Kategoria BISAC: Religion >> Biblical Criticism & Interpretation - Old Testament

This book addresses the literary, historical and methodological issues which have been raised by the appearance of psalms in narrative contexts of the Hebrew Bible. The narrative role of each psalm is explored to determine the reasons for its present position. The study of each psalm's narrative role leads to a re-evaluation of the evidence for its secondary status in the prose context. The results of each separate analysis are compared to see what larger literary, historical and methodological patterns emerge.

This synthetic study has two primary tasks. The first is to elucidate the structure of the book of Zechariah. But in order to do this, a satisfactory method of analysis must be found. Thus the author begins by drawing up suitable literary criteria that will help to frame a reliable way of proceeding. The method is then tested on the book of Zechariah, and the results are compared with those of other biblical scholarship. Although this is a study in 'rhetorical criticism', it approaches the text from the standpoint of the authors' and redactors' intentions. The result is a convincing and...

The surge of the Pentecostal movement in this century has brought new relevance to the study of the Spirit of God in the Old Testament. Surprisingly, however, this theme has been largely neglected by Pentecostal scholars. Ma seeks to fill this gap by providing an in-depth study of the spirit of God in the Isaianic traditions. He argues that the Old Testament concept of the Spirit of God has more than one root, and that the development of the various spirit traditions can be fruitfully traced. The study utilizes a synchronic approach together with historical analyses in order to elucidate...

The author examines a number of the published Old Aramaic inscriptions, and compares them with the Aramaic of Daniel according to a broad-based set of criteria; detailed literary, grammatical and lexicographical comparisons build a cumulative case for questioning both the unified character of Old Aramaic and the supposedly late character of numerous features in Old Aramaic. The author thus contributes to the discussion of whether Old Aramaic texts can be used for understanding the Aramaic of Daniel, on the one hand, while contributing to an evaluation of the debate concerning the origin of...

A Biblical Itinerary is dedicated to George Coats, former Professor of Old Testament at Lexington Theological Seminary, Kentucky and author of Rebellion in the Wilderness, From Canaan to Egypt, and Moses: Heroic Man, Man of God, and other books. The essays collected here, reflecting many of George Coats's interests, include 'Structure and Meaning in the Sinai-Horeb Narrative' (Joseph Blenkinsopp), 'Biblical and Early Islamic Moses' (Malcolm Clark), 'What Does the Bible Say? A Question of Text and Canon' (David Gunn), 'On the Task of Old Testament Theology' (Rolf Knierim); 'Scripture and...

This book examines the coherence of the book of Micah by means of analysis of the text's literary structure and conceptuality. A two-part structure is proposed, divided between chs. 1-5 and 6-7, each part characterized by a dispute over the fate of Israel. The interrelationship of the parts, including prophecies of judgment and announcements of promise suggests that the basis of the book's coherence is that Yahweh's justice in judgment and mercy, preserving and forgiving the remnant, are the significant factors in determining Israel's fate.

Daniel 2-7 are noteworthy chapters in the Bible, partly because they are in Aramaic rather than Hebrew and partly because the early Greek translation of those chapters, known to us as the Septuagint, is quite different from the Aramaic text that we have. This book highlights and analyzes the differences by exploring the effectiveness of each version as a piece of narrative. A new appreciation of the craft of the Aramaic narrative is one result. Another is an enhanced understanding of how biblical narrative handles symbolism. Through this study the reader also gains insight into differing...

Old Testament prophecy and wisdom are two of the main themes with which Norman Whybray, formerly of the University of Hull, has concerned himself in his highly productive and innovative scholarly career. In honour of his seventieth birthday, a distinguished international group of scholars have expressed their personal and professional admiration for him with essays that Are particularly rich And significant. The roll-call of contributors reads: Brenner, Brueggemann, Cazelles, Clements, Clines, Coggins, Crenshaw, Eaton, Gelston, Gordon, Goulder, Grabbe, Jeppersen, Knibb, Mayes, Mettinger,...

The books of the Latter Prophets have traditionally been treated as persuasive speeches, and interpreted according to their rhetoric. At the same time, interpreters recognize the poetic form of much prophecy. This study takes up the notion of the 'prophet' as 'poet', focusing on word-play in Hosea and on the lyrical plot of that book; the case is made for treating Hosea as a stark, full-length poem of inexhaustible power.

How can humans ever attain the knowledge required to administer and implement divine law and render perfect justice in this world? Contrary to the belief that religious law is infallible, Chaya T. Halberstam shows that early rabbinic jurisprudence is characterized by fundamental uncertainty. She argues that while the Hebrew Bible created a sense of confidence and transparency before the law, the rabbis complicated the paths to knowledge and undermined the stability of personal status and ownership, and notions of guilt or innocence. Examining the facts of legal judgments through midrashic...

The truth in God's word illuminates the sinful state of our fallen world. And throughout history that insight has moved believers from conviction to action, to share His truth with a world in need, to burden us with a deep concern for people. But how can we translate that concern into effective ministry? The prophets Amos, Obadiah, Micah, and Zephaniah were each called to deal courageously and honestly with the sin around them. This study explores how their concern for people shaped their life-changing messages of repentance and redemption.

Part of Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe's best-selling...