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Empire and Apocalypse: Postcolonialism and the New Testament
Published: Oct 2006
£18.50 – £37.00
In Empire and Apocalypse Stephen Moore offers us the most complete introduction yet to the emergent field of postcolonial biblical criticism. It includes an indispensable in-depth introduction to postcolonial theory and criticism together with a detailed survey of postcolonial biblical criticism.
Next come three substantial exegetical chapters on the Gospels of Mark and John and the Book of Revelation, which together demonstrate how postcolonial studies provide fresh conceptual resources and critical strategies for rethinking early Christianity's complex relations to the Roman Empire. Each of these three texts, to different degrees, Moore argues, mimic and replicate fundamental facets of Roman imperial ideology even while resisting and eroding it.
The book concludes with an amply annotated bibliography whose main section provides a comprehensive listing of work done to date in postcolonial biblical criticism.
Empire and Apocalypse: Postcolonialism and the New Testament
£18.50 – £37.00
In Empire and Apocalypse Stephen Moore offers us the most complete introduction yet to the emergent field of postcolonial biblical criticism. It includes an indispensable in-depth introduction to postcolonial theory and criticism together with a detailed survey of postcolonial biblical criticism.
Next come three substantial exegetical chapters on the Gospels of Mark and John and the Book of Revelation, which together demonstrate how postcolonial studies provide fresh conceptual resources and critical strategies for rethinking early Christianity's complex relations to the Roman Empire. Each of these three texts, to different degrees, Moore argues, mimic and replicate fundamental facets of Roman imperial ideology even while resisting and eroding it.
The book concludes with an amply annotated bibliography whose main section provides a comprehensive listing of work done to date in postcolonial biblical criticism.
Voyages in Uncharted Waters: Essays on the Theory and Practice of Biblical Interpretation in Honor of David Jobling
Published: Oct 2006
£50.00
This volume honours the work of David Jobling, the distinguished Professor of Old Testament Language and Literature at St Andrew's College, Saskatoon, Canada. Jobling has been noted for his adventurous forays into the theory and practice of biblical interpretation, especially of the Hebrew Bible, and for his interdisciplinary bridge-building. The volume is divided into three sections corresponding to three of Jobling's principal interests, each section being prefaced with an introduction to his work in that area by the editors.
Section 1 is on Post-Structuralism, with contributions by Gary Phillips, George Aichele, Francis Landy, Robert Culley and Matthew Mitchell. In Section 2, on Ideological Criticism, the authors are Roland Boer, David Gunn, Volker Greifenhagen and Tina Pippin. Section 3, on Global Readings, contains papers by Gerald West, Jione Havea, Ed Conrad and Norman Habel.
The Festschrift concludes with personal tributes by Christopher Lind and Norman Gottwald.
Voyages in Uncharted Waters: Essays on the Theory and Practice of Biblical Interpretation in Honor of David Jobling
£50.00
This volume honours the work of David Jobling, the distinguished Professor of Old Testament Language and Literature at St Andrew's College, Saskatoon, Canada. Jobling has been noted for his adventurous forays into the theory and practice of biblical interpretation, especially of the Hebrew Bible, and for his interdisciplinary bridge-building. The volume is divided into three sections corresponding to three of Jobling's principal interests, each section being prefaced with an introduction to his work in that area by the editors.
Section 1 is on Post-Structuralism, with contributions by Gary Phillips, George Aichele, Francis Landy, Robert Culley and Matthew Mitchell. In Section 2, on Ideological Criticism, the authors are Roland Boer, David Gunn, Volker Greifenhagen and Tina Pippin. Section 3, on Global Readings, contains papers by Gerald West, Jione Havea, Ed Conrad and Norman Habel.
The Festschrift concludes with personal tributes by Christopher Lind and Norman Gottwald.
Wrestling with Textual Violence: The Jephthah Narrative in Antiquity and Modernity
Published: Oct 2006
£50.00
A story of a judge who sacrifices his virgin daughter is of course an issue both in ethics and in gender studies. Such is the biblical narrative of Jephthah. Sjöberg undertakes a comparative analysis of six different versions of the Jephthah narrative: the biblical tale in the book of Judges, the Jewish telling in Pseudo-Philo's Liber antiquitatum biblicarum (first century CE), Josephus's report in his Jewish Antiquities (also first century CE), Handel's oratorio Jephtha (1751), the British author E.L. Grant Watson's novel A Mighty Man of Valour (1939), set in Australia, and the short story by the Israeli novelist Amos Oz, 'Upon This Evil Earth' (1981).
Five main interpretative strategies are uncovered in this remarkable analysis: condemnation, identification, glorification, alienation and censure. Each strategy affects in different ways the reader's assessment of power relations in the story and the reader's own willingness to change.
In a final move, Sjöberg embarks on a critical discussion of the programmes of Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza and Daniel Patte for an ethics of biblical interpretation. Sjšberg advocates an interpretative pluralism, arguing that biblical studies should stand in the service of the general public.
Wrestling with Textual Violence: The Jephthah Narrative in Antiquity and Modernity
£50.00
A story of a judge who sacrifices his virgin daughter is of course an issue both in ethics and in gender studies. Such is the biblical narrative of Jephthah. Sjöberg undertakes a comparative analysis of six different versions of the Jephthah narrative: the biblical tale in the book of Judges, the Jewish telling in Pseudo-Philo's Liber antiquitatum biblicarum (first century CE), Josephus's report in his Jewish Antiquities (also first century CE), Handel's oratorio Jephtha (1751), the British author E.L. Grant Watson's novel A Mighty Man of Valour (1939), set in Australia, and the short story by the Israeli novelist Amos Oz, 'Upon This Evil Earth' (1981).
Five main interpretative strategies are uncovered in this remarkable analysis: condemnation, identification, glorification, alienation and censure. Each strategy affects in different ways the reader's assessment of power relations in the story and the reader's own willingness to change.
In a final move, Sjöberg embarks on a critical discussion of the programmes of Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza and Daniel Patte for an ethics of biblical interpretation. Sjšberg advocates an interpretative pluralism, arguing that biblical studies should stand in the service of the general public.
Timothy’s Task, Paul’s Prospect: A New Reading of 2 Timothy
Published: Sep 2006
£55.00
In this challenging book, Craig Smith propounds the novel thesis that the famous lines in 2 Timothy 4 where 'Paul' announces that the time of his departure has come have been misunderstood. This is no farewell speech, Smith avers, and Paul is not intending to pass on the baton to his younger colleague, Timothy.
Deploying epistolary analysis and rhetorical criticism, Smith shows that these verses (4:1-8) do not have the literary structure or the vocabulary of a testament or a farewell; rather, they are a 'charge', an authoritative command, comprised of five specific formal elements. This charge form is found also in the exorcism command and in some magical texts, Christian and non-Christian.
From this perspective, Paul's being poured out as a libation is his experience of preaching to the Gentiles at his first trial, his 'departure' is the imminent release from prison that he is expecting, the fight he has fought and the race he has finished are his trial that he has withstood. Far from appointing Timothy as his successor, he is contemplating a continued companionship and collegiality as they continue their ministry together.
Timothy’s Task, Paul’s Prospect: A New Reading of 2 Timothy
£55.00
In this challenging book, Craig Smith propounds the novel thesis that the famous lines in 2 Timothy 4 where 'Paul' announces that the time of his departure has come have been misunderstood. This is no farewell speech, Smith avers, and Paul is not intending to pass on the baton to his younger colleague, Timothy.
Deploying epistolary analysis and rhetorical criticism, Smith shows that these verses (4:1-8) do not have the literary structure or the vocabulary of a testament or a farewell; rather, they are a 'charge', an authoritative command, comprised of five specific formal elements. This charge form is found also in the exorcism command and in some magical texts, Christian and non-Christian.
From this perspective, Paul's being poured out as a libation is his experience of preaching to the Gentiles at his first trial, his 'departure' is the imminent release from prison that he is expecting, the fight he has fought and the race he has finished are his trial that he has withstood. Far from appointing Timothy as his successor, he is contemplating a continued companionship and collegiality as they continue their ministry together.
