Bøker i The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies-serien

The author discusses the theological, social, and ideational implications of our new understandings of ancient Israel's social and religious development.

In 1943, the famous Old Testament scholar, Martin Noth, published his monograph, _berlieferungsgeschichtliche Studien, in which he established the hypothesis of a Deuteronomistic History and gave his treatment of the Chronicler''s History. It quickly became one of the classics in the field and is probably Noth''s most enduring legacy. This book brings together essays from an international symposium of scholars celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Noth''s important volume and reviewing his other contributions to Old Testament study. Part I discusses Noth''s life and work (Christopher Begg), his view of the Deuteronomistic History (Antony Campbell) and the Chronicler''s History (Roddy Braun), his contributions to the history of Israel (Thomas Thompson), tradition criticism (Rolf Rendtorff), and Old Testament theology (Timo Veijola), as well as reflections on Noth''s impact on current and future study (David Noel Freedman, Walter Dietrich). Part II analyses the scholarship over the past fifty years on each book in the Deuteronomistic History: Deuteronomy (Thomas Romer), Joshua (Brian Peckham), Judges (Mark O''Brien), 1-2 Samuel (P. Kyle McCarter), and 1-2 Kings (Steven McKenzie).

The family tomb as a physical claim to the patrimony, the attributed powers of the dead and the prospect of post-mortem veneration made the cult of the dead an integral aspect of the Judahite and Israelite society. Over 850 burials from throughout the southern Levant are examined to illustrate the Judahite form of burial and its development. Vessels for foods and liquids were of paramount importance in the afterlife, followed by jewellery with its protective powers. The cult of the dead began to be an unacceptable feature of the Jerusalem Yahwistic cult in the late eighth to seventh century BCE. This change of attitude was precipitated by the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel and the consequent theological response.

This Symposium asks whether a 'history of Israel' can be written, and if it can, how? Can the Hebrew Bible be used as a source for such history? The question of writing the 'history of ancient Israel' has become fiercely debated in recent years. It is a debate that seems to generate more heat than light because of quite different concepts of historical methodology. The European Seminar on Methodology in Israel's History was founded specifically to address this problem. Members of the Seminar hold a variety of views but all agree that there is a problem to be tackled. The first meeting of the Seminar, held in Dublin in 1996, was devoted to some broad questions: (1) Can a 'history of ancient Israel' (or Palestine, Syria, the Levant, etc.) be written? (2) If so, how? What place does the Hebrew Bible have as a source in writing this history? This first volume contains the main papers that were prepared to set the stage for the discussion, along with an introduction to the Seminar, its aims and its membership. The editor also provides a concluding chapter summarizing and reflecting on the debate.

These studies seek to establish the principles of biblical law as represented in the Sinai traditions. Specific topics covered include adultery, family law, slavery, animals, wealth, respect for life and the general biblical moral tradition.

An examination of the eschatological and messianic elements in the first twelve chapters of "LXX Isaiah". It surveys the discussion of eschatology and messianism in "LXX Isaiah" and the outlines the issues involved. It also includes a study of the book's translation technique.

Created in honor of the work of Professor Tova Forti, this collection considers the natural world in key wisdom books - Proverbs, Job and Qoheleth/Ecclesiastes, Ben Sira and Song of Songs/Solomon - and also examines particular animal and plant imagery in other texts in the Hebrew Bible. It crucially involves ancient Near Eastern parallels and like texts from the classical world, but also draws on rabbinic tradition and broader interpretative works, as well as different textual traditions such as the LXX and Qumran scrolls.Whilst the natural world, notably plants and animals, is a key uniting element, the human aspect is also crucial. To explore this, contributors also treat the wider concerns within wisdom literature on human beings in relation to their social context, and in comparison with neighbouring nations. They emphasize that the human, animal and plant worlds act together in synthesis, all enhanced and imbued by the world-view of wisdom literature.

Explores the impact of Babylonian aggression upon the book of Jeremiah by calling attention to the presence of the empire and showing how the book of "Jeremiah" can be read as resistant responses to the inevitability of imperial power and the experience of exile.

An enquiry that addresses the manner in which "Zechariah" 1-8 invokes/re-activates/re-applies the words of the 'former prophets' that raises important issues related to prophecy and fulfilment, history and eschatology, and the development of 'apocalyptic'.

In the Book of Judges, why, if we view Samson as a heroic Übermensch, do we read his story one way, yet if we read him as a buffoonish and violent oaf, we read the story another way? How does our assessment of the characters of a story, our empathy with them or suspicion of them, shape the way we read it?This book addresses these questions by analyzing the complex characterization in the Book of Judges, paying attention to an often neglected but important area of study in the Hebrew Bible. Its international group of contributors explore the implications of characterization on storytelling, situating their contributions within the context of literary studies of the Hebrew Bible, and offering multiple perspectives on the many and various characters one encounters in the Book of Judges.Chapters examine a range of topics, including the relationship between humour, characterisation and theology in Judges; the intersection of characterization and ethics through the story of the story of Jephthah's daughter; why the 'trickster hero' Ehud disturbs interpreters; and the ways in which Abimelech's characterization affects the key narrative themes of succession and kingship in his story.