father leads to the same, or a similar, predicament. Any woman venturing from her own household is also likely to acquire the status of a NA'ARAH. This is a...

Recent discussion of biblical law sees it either as a response to socio-economic factors or as an intellectual tradition. In either case it is viewed as the product of elites that form an international community drawing on a common culture. This book takes that fundamental discussion a step further by proposing that 'law' is an inappropriate term for the biblical codes, and that they represent, rather, the 'moral advice' of scribes working independently of the legal framework and appealing to Yahweh as authority. Only by prolonged exegesis and through the transformation of Judaean religion...