Jesus as Prophet in the Fourth Gospel
Published: Sep 2006
£60.00
All the Gospels recognize Jesus as a prophet, but it is above all in the Gospel of John that this dimension of his work is stressed. Cho explores the many elements in the Gospel that add up to what can rightly be called a prophetic Christology. He shows that many of Jesus' words and some of his deeds are prophetic in character, and that Jesus is not just a prophet like the Old Testament prophets before him but the prophet like Moses expected for the times of the End.
Identifying Jesus as a prophet, Cho goes on to argue, is important within the narrative of the Gospel of John: it is a way-station on a journey of discovery towards a more profound appreciation of Jesus' identity. Recognizing Jesus as prophet is for John an initial step in coming to faith, and, in the overall Christology of the Gospel of John a significant element in attaining a balance between a high and a low Christology.
The construction of Jesus as prophet, though well evidenced in the Gospel, has received remarkably little attention in recent scholarly study, and Cho's work is a much-needed full-scale study of the theme.
Jesus as Prophet in the Fourth Gospel
£60.00
All the Gospels recognize Jesus as a prophet, but it is above all in the Gospel of John that this dimension of his work is stressed. Cho explores the many elements in the Gospel that add up to what can rightly be called a prophetic Christology. He shows that many of Jesus' words and some of his deeds are prophetic in character, and that Jesus is not just a prophet like the Old Testament prophets before him but the prophet like Moses expected for the times of the End.
Identifying Jesus as a prophet, Cho goes on to argue, is important within the narrative of the Gospel of John: it is a way-station on a journey of discovery towards a more profound appreciation of Jesus' identity. Recognizing Jesus as prophet is for John an initial step in coming to faith, and, in the overall Christology of the Gospel of John a significant element in attaining a balance between a high and a low Christology.
The construction of Jesus as prophet, though well evidenced in the Gospel, has received remarkably little attention in recent scholarly study, and Cho's work is a much-needed full-scale study of the theme.
Creation and Creativity: From Genesis to Genetics and Back
Published: Aug 2006
£18.50 – £40.00
The idea of creation and creativity is among the most powerful and pervasive of metaphors bequeathed to the modern world by the scriptures of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Twelve specialists here explore the original sources and contemporary manifestations of the theme in both high and low culture, from the Book of Genesis to James Joyce's Ulysses, Children of Gebalawi by the Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz, and the Polish poetry of Wislawa Szymborska, and to popular films, such as Bruce Almighty and Animatrix, and animation films for children.
Even current debates on genetics and ecology and the public exhibition of plastinated human bodies invoke these same themes, and make this volume a topical contribution to cultural studies today.
This is the first volume of the Amsterdam Studies in the Bible and Religion (ed. Athalya Brenner), a sub-series of The Bible in the Modern World .
Creation and Creativity: From Genesis to Genetics and Back
£18.50 – £40.00
The idea of creation and creativity is among the most powerful and pervasive of metaphors bequeathed to the modern world by the scriptures of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Twelve specialists here explore the original sources and contemporary manifestations of the theme in both high and low culture, from the Book of Genesis to James Joyce's Ulysses, Children of Gebalawi by the Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz, and the Polish poetry of Wislawa Szymborska, and to popular films, such as Bruce Almighty and Animatrix, and animation films for children.
Even current debates on genetics and ecology and the public exhibition of plastinated human bodies invoke these same themes, and make this volume a topical contribution to cultural studies today.
This is the first volume of the Amsterdam Studies in the Bible and Religion (ed. Athalya Brenner), a sub-series of The Bible in the Modern World .
James Rendel Harris: New Testament Autographs and Other Essays
Published: Aug 2006
£60.00
James Rendel Harris (1852 —1941) was one of the most prolific and influential New Testament scholars of his time. He opened new paths in textual criticism, brought to light hitherto lost early Christian writings and gathered major collections of Syriac manuscripts and Greek papyri.
An introductory essay sketches Rendel Harris's life and works, while the rest of the book collects published essays and unpublished lectures and letters written by Rendel Harris over a span of 50 years, providing an essential picture of his scholarship. The papers include a lively and first-hand account of the controversies over the Hort —Westcott Greek New Testament; the suggestion of using mathematical devices for reconstructing New Testament autographs; the finding of the only known Diatessaronic reading in a Greek New Testament; the account of Rendel Harris's initial 'discovery' of testimonia collections and his two last daring essays on the topic; one of the first proposals of a wisdom hymn lying behind John's prologue (including the author's unpublished notes for a future edition); and, finally, an entertaining guide for the manuscript hunter.
The personal correspondence at the end of the volume throws light on the driving forces of Rendel Harris's scholarship and on his own assessment of his work on the testimonia. The goal of his studies was to draw attention to new or little-explored topics and to provoke his colleagues to carry out fresh research on what they had overlooked. This collection aims at the same goal.
James Rendel Harris: New Testament Autographs and Other Essays
£60.00
James Rendel Harris (1852 —1941) was one of the most prolific and influential New Testament scholars of his time. He opened new paths in textual criticism, brought to light hitherto lost early Christian writings and gathered major collections of Syriac manuscripts and Greek papyri.
An introductory essay sketches Rendel Harris's life and works, while the rest of the book collects published essays and unpublished lectures and letters written by Rendel Harris over a span of 50 years, providing an essential picture of his scholarship. The papers include a lively and first-hand account of the controversies over the Hort —Westcott Greek New Testament; the suggestion of using mathematical devices for reconstructing New Testament autographs; the finding of the only known Diatessaronic reading in a Greek New Testament; the account of Rendel Harris's initial 'discovery' of testimonia collections and his two last daring essays on the topic; one of the first proposals of a wisdom hymn lying behind John's prologue (including the author's unpublished notes for a future edition); and, finally, an entertaining guide for the manuscript hunter.
The personal correspondence at the end of the volume throws light on the driving forces of Rendel Harris's scholarship and on his own assessment of his work on the testimonia. The goal of his studies was to draw attention to new or little-explored topics and to provoke his colleagues to carry out fresh research on what they had overlooked. This collection aims at the same goal.
The Coming King and the Rejected Shepherd: Matthew’s Reading of Zechariah’s Messianic Hope
Published: Jun 2006
£15.95 – £60.00
Surprisingly, this is the first full-length study devoted to Matthew's use of Zechariah by way of quotation and allusion. Three times he cites Zechariah (21.5; 26.31; 27.9-10), and on at least eight occasions he alludes to the prophet (23.35; 24.30, 31, 36; 25.31; 26.15, 28, 56).
It is the messianic vision of Zechariah that has appealed to Matthew, with its elements of the restoration of the humble Davidic king, the smiting of the divinely appointed shepherd, the creation of a renewed remnant, and the worship of Yahweh by all nations.
Among the questions Ham undertakes to resolve in this precise and clearly presented monograph are: how much Matthew's reading of Zechariah owes to his Jewish predecessors, how much he is in harmony with other early Christian readers of the prophet, and to what extent his image of Jesus has been shaped by Zechariah's eschatological hopes.
The Coming King and the Rejected Shepherd: Matthew’s Reading of Zechariah’s Messianic Hope
£15.95 – £60.00
Surprisingly, this is the first full-length study devoted to Matthew's use of Zechariah by way of quotation and allusion. Three times he cites Zechariah (21.5; 26.31; 27.9-10), and on at least eight occasions he alludes to the prophet (23.35; 24.30, 31, 36; 25.31; 26.15, 28, 56).
It is the messianic vision of Zechariah that has appealed to Matthew, with its elements of the restoration of the humble Davidic king, the smiting of the divinely appointed shepherd, the creation of a renewed remnant, and the worship of Yahweh by all nations.
Among the questions Ham undertakes to resolve in this precise and clearly presented monograph are: how much Matthew's reading of Zechariah owes to his Jewish predecessors, how much he is in harmony with other early Christian readers of the prophet, and to what extent his image of Jesus has been shaped by Zechariah's eschatological hopes.
