Bible & Other Sacred Texts

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A number of 'histories of Israel' have been written over the past few decades yet the basic methodological questions are not always addressed: how do we write such a history and how can we know anything about the history of Israel? In Ancient Israel Lester L. Grabbe sets out to summarize what we know through a survey of sources and how we know it by a discussion of methodology and by evaluating the evidence. Grabbe's aim is not to offer a history as such but rather to collect together and analyze the materials necessary for writing such a history. His approach therefore allows the reader the freedom, and equips them with the essential methodological tools, to use the valuable and wide-ranging evidence presented in this volume to draw their own conclusions. The most basic question about the history of ancient Israel, how do we know what we know, leads to the fundamental questions of the study: What are the sources for the history of Israel and how do we evaluate them? How...

2Rev Ed edition

Take the life-changing words of The Message wherever you go in this convenient pocket-sized edition.

The Book of Revelation presents the reader with a frightening narrative world in which the people of God are tormented, threatened, and sometimes killed by various agents of Satan. Scholars have traditionally thought that it was written in order to encourage believers to stand fast in the face of the Roman persecution of the early Church. More recently, however, it has been argued that no such crisis existed at the time the book was written. Here Paul Duff offers a different viewpoint on the origin of the Book of Revelation, resulting in a work which substantially advances the implication of the current consensus and sheds new light on this influential yet enigmatic text.

The world of apocalyptic literature can be both vast and confusing. To journey successfully through its complexities, it is best to have an experienced tour guide to direct you to the sites most representative of that world. In this way the new traveler can avoid dead ends, skip the fruitless excursions, and instead enjoy the ride. Reddish's introductions to the otherworldly writings of JudaismA—including the War Scroll from Qumran and books such as 1 Enoch from the so-called Old Testament PseudepigraphaA—as well as to the apocalyptic documents of Christianity, including the noncanonical apocalypses of Peter, Paul, and James, and related works such as the Sibylline Oracles, are simply superb. Those wanting a more informed understanding of these centuries-old writings of hope and despair will not be disappointed.

This book recounts the Roman and Jewish context of New Testament times...the lives of John and Jesus, and the history of the first two generations of the Church.

C.K. Barret's classic work presents 280 ancient writings that bring the spiritual world of first century vividly to life.

Expanded edition

This monograph presents a challenge to the view that the Hebrew Bible contains allusions to Yahweh's battle with chaos, showing how the term has been inappropriately applied in a range of contexts where far more diverse spheres of imagery should instead be recognised. Through the construction of a careful diachronic model (developed with particular reference to the Psalter), the author presents a persuasive case for reversing common assumptions about the development of Israelite religion, finding insteadthat the combat motif was absent in the earliest period, whilst the slaying of a dragon was attributed to Yahweh only in a distinctive monotheistic adaptation, which arose from around 587 B.C.

This volume is the first trilateral exploration of medieval scriptural interpretation. The vast literature written during the medieval period is one of both great diversity and numerous cross-cultural similarities. Here, McAuliffe explores this rich heritage of biblical and qur'anic interpretation.

Take an exciting journey back in time through the various places and events of the Bible! Here you will encounter colorful, user-friendly maps which show the political and religious development of the Holy Land, with helpful explanations of what was happeing and why. Recently revised to reflect The Great Adventure Bible Timeline system, this Catholic edition will be a powerful tool in discovering the riches of Bible history.