The Old Testament: An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible
Language: English
Pages: 528
ISBN: 0072990511
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Designed for students undertaking their first systematic study of the Hebrew Bible, this text has two goals: to acquaint readers with the content and major themes of the biblical documents, and to introduce them to issues in biblical scholarship. Pedagogically rich and reader-friendly, this text was designed for conventional introductory courses using historical-critical methodology, and will also be useful in courses studying the Bible as literature, or as a reference text in the study of ancient religion.
The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol. 5, pp. 461–466. New York: Doubleday, 1992. Examines Genesis 1–11, placing biblical narrative in the context of Near Eastern creation and flood myths. Levenson, Jon D. Creation and the Persistence of Evil: The Jewish Drama of Divine Omnipotence. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988. Niditch, Susan. A Prelude to Biblical Folklore: Underdogs and Tricksters. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2000. Analyzes the folkloristic elements in the Genesis tales of the
of Israel was repeatedly devastated by the military invasions of its stronger neighbors, events that loom large in the biblical narratives. The inset shows Israel as it appeared between about 921 and 721 bce, when it was divided into the southern kingdom of Judah and the northern kingdom of Israel. The northern state of Israel ceased to exist when the Assyrians destroyed it in 721 bce. The smaller state of Judah, with its capital at Jerusalem, however, was partly restored about fifty years after
sacrifice: invading Israelites are to kill “without mercy” every inhabitant of the land (Deut. 7:2–4); they “must not let anything that breathes remain alive” (Deut. 20:16– 18; cf. Josh. 10:30–40; 11:11–14). In the Deuteronomist authors’ view, Israel’s enemies are YHWH’s enemies and the Deity—a divine warrior—does not hesitate to employ genocide against them. The rationale given for Israel’s extermination of all Canaanites is that, if allowed to remain, their non-Yahwistic neighbors would tempt
to fascinate. (Students who wish to review a clear summary of the evidence for multiple sources in the Torah will find Richard E. Friedman’s thoughtful works, such as Who Wrote the Bible? and The Bible with Sources Revealed a great help.) 7/23/07 5:23:32 PM RECOMMENDED READING QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW 1. According to tradition, who was the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible)? What aspects of the biblical text have caused scholars to doubt Mosaic authorship? 2.
promise of the patriarchs’ descendants, which are to be as innumerable as the “stars of heaven” or the “sands of the sea.” Abraham will become the father of a “multitude of nations” (including Israel through Isaac and, according to another tradition, the Arab peoples through Ishmael), as well as a line of kings (the royal dynasty founded by David many centuries later). In Genesis, which is deeply concerned with issues of fertility and reproduction, the divine guarantee of progeny is countered by