Studies in Paul, Exegetical and Theological
Published: Jun 2006
£15.95 – £65.00
Masterly, balanced, concise, jargon-free essays on topics central to the theology of Paul, remaining closely in touch with the biblical text itself while always alert to the range of scholarly opinion and debate. These eleven articles from a recognized leader among New Testament scholars are an attractive entry-point for students into key aspects of Paul's thought, and are, equally, well worth revisiting by experienced scholars.
Two essays concern Paul's personal life, one of them on the impact of his conversion on his understanding of Jesus, the other on his experience of prayer. In the context of Galatians, Longenecker explores the idea of the 'pedagogue', and in the context of Romans the questions of its addressees and its purpose. Other themes are Paul's vision of community formation, his concept of mutuality, and the variability of his responses to opponents. In the last three essays, the focus is on Paul's theology of the resurrection —its basis, its background in Jewish thinking, and whether his thought on the subject underwent development.
Studies in Paul, Exegetical and Theological
£15.95 – £65.00
Masterly, balanced, concise, jargon-free essays on topics central to the theology of Paul, remaining closely in touch with the biblical text itself while always alert to the range of scholarly opinion and debate. These eleven articles from a recognized leader among New Testament scholars are an attractive entry-point for students into key aspects of Paul's thought, and are, equally, well worth revisiting by experienced scholars.
Two essays concern Paul's personal life, one of them on the impact of his conversion on his understanding of Jesus, the other on his experience of prayer. In the context of Galatians, Longenecker explores the idea of the 'pedagogue', and in the context of Romans the questions of its addressees and its purpose. Other themes are Paul's vision of community formation, his concept of mutuality, and the variability of his responses to opponents. In the last three essays, the focus is on Paul's theology of the resurrection —its basis, its background in Jewish thinking, and whether his thought on the subject underwent development.
Studies in Hermeneutics, Christology and Discipleship
Published: Jun 2006
£65.00
These eleven lucid, fresh, and thought-provoking essays from a master-craftsman among New Testament scholars reflect his conviction that these three topics —hermeneutics, Christology and discipleship —must always be considered together.
In the first set of essays, Longenecker sets out his distinctive take on the nature of an evangelical hermeneutics.
In the second set, he focusses on what he calls the 'foundational conviction of New Testament Christology', the obedience / faithfulness / sonship of Christ, and brings back into discussion often forgotten dimensions of Christology. Here he explores a range of christological materials and motifs within the early Christian communities, with special studies on the concept of the virgin birth and on the curious case of the Melchizedek Christology in Hebrews.
The third set, both practical and exegetical, are, as he says, 'where the rubber meets the road', and concern the implications of the 'Son of Man' imagery for discipleship and the theme of discipleship in Luke —Acts.
Studies in Hermeneutics, Christology and Discipleship
£65.00
These eleven lucid, fresh, and thought-provoking essays from a master-craftsman among New Testament scholars reflect his conviction that these three topics —hermeneutics, Christology and discipleship —must always be considered together.
In the first set of essays, Longenecker sets out his distinctive take on the nature of an evangelical hermeneutics.
In the second set, he focusses on what he calls the 'foundational conviction of New Testament Christology', the obedience / faithfulness / sonship of Christ, and brings back into discussion often forgotten dimensions of Christology. Here he explores a range of christological materials and motifs within the early Christian communities, with special studies on the concept of the virgin birth and on the curious case of the Melchizedek Christology in Hebrews.
The third set, both practical and exegetical, are, as he says, 'where the rubber meets the road', and concern the implications of the 'Son of Man' imagery for discipleship and the theme of discipleship in Luke —Acts.
Leadership Succession in the World of the Pauline Circle
Published: Jun 2006
£50.00
Since New Testament times, the discussion of leadership succession in the church has always been polemical. But what the New Testament, especially in the Pastoral Epistles, means in speaking of succession deserves a more sober investigation in the light of the literary tradition about succession in the ancient Mediterranean world.
How is succession actually depicted in Graeco-Roman texts and in Jewish and early Christian texts of that world? This book undertakes, for the first time, a thoroughgoing analysis of the evidence, deftly laying out the data from a wide range of Greek and Roman writers. The question then becomes how the early readers of the New Testament, conditioned by prior knowledge of such epistolary and other literary conventions, would have interpreted Paul's relationship with his delegates like Timothy and Titus, and how they would have conceived the ministry portrayed in the Pastorals as passing from a leader to a successor.
Stepp's study has important implications both for our understanding of the ancient Mediterranean world and for our conceptions of ordination and ministry in the New Testament.
Leadership Succession in the World of the Pauline Circle
£50.00
Since New Testament times, the discussion of leadership succession in the church has always been polemical. But what the New Testament, especially in the Pastoral Epistles, means in speaking of succession deserves a more sober investigation in the light of the literary tradition about succession in the ancient Mediterranean world.
How is succession actually depicted in Graeco-Roman texts and in Jewish and early Christian texts of that world? This book undertakes, for the first time, a thoroughgoing analysis of the evidence, deftly laying out the data from a wide range of Greek and Roman writers. The question then becomes how the early readers of the New Testament, conditioned by prior knowledge of such epistolary and other literary conventions, would have interpreted Paul's relationship with his delegates like Timothy and Titus, and how they would have conceived the ministry portrayed in the Pastorals as passing from a leader to a successor.
Stepp's study has important implications both for our understanding of the ancient Mediterranean world and for our conceptions of ordination and ministry in the New Testament.
Decolonizing Josiah: Toward a Postcolonial Reading of the Deuteronomistic History
Published: Jun 2006
£18.95 – £50.00
In the prevailing view, the Deuteronomistic History is the first and archetypical Western history, describing the creation of an Israelite state in Palestine as the origin of civilization in the region, a hegemonic culture rendering the other inhabitants of the country homeless in their own land. That view of Davidic domination over greater Palestine, fashioned under Josiah, has been given a modern nationalist reading by contemporary scholars, a reading consistent with the vast array of covert cultural confirmations of Euro-American imperial power.
How is it possible, Kim asks, given the all-encompassing sway of the colonialist reading of the Bible, to understand Josiah in other than colonialist terms? His answer: the historical imagination, making unfettered use of the tools of the critical historian, must be informed by the experience of those who have lived as the other, as the colonized, as not at home in their own land —which means, for Kim, the experience of being Asian American. The intellectual use of this experience creates his distinctive postcolonial perspective, as he draws attention to the connection between Western imperialism and the production of Western knowledge. Specifically, the author reads the story of Josiah intercontextually with the experience of Asian Americans from the space of liminality.
This is a passionate postcolonial reading of Josiah that, on one hand, critiques the failure of biblical studies to come to terms with its colonialist legacy and, on the other hand, connects the world of biblical studies to the world at large.
Decolonizing Josiah: Toward a Postcolonial Reading of the Deuteronomistic History
£18.95 – £50.00
In the prevailing view, the Deuteronomistic History is the first and archetypical Western history, describing the creation of an Israelite state in Palestine as the origin of civilization in the region, a hegemonic culture rendering the other inhabitants of the country homeless in their own land. That view of Davidic domination over greater Palestine, fashioned under Josiah, has been given a modern nationalist reading by contemporary scholars, a reading consistent with the vast array of covert cultural confirmations of Euro-American imperial power.
How is it possible, Kim asks, given the all-encompassing sway of the colonialist reading of the Bible, to understand Josiah in other than colonialist terms? His answer: the historical imagination, making unfettered use of the tools of the critical historian, must be informed by the experience of those who have lived as the other, as the colonized, as not at home in their own land —which means, for Kim, the experience of being Asian American. The intellectual use of this experience creates his distinctive postcolonial perspective, as he draws attention to the connection between Western imperialism and the production of Western knowledge. Specifically, the author reads the story of Josiah intercontextually with the experience of Asian Americans from the space of liminality.
This is a passionate postcolonial reading of Josiah that, on one hand, critiques the failure of biblical studies to come to terms with its colonialist legacy and, on the other hand, connects the world of biblical studies to the world at large.
I Have Written to the King, My Lord’: Secular Analogies for the Psalms
Published: Jun 2006
£12.95 – £35.00
The psalms in the Hebrew Bible have often been compared with the religious texts of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Canaan. Roger Tomes shows, in this incisive monograph, how the letters of the ancient Near East, from Mari, Amarna, Ugarit, Nimrud and Nineveh, are an equally rewarding analogue.
In them we find suppliants, caught in crisis situations, appealing to their rulers; they use the same arguments to persuade them to act as the psalmists in their appeals to God: protestations of innocence, confession of faults, promises of loyalty, descriptions of plight, appeal to the other's own interests, direct reproaches and quotation of the reproaches of enemies, and expressions of dependence. These are parallels that have much to teach us about the social position of the psalmists and their relationship to the cult.
I Have Written to the King, My Lord’: Secular Analogies for the Psalms
£12.95 – £35.00
The psalms in the Hebrew Bible have often been compared with the religious texts of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Canaan. Roger Tomes shows, in this incisive monograph, how the letters of the ancient Near East, from Mari, Amarna, Ugarit, Nimrud and Nineveh, are an equally rewarding analogue.
In them we find suppliants, caught in crisis situations, appealing to their rulers; they use the same arguments to persuade them to act as the psalmists in their appeals to God: protestations of innocence, confession of faults, promises of loyalty, descriptions of plight, appeal to the other's own interests, direct reproaches and quotation of the reproaches of enemies, and expressions of dependence. These are parallels that have much to teach us about the social position of the psalmists and their relationship to the cult.
Reframing Her: Biblical Women in Postcolonial Focus
Published: Jun 2006
£15.95 – £35.00
How does one read the story of Sarah and Hagar, or Jezebel and Rahab today, if one is a woman reader situated in a postcolonial society?
This is the question undergirding this work, which considers a selection of biblical texts in which women have significant roles. Employing both a gender and a postcolonial lens, it asks sharp questions both of the interests embedded in the texts themselves and of their impact upon contemporary women readers.
Whereas most postcolonial studies have been undertaken from the perspective of the colonized this work reads the texts from the position of a settler descendant, and is an attempt to engage with the disquietening and challenging questions that reading from such a location raises. Letters from early settler women in New Zealand, contemporary fiction, and personal reminiscence become tools for the task, complementing those traditionally employed in critical biblical readings.
Reframing Her: Biblical Women in Postcolonial Focus
£15.95 – £35.00
How does one read the story of Sarah and Hagar, or Jezebel and Rahab today, if one is a woman reader situated in a postcolonial society?
This is the question undergirding this work, which considers a selection of biblical texts in which women have significant roles. Employing both a gender and a postcolonial lens, it asks sharp questions both of the interests embedded in the texts themselves and of their impact upon contemporary women readers.
Whereas most postcolonial studies have been undertaken from the perspective of the colonized this work reads the texts from the position of a settler descendant, and is an attempt to engage with the disquietening and challenging questions that reading from such a location raises. Letters from early settler women in New Zealand, contemporary fiction, and personal reminiscence become tools for the task, complementing those traditionally employed in critical biblical readings.
The Michal Affair: From Zimri-Lim to the Rabbis
Published: Jun 2006
£15.95 – £50.00
This fresh approach to the story of Michal, daughter of Saul and wife of David, juxtaposes three quite different interpretative methods: narratological, historical, and history of traditions.
In his first chapter Bodi offers a subtle political reading of the Michal story, bringing to the fore the power-struggle between Saul and David that forms its main intrigue. Michal's personal tragedy foreshadows that of the Israelite monarchy and prefigures its end. It is a unique phenomenon in ancient Near Eastern literature that the story of a woman should serve as a means of criticizing the abuses of the monarchy and deconstructing the royal ideology.
The second chapter compares the daughters of Saul and the daughters of Zimri-Lim. This eighteenth-century BCE tribal king of Mari offered his two daughters Kirum and Shimatum to the same vassal in order to be able to spy on him. Saul seems to have done something similar with his daughters Merab and Michal, both offered to David. The unhappy marriage of Kirum ended in divorce. Although the announcement of the divorce was made by her husband in a public ceremony, it was prompted by the royal princess —the first example of a divorce initiated by a woman in ancient Near Eastern texts.
The third chapter explores a rich variety of rabbinic interpretations of key moments in the Michal story. Important and often little known observations are drawn from both the Talmuds and from midrashic works such as Abrabanel and anthologies like Midrash Rabbah, Yalqut Shimoni, Meam Loez and Malbim, together with the comments by Rashi and Qimhi.
Both the narratological investigation and the rabbinic interpretations point to David's guilt during his dance in front of the ark. The rabbis indeed attributed the exile of the nation to David's misdeeds. A careful reading of the biblical texts dealing with the figure of David in his relationship with his first wife Michal reaches the same conclusion: He is not exactly the man he pretends to be.
The Michal Affair: From Zimri-Lim to the Rabbis
£15.95 – £50.00
This fresh approach to the story of Michal, daughter of Saul and wife of David, juxtaposes three quite different interpretative methods: narratological, historical, and history of traditions.
In his first chapter Bodi offers a subtle political reading of the Michal story, bringing to the fore the power-struggle between Saul and David that forms its main intrigue. Michal's personal tragedy foreshadows that of the Israelite monarchy and prefigures its end. It is a unique phenomenon in ancient Near Eastern literature that the story of a woman should serve as a means of criticizing the abuses of the monarchy and deconstructing the royal ideology.
The second chapter compares the daughters of Saul and the daughters of Zimri-Lim. This eighteenth-century BCE tribal king of Mari offered his two daughters Kirum and Shimatum to the same vassal in order to be able to spy on him. Saul seems to have done something similar with his daughters Merab and Michal, both offered to David. The unhappy marriage of Kirum ended in divorce. Although the announcement of the divorce was made by her husband in a public ceremony, it was prompted by the royal princess —the first example of a divorce initiated by a woman in ancient Near Eastern texts.
The third chapter explores a rich variety of rabbinic interpretations of key moments in the Michal story. Important and often little known observations are drawn from both the Talmuds and from midrashic works such as Abrabanel and anthologies like Midrash Rabbah, Yalqut Shimoni, Meam Loez and Malbim, together with the comments by Rashi and Qimhi.
Both the narratological investigation and the rabbinic interpretations point to David's guilt during his dance in front of the ark. The rabbis indeed attributed the exile of the nation to David's misdeeds. A careful reading of the biblical texts dealing with the figure of David in his relationship with his first wife Michal reaches the same conclusion: He is not exactly the man he pretends to be.
Sowing the Word: The Cultural Impact of the British and Foreign Bible Society 1804-2004
Published: Jun 2006
£19.50 – £60.00
In March 2004, a group of 30 historians who have been fascinated by the work of the British and Foreign Bible Society met in London to share their researches, in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Society (now part of the United Bible Societies).
A common thread to their papers was the indelible effect the Society's work has had around the world, not only in bringing the Bible to people of many countries in their own language, but also in helping to create many national identities and cultures. The Bible was often the first printed book in a language, and so the primer for those learning to read. It had an enormous influence on education, the development of written languages, and the outlook of leaders and ordinary people alike throughout Europe, Asia and Africa.
In the 19 papers of this volume, focussing on Britain, West Africa, East Asia, Russia, Europe and North America, readers will find a wealth of absorbing detail. There are the stories of those who translated the Bible into the languages of China and Russia, into the native languages of nineteenth-century Canada, and into many other languages of the world. There are the intriguing tales of those who distributed Bibles, including the many women such as the Bible Women, who found a freedom they otherwise lacked in organizing networks for circulating the Scriptures.
Not forgotten either are those colourful characters, like the maverick George Borrow in Spain, who took enormous risks for the Society in selling Bibles in countries where a vernacular Bible was not welcomed by the authorities.
Sowing the Word: The Cultural Impact of the British and Foreign Bible Society 1804-2004
£19.50 – £60.00
In March 2004, a group of 30 historians who have been fascinated by the work of the British and Foreign Bible Society met in London to share their researches, in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Society (now part of the United Bible Societies).
A common thread to their papers was the indelible effect the Society's work has had around the world, not only in bringing the Bible to people of many countries in their own language, but also in helping to create many national identities and cultures. The Bible was often the first printed book in a language, and so the primer for those learning to read. It had an enormous influence on education, the development of written languages, and the outlook of leaders and ordinary people alike throughout Europe, Asia and Africa.
In the 19 papers of this volume, focussing on Britain, West Africa, East Asia, Russia, Europe and North America, readers will find a wealth of absorbing detail. There are the stories of those who translated the Bible into the languages of China and Russia, into the native languages of nineteenth-century Canada, and into many other languages of the world. There are the intriguing tales of those who distributed Bibles, including the many women such as the Bible Women, who found a freedom they otherwise lacked in organizing networks for circulating the Scriptures.
Not forgotten either are those colourful characters, like the maverick George Borrow in Spain, who took enormous risks for the Society in selling Bibles in countries where a vernacular Bible was not welcomed by the authorities.
Theory and Method in Biblical and Cuneiform Law: Revision, Interpolation, and Development
Published: May 2006
£15.00
This seminal work, first published by Sheffield Academic Press in the JSOT Supplement Series, remains in demand among scholars of biblical and cuneiform law, as well as among all those interested in the Pentateuchal traditions. The essays in the collection focus on two crucial topics that have been too much neglected in recent debate on the formation of the Pentateuch: (1) biblical law, and the development of Israelite legal institutions, and (2) the significance of ancient Near Eastern law as a model for the composition and editorial history of the Pentateuch.
To correct the imbalance, the contributors to this volume investigate whether the biblical and cuneiform legal corpora underwent a process of literary revision and interpolation. If so, what is the evidence for it, and how did such revision take place? If not, how are the textual phenomena to be explained?
The contributors are: Raymond Westbrook, Bernard M. Levinson, Samuel Greengus, Martin Buss, Sophie Lafont, Victor H. Matthews, William Morrow, Dale Patrick and Eckart Otto.
Theory and Method in Biblical and Cuneiform Law: Revision, Interpolation, and Development
£15.00
This seminal work, first published by Sheffield Academic Press in the JSOT Supplement Series, remains in demand among scholars of biblical and cuneiform law, as well as among all those interested in the Pentateuchal traditions. The essays in the collection focus on two crucial topics that have been too much neglected in recent debate on the formation of the Pentateuch: (1) biblical law, and the development of Israelite legal institutions, and (2) the significance of ancient Near Eastern law as a model for the composition and editorial history of the Pentateuch.
To correct the imbalance, the contributors to this volume investigate whether the biblical and cuneiform legal corpora underwent a process of literary revision and interpolation. If so, what is the evidence for it, and how did such revision take place? If not, how are the textual phenomena to be explained?
The contributors are: Raymond Westbrook, Bernard M. Levinson, Samuel Greengus, Martin Buss, Sophie Lafont, Victor H. Matthews, William Morrow, Dale Patrick and Eckart Otto.
Sexual Transgression in the Hebrew Bible
Published: Mar 2006
£60.00
The sex laws of the Hebrew Bible are well known, if not notorious. From them many have concluded that in ancient Israel adultery was a capital crime, that there was no conception of rape, that brides had to be virgins, and that women had no autonomy whatsoever. But was that the reality? Not if we broaden our horizon beyond the laws, argues Lipka, who focusses here on sexual transgression, that is, the trespass against sexual boundaries.
She finds three aspects of sexual transgression: it may be transgression against religious boundaries (sexual acts violating divine law), against communal boundaries (sexual acts violating the rights of another member of the community), or against personal boundaries (sexual acts imposed by force and/or violence). Transgressive sex is complicated.
But some conclusions are possible. (1) Though adultery was universally disapproved of, there was a wide variety of opinions on who was considered guilty, who was considered the offended party, who was punished, what the punishment was, and who should execute it. (2) There was indeed a conception of rape, with an understanding of its devastating emotional and psychological consequences for the victim. (3) Though virginity in brides was the norm, and young women were under a great deal of pressure to preserve their virginity, it was unrealistic for all men in ancient Israel to expect their wives to be virgins. (4) Women did not enjoy legal autonomy over their sexuality, yet they were not completely powerless; they had some degree of personal sexual autonomy, and some took the liberty of doing with their bodies as they pleased.
Sexual Transgression in the Hebrew Bible
£60.00
The sex laws of the Hebrew Bible are well known, if not notorious. From them many have concluded that in ancient Israel adultery was a capital crime, that there was no conception of rape, that brides had to be virgins, and that women had no autonomy whatsoever. But was that the reality? Not if we broaden our horizon beyond the laws, argues Lipka, who focusses here on sexual transgression, that is, the trespass against sexual boundaries.
She finds three aspects of sexual transgression: it may be transgression against religious boundaries (sexual acts violating divine law), against communal boundaries (sexual acts violating the rights of another member of the community), or against personal boundaries (sexual acts imposed by force and/or violence). Transgressive sex is complicated.
But some conclusions are possible. (1) Though adultery was universally disapproved of, there was a wide variety of opinions on who was considered guilty, who was considered the offended party, who was punished, what the punishment was, and who should execute it. (2) There was indeed a conception of rape, with an understanding of its devastating emotional and psychological consequences for the victim. (3) Though virginity in brides was the norm, and young women were under a great deal of pressure to preserve their virginity, it was unrealistic for all men in ancient Israel to expect their wives to be virgins. (4) Women did not enjoy legal autonomy over their sexuality, yet they were not completely powerless; they had some degree of personal sexual autonomy, and some took the liberty of doing with their bodies as they pleased.
Articular Infinitives in the Greek of the New Testament: On the Exegetical Benefit of Grammatical Precision
Published: Mar 2006
£35.00
Many New Testament scholars still operate under the mistaken notion that all of the problems of New Testament Greek grammar were worked out in the nineteenth century. This false assumption arises from an ignorance of developments in the field of modern linguistics.
In focusing on one significant aspect of grammar, the semantic and/or syntactic value of the articular infinitive, Burk undertakes to move beyond the standard New Testament grammar books. His question is: What does the article contribute to the total linguistic meaning of the infinitive in the Greek of the New Testament? To answer it he uses methods and results from modern linguistic analysis, an approach far different from that of traditional grammar.
Burk argues that the article with the infinitive is different from the article with other kinds of words. With other kinds of words the article encodes ideas such as definiteness, substantivization, and anaphora. The article with the infinitive, however, does not denote ideas such as these. With the infinitive the article is a function marker that signifies a grammatical-structural relation that may not otherwise be apparent. Discussing many examples from the New Testament, Burk shows his thesis has benefits not only for our understanding of Hellenistic Greek grammar, but also for our exegesis of the New Testament.
Articular Infinitives in the Greek of the New Testament: On the Exegetical Benefit of Grammatical Precision
£35.00
Many New Testament scholars still operate under the mistaken notion that all of the problems of New Testament Greek grammar were worked out in the nineteenth century. This false assumption arises from an ignorance of developments in the field of modern linguistics.
In focusing on one significant aspect of grammar, the semantic and/or syntactic value of the articular infinitive, Burk undertakes to move beyond the standard New Testament grammar books. His question is: What does the article contribute to the total linguistic meaning of the infinitive in the Greek of the New Testament? To answer it he uses methods and results from modern linguistic analysis, an approach far different from that of traditional grammar.
Burk argues that the article with the infinitive is different from the article with other kinds of words. With other kinds of words the article encodes ideas such as definiteness, substantivization, and anaphora. The article with the infinitive, however, does not denote ideas such as these. With the infinitive the article is a function marker that signifies a grammatical-structural relation that may not otherwise be apparent. Discussing many examples from the New Testament, Burk shows his thesis has benefits not only for our understanding of Hellenistic Greek grammar, but also for our exegesis of the New Testament.
Josiah’s Reform and Jeremiah’s Scroll: Historical Calamity and Prophetic Response
Published: Jan 2006
£50.00
This exciting new study of the prophet Jeremiah attributes to him a pivotal significance in the historical period of Josiah's reign.
He was, so Leuchter argues, one of the central agents of Josiah's propaganda machine and was intimately involved with the king's political agenda. Jeremiah, himself originally a member of the scribal school that composed the Deuteronomistic literature, encouraged the Shilonites of Anathoth to become active in Josiah's programme in the North following the waning of Assyrian power. Dismayed by the Shilonites' rejection of him and Josiah, and by the king's death at Megiddo, Jeremiah came to a radically new understanding of the divine purpose, encapsulated in the famous Temple sermon of Jeremiah 7 and evidenced in the prophet's debates with the political establishment in Jerusalem in the years that followed.
In his thoroughgoing historical reconstruction, Leuchter outlines a very specific sequence of events that took their rise from the Shilonite rejection of Deuteronomic policy, and on that basis carefully demarcates the texts that would have been included in Jeremiah's first scroll (the Urrolle ). Leuchter's monograph will make an important contribution to the study of the history and the literature of the late seventh century BCE.
Josiah’s Reform and Jeremiah’s Scroll: Historical Calamity and Prophetic Response
£50.00
This exciting new study of the prophet Jeremiah attributes to him a pivotal significance in the historical period of Josiah's reign.
He was, so Leuchter argues, one of the central agents of Josiah's propaganda machine and was intimately involved with the king's political agenda. Jeremiah, himself originally a member of the scribal school that composed the Deuteronomistic literature, encouraged the Shilonites of Anathoth to become active in Josiah's programme in the North following the waning of Assyrian power. Dismayed by the Shilonites' rejection of him and Josiah, and by the king's death at Megiddo, Jeremiah came to a radically new understanding of the divine purpose, encapsulated in the famous Temple sermon of Jeremiah 7 and evidenced in the prophet's debates with the political establishment in Jerusalem in the years that followed.
In his thoroughgoing historical reconstruction, Leuchter outlines a very specific sequence of events that took their rise from the Shilonite rejection of Deuteronomic policy, and on that basis carefully demarcates the texts that would have been included in Jeremiah's first scroll (the Urrolle ). Leuchter's monograph will make an important contribution to the study of the history and the literature of the late seventh century BCE.
Acts and Ethics
Published: Dec 2005
£50.00
This volume, the fruit of the sessions on the Book of Acts at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, in San Antonio, Texas, in November 2004, contains these papers:
Stanley E. Porter, 'The Genre of Acts and the Ethics of Discourse'
Robert L. Brawley, 'Social Identity and the Aim of Accomplished Life in Acts 2'
F. Scott Spencer, 'Wise Up, Young Man: The Moral Vision of Saul and Other "Neaniskoi" in Acts'
Thomas E. Phillips, 'Paul as a Role Model in Acts: The "We"-Passages in Acts 16 and Beyond'
Richard P. Thompson, "What Do You Think You Are Doing, Paul?" Synagogues, Accusations, and Ethics in Paul's Ministry in Acts 16-21'
Matthew L. Skinner, 'Unchained Ministry: Paul's Roman Custody (Acts 21 —28) and the Sociopolitical Outlook of the Book of Acts'
C. Kavin Rowe, 'Authority and Community: Lukan Dominium in Acts'
Robert C. Tannehill, 'Do the Ethics of Acts Include the Ethical Teaching in Luke?'
Pamela Hedrick, 'The Good Samaritan, Cornelius, and the Just Use of Force'
Acts and Ethics
£50.00
This volume, the fruit of the sessions on the Book of Acts at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, in San Antonio, Texas, in November 2004, contains these papers:
Stanley E. Porter, 'The Genre of Acts and the Ethics of Discourse'
Robert L. Brawley, 'Social Identity and the Aim of Accomplished Life in Acts 2'
F. Scott Spencer, 'Wise Up, Young Man: The Moral Vision of Saul and Other "Neaniskoi" in Acts'
Thomas E. Phillips, 'Paul as a Role Model in Acts: The "We"-Passages in Acts 16 and Beyond'
Richard P. Thompson, "What Do You Think You Are Doing, Paul?" Synagogues, Accusations, and Ethics in Paul's Ministry in Acts 16-21'
Matthew L. Skinner, 'Unchained Ministry: Paul's Roman Custody (Acts 21 —28) and the Sociopolitical Outlook of the Book of Acts'
C. Kavin Rowe, 'Authority and Community: Lukan Dominium in Acts'
Robert C. Tannehill, 'Do the Ethics of Acts Include the Ethical Teaching in Luke?'
Pamela Hedrick, 'The Good Samaritan, Cornelius, and the Just Use of Force'
An Unsuitable Book: The Bible as Scandalous Text
Published: Nov 2005
£50.00
The real 'scandal' of the Bible, suggests Hugh Pyper, lies not in any salaciousness it may contain but in its deep impropriety as a venerable book, and the 'unsuitability' of its reality to the expectations of its readers.
This collection of essays, published and previously unpublished, will delight readers with its wit and profundity. Among them, 'The Selfish Text: Memetics and the Bible' deploys Richard Dawkins's notion of memes to advance the half-teasing, half-serious thesis that western culture is the Bible's way of making more Bibles, 'The Bible in Bloom' examines the usefulness or otherwise of Bloom's concept of the 'anxiety of influence' in biblical studies, and 'The Bible as Wolf: Tracking a Carrollian Metaphor in Biblical Studies', a tribute to Robert Carroll, the author's mentor, uncovers the polyvalence of the wolf metaphor in biblical and literary traditions and calls for the recovery of the 'wild' text.
Other papers are on women and silence (with a nod to Isak Dinesen and to Freud), on the violence in Lamentations as a deflection of anger from God and so a survival strategy for the community, and on modern 'gospels of Judas' which symptomize resentment against the canon.
An Unsuitable Book: The Bible as Scandalous Text
£50.00
The real 'scandal' of the Bible, suggests Hugh Pyper, lies not in any salaciousness it may contain but in its deep impropriety as a venerable book, and the 'unsuitability' of its reality to the expectations of its readers.
This collection of essays, published and previously unpublished, will delight readers with its wit and profundity. Among them, 'The Selfish Text: Memetics and the Bible' deploys Richard Dawkins's notion of memes to advance the half-teasing, half-serious thesis that western culture is the Bible's way of making more Bibles, 'The Bible in Bloom' examines the usefulness or otherwise of Bloom's concept of the 'anxiety of influence' in biblical studies, and 'The Bible as Wolf: Tracking a Carrollian Metaphor in Biblical Studies', a tribute to Robert Carroll, the author's mentor, uncovers the polyvalence of the wolf metaphor in biblical and literary traditions and calls for the recovery of the 'wild' text.
Other papers are on women and silence (with a nod to Isak Dinesen and to Freud), on the violence in Lamentations as a deflection of anger from God and so a survival strategy for the community, and on modern 'gospels of Judas' which symptomize resentment against the canon.
The Lukan Passion and the Praiseworthy Death
Published: Oct 2005
£40.00
In the ancient world, crucifixion epitomized all that was shameful, servile and lowly. Jesus' death on a cross would have been a stumbling block for many. Luke recognized this prevailing attitude toward crucifixion, and sought to show that Jesus' death was noble and praiseworthy, even according to the Roman world's own standards.
Scaer argues that Luke drew upon the Noble Death tradition, especially as found in Graeco-Roman rhetoric, in depicting Jesus as a man of courage and virtue. Luke also made use of Jewish-Hellenistic martyrological traditions to present Jesus' death as worthy not only of honour, but even of emulation. Most provocatively, Scaer contends that the third evangelist drew specific motifs from the Socrates story in order to show that the founder of the new Christian movement was a noble and just man, deserving of the utmost respect.
In using these Graeco-Roman sources as he fashioned his narrative of Jesus' death, Luke reveals himself as a masterful author in the classical tradition, intent on portraying Christianity as a world class religion.
The Lukan Passion and the Praiseworthy Death
£40.00
In the ancient world, crucifixion epitomized all that was shameful, servile and lowly. Jesus' death on a cross would have been a stumbling block for many. Luke recognized this prevailing attitude toward crucifixion, and sought to show that Jesus' death was noble and praiseworthy, even according to the Roman world's own standards.
Scaer argues that Luke drew upon the Noble Death tradition, especially as found in Graeco-Roman rhetoric, in depicting Jesus as a man of courage and virtue. Luke also made use of Jewish-Hellenistic martyrological traditions to present Jesus' death as worthy not only of honour, but even of emulation. Most provocatively, Scaer contends that the third evangelist drew specific motifs from the Socrates story in order to show that the founder of the new Christian movement was a noble and just man, deserving of the utmost respect.
In using these Graeco-Roman sources as he fashioned his narrative of Jesus' death, Luke reveals himself as a masterful author in the classical tradition, intent on portraying Christianity as a world class religion.
Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism 2 (2001-2005)
Published: Oct 2005
£80.00
This volume of the Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism includes these papers:
Zeba Crook, The Divine Benefactions of Paul the Client
Hans Förster, 7Q5 = Mark 6.52-53: A Challenge for Textual Criticism?
Malcolm Choat and Alanna Nobbs, Monotheistic Formulae of Belief in Greek Letters on Papyrus from the Second to the Fourth Century
Galen K. Johnson, The Tribulation in Revelation and Its Literary-Theological Milieu
Douglas C. Mohrmann, Boast Not in Your Righteousness from the Law: A New Reading of Romans 10.6-8
Matthew Brook O'Donnell and Nick Brook, The Licking of Dogs and Reputed Medical Treatments.
Stanley E. Porter and Matthew Brook O'Donnell, The Syntax of the Gospel of Peter
Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism 2 (2001-2005)
£80.00
This volume of the Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism includes these papers:
Zeba Crook, The Divine Benefactions of Paul the Client
Hans Förster, 7Q5 = Mark 6.52-53: A Challenge for Textual Criticism?
Malcolm Choat and Alanna Nobbs, Monotheistic Formulae of Belief in Greek Letters on Papyrus from the Second to the Fourth Century
Galen K. Johnson, The Tribulation in Revelation and Its Literary-Theological Milieu
Douglas C. Mohrmann, Boast Not in Your Righteousness from the Law: A New Reading of Romans 10.6-8
Matthew Brook O'Donnell and Nick Brook, The Licking of Dogs and Reputed Medical Treatments.
Stanley E. Porter and Matthew Brook O'Donnell, The Syntax of the Gospel of Peter
The Older Testament: The Survival of Themes from the Ancient Royal Cult in Sectarian Judaism and Early Christianity
Published: July 2005
£25.00
The Older Testament is a radically new approach to many problems of both Old and New Testaments. It takes as a basis the theology of the book of Enoch, lost to western Christendom for many centuries, but here recognized as providing the most consistent set of clues to the nature of Israel's pre-exilic religion. Reformers and editors of the Second Temple period sought to remove from the biblical texts all traces of the older ways, which now survive only in the apparently bizarre themes and imagery of certain Pseudepigrapha.
Margaret Barker traces some of the ways in which the Deuteronomic standpoint came to dominate future readings of the Hebrew Bible as well as scholarly conceptions of Israel's religious development. Her reconstruction of the pre-Deuteronomic religion throws a startling light on much of the imagery of the New Testament and shows how closely the earlier Christian expectations were based upon the ancient royal cult in Jerusalem.
This book represents an important and original contribution to our understanding of Judaism and early Christianity.
The Older Testament: The Survival of Themes from the Ancient Royal Cult in Sectarian Judaism and Early Christianity
£25.00
The Older Testament is a radically new approach to many problems of both Old and New Testaments. It takes as a basis the theology of the book of Enoch, lost to western Christendom for many centuries, but here recognized as providing the most consistent set of clues to the nature of Israel's pre-exilic religion. Reformers and editors of the Second Temple period sought to remove from the biblical texts all traces of the older ways, which now survive only in the apparently bizarre themes and imagery of certain Pseudepigrapha.
Margaret Barker traces some of the ways in which the Deuteronomic standpoint came to dominate future readings of the Hebrew Bible as well as scholarly conceptions of Israel's religious development. Her reconstruction of the pre-Deuteronomic religion throws a startling light on much of the imagery of the New Testament and shows how closely the earlier Christian expectations were based upon the ancient royal cult in Jerusalem.
This book represents an important and original contribution to our understanding of Judaism and early Christianity.
The Lost Prophet: The Book of Enoch and Its Influence on Christianity
Published: July 2005
£15.00
Reading the Book of Enoch unleashes a new understanding of early Christianity and one that is uncannily relevant to the late twentieth century. Though neglected and almost forgotten by the Church for fifteen hundred years, the Book of Enoch was one of the most important writings of the pre-Christian period and was kept and used by the early Church.
It represents supremely the mystical element in the Judaeo-Christian tradition, with strange and powerful symbolism, and heavenly visions of the Last Judgement. Its treatment of the problem of evil, of humankind's relationship with the creation, of the role of the expected Messiah and of other key themes in Judaism and Christianity challenges many traditional assumptions and throws dramatic new light on our understanding of Jesus and his message.
The Lost Prophet is an exciting and thought provoking book which should be read by everyone interested in the foundations of Christianity.
The Lost Prophet: The Book of Enoch and Its Influence on Christianity
£15.00
Reading the Book of Enoch unleashes a new understanding of early Christianity and one that is uncannily relevant to the late twentieth century. Though neglected and almost forgotten by the Church for fifteen hundred years, the Book of Enoch was one of the most important writings of the pre-Christian period and was kept and used by the early Church.
It represents supremely the mystical element in the Judaeo-Christian tradition, with strange and powerful symbolism, and heavenly visions of the Last Judgement. Its treatment of the problem of evil, of humankind's relationship with the creation, of the role of the expected Messiah and of other key themes in Judaism and Christianity challenges many traditional assumptions and throws dramatic new light on our understanding of Jesus and his message.
The Lost Prophet is an exciting and thought provoking book which should be read by everyone interested in the foundations of Christianity.
The Bible and the Modern World
Published: July 2005
£13.50
In the world of scholarship, the Bible is usually viewed as a ancient book, a product of the past, an inheritance, a heritage; it is essentially a book with origins. These lectures adopt an opposite starting point: that the Bible is in the modern world, a physical object strewn about the world of today, an in-print book that real people are reading at this very minute.
So the focus here is not on the origins of the Bible but on its reception, not of what its authors may have intended it to mean, but on what its readers today take it to mean. In conversational style, David Clines enquires after the Bible and the Academy, the Bible and Culture, the Bible and the Public, the Bible and the Church —and offers his own reflections and admonitions.
This is a corrected reprint of the 1997 edition.
The Bible and the Modern World
£13.50
In the world of scholarship, the Bible is usually viewed as a ancient book, a product of the past, an inheritance, a heritage; it is essentially a book with origins. These lectures adopt an opposite starting point: that the Bible is in the modern world, a physical object strewn about the world of today, an in-print book that real people are reading at this very minute.
So the focus here is not on the origins of the Bible but on its reception, not of what its authors may have intended it to mean, but on what its readers today take it to mean. In conversational style, David Clines enquires after the Bible and the Academy, the Bible and Culture, the Bible and the Public, the Bible and the Church —and offers his own reflections and admonitions.
This is a corrected reprint of the 1997 edition.
Entertaining Angels: Early Christian Hospitality in Its Mediterranean Setting
Published: Jan 2005
£55.00
Hospitality in the ancient Mediterranean world was not a matter of entertaining one's neighbours to dinner. And among the early Christians it was not the same as table-fellowship either, though most modern works confuse that with hospitality. Hospitality was essentially the provision of food and protection for travellers; it could include also a bath, supplies for the traveller's onward journey, and an escort along the road toward to the traveller's next destination.
Unlike other writers, Arterbury combs through a broad spectrum of Greek, Roman and Jewish texts -- as well as early Christian texts outside the New Testament -- for literary depictions of the custom of hospitality. As well, he brings into the picture the Greek novels, which provide us with vivid insights into ancient Mediterranean life. His book presents the most complete analysis of the terms used for hospitality. And he shows how important the practice of hospitality is in understanding the narrative of the conversion of the Gentile Cornelius in Acts 10-11: Luke is here suggesting that Christian communities should employ the traditional custom of hospitality as an effective means of bridging the cultural divide between Jews and Gentiles, evangelizing unbelievers, and forging bonds of friendship with strangers.
This revealing and engaging example of what Arterbury describes as 'historical audience-oriented criticism' will be appreciated by scholars and students interested in the reality of life in New Testament times.
Entertaining Angels: Early Christian Hospitality in Its Mediterranean Setting
£55.00
Hospitality in the ancient Mediterranean world was not a matter of entertaining one's neighbours to dinner. And among the early Christians it was not the same as table-fellowship either, though most modern works confuse that with hospitality. Hospitality was essentially the provision of food and protection for travellers; it could include also a bath, supplies for the traveller's onward journey, and an escort along the road toward to the traveller's next destination.
Unlike other writers, Arterbury combs through a broad spectrum of Greek, Roman and Jewish texts -- as well as early Christian texts outside the New Testament -- for literary depictions of the custom of hospitality. As well, he brings into the picture the Greek novels, which provide us with vivid insights into ancient Mediterranean life. His book presents the most complete analysis of the terms used for hospitality. And he shows how important the practice of hospitality is in understanding the narrative of the conversion of the Gentile Cornelius in Acts 10-11: Luke is here suggesting that Christian communities should employ the traditional custom of hospitality as an effective means of bridging the cultural divide between Jews and Gentiles, evangelizing unbelievers, and forging bonds of friendship with strangers.
This revealing and engaging example of what Arterbury describes as 'historical audience-oriented criticism' will be appreciated by scholars and students interested in the reality of life in New Testament times.
Corpus Linguistics and the Greek of the New Testament
Published: Jan 2005
£70.00
The burgeoning field of corpus linguistics studies aspects of a language that are susceptible to computer processing once a sizable electronic corpus of the language has been assembled. In this groundbreaking work, O'Donnell takes the unusual step of applying the techniques of corpus linguistics to Hellenistic Greek and especially the Greek of the New Testament, and in three areas shows, with a multitude of worked examples, how it could sharpen our appreciation of the language.
First, in New Testament textual criticism decisions for a preferred reading would be better founded if all analogous data in all the manuscript traditions were available. And in source criticism, where statistical methods have already been applied, more advanced statistical and graphical techniques, including dotplot, can now be exploited.
The second application of corpus linguistics is to lexicography, where, for example, collocational analysis of a corpus of texts leads to sharper definition of synonyms; the case of the pair egeiro and anistemi ('raise'), considered in detail, proves the point.
Thirdly, corpus-based techniques can be applied to discourse analysis. Here O'Donnell fine-tunes —by means of a subtle discourse annotation model —answers that may be given to questions about the situation and purpose of the letters of Jude and of Paul to Philemon. This book, though technical in many parts, opens up a new field to many biblical scholars, who may be surprised to discover how much they still have to learn about the Greek of the New Testament.
Corpus Linguistics and the Greek of the New Testament
£70.00
The burgeoning field of corpus linguistics studies aspects of a language that are susceptible to computer processing once a sizable electronic corpus of the language has been assembled. In this groundbreaking work, O'Donnell takes the unusual step of applying the techniques of corpus linguistics to Hellenistic Greek and especially the Greek of the New Testament, and in three areas shows, with a multitude of worked examples, how it could sharpen our appreciation of the language.
First, in New Testament textual criticism decisions for a preferred reading would be better founded if all analogous data in all the manuscript traditions were available. And in source criticism, where statistical methods have already been applied, more advanced statistical and graphical techniques, including dotplot, can now be exploited.
The second application of corpus linguistics is to lexicography, where, for example, collocational analysis of a corpus of texts leads to sharper definition of synonyms; the case of the pair egeiro and anistemi ('raise'), considered in detail, proves the point.
Thirdly, corpus-based techniques can be applied to discourse analysis. Here O'Donnell fine-tunes —by means of a subtle discourse annotation model —answers that may be given to questions about the situation and purpose of the letters of Jude and of Paul to Philemon. This book, though technical in many parts, opens up a new field to many biblical scholars, who may be surprised to discover how much they still have to learn about the Greek of the New Testament.
The Birthing of the New Testament: The Intertextual Development of the New Testament Writings
Published: Nov 2004
£22.50
Many are saying that the prevailing paradigm of New Testament origins is going nowhere. In its place, Brodie’s stunning book invites us to suspend all ‘knowledge’ we already have about the history of the New Testament’s development, and to be willing to entertain the following thesis.
Everything hinges on Proto-Luke, a history of Jesus using the Elijah–Elisha narrative as its model, which survives in 10 chapters of Luke and 15 of Acts. Mark then uses Proto-Luke, transposing its Acts material back into the life of Jesus. Matthew deuteronomizes Mark, John improves on the discourses of Matthew. Luke–Acts spells out the story at length. Add the Pauline corpus, the descendant of Deuteronomy via the Matthean logia, and the New Testament is virtually complete.
This is a totalizing theory, an explanation of everything, and its critics will be numerous. But even they will be hugely intrigued, and have to admit that Brodie’s myriads of challenging observations about literary affinities demand an answer.
The Birthing of the New Testament: The Intertextual Development of the New Testament Writings
£22.50
Many are saying that the prevailing paradigm of New Testament origins is going nowhere. In its place, Brodie’s stunning book invites us to suspend all ‘knowledge’ we already have about the history of the New Testament’s development, and to be willing to entertain the following thesis.
Everything hinges on Proto-Luke, a history of Jesus using the Elijah–Elisha narrative as its model, which survives in 10 chapters of Luke and 15 of Acts. Mark then uses Proto-Luke, transposing its Acts material back into the life of Jesus. Matthew deuteronomizes Mark, John improves on the discourses of Matthew. Luke–Acts spells out the story at length. Add the Pauline corpus, the descendant of Deuteronomy via the Matthean logia, and the New Testament is virtually complete.
This is a totalizing theory, an explanation of everything, and its critics will be numerous. But even they will be hugely intrigued, and have to admit that Brodie’s myriads of challenging observations about literary affinities demand an answer.
Religion, Politics, Media in the Broadband Era
Published: July 2004
£15.00 – £40.00
Religion has gone public; and the much-discussed political pendulum has been swinging widely in its effort to keep up with the eruptions of faith swelling the broadband. Private faith finds very public outlets through the media's appetite for voices and choices. Faith-based networks have become media-savvy, urging their members to send barrages of emails, faxes, telephone calls, letters of praise or outrage to politicians. Those same politicians return the volley, using the broadcast media with great skill, wooing the faithful, convincing the cynical that God is on their side. Only a deity could be on so many sides simultaneously.
Alice Bach's new book reflects her long-time focus on the Bible, religion and culture. Popular religion is expressed within our culture in rock videos, televangelism, political rhetoric, children's books, films and animations. Every sort of media from print to electronic to broadband is imbued with subtle and blatant religious imagery. The media are new; the message is not. The tightly woven pattern of religion, politics and media has been part of the American fabric since the country was founded. When one examines this cultural cloth, threads of varying colours are revealed, threads whose twists reflect both media coverage of religion and religious views of the media.
Religion, Politics, Media in the Broadband Era
£15.00 – £40.00
Religion has gone public; and the much-discussed political pendulum has been swinging widely in its effort to keep up with the eruptions of faith swelling the broadband. Private faith finds very public outlets through the media's appetite for voices and choices. Faith-based networks have become media-savvy, urging their members to send barrages of emails, faxes, telephone calls, letters of praise or outrage to politicians. Those same politicians return the volley, using the broadcast media with great skill, wooing the faithful, convincing the cynical that God is on their side. Only a deity could be on so many sides simultaneously.
Alice Bach's new book reflects her long-time focus on the Bible, religion and culture. Popular religion is expressed within our culture in rock videos, televangelism, political rhetoric, children's books, films and animations. Every sort of media from print to electronic to broadband is imbued with subtle and blatant religious imagery. The media are new; the message is not. The tightly woven pattern of religion, politics and media has been part of the American fabric since the country was founded. When one examines this cultural cloth, threads of varying colours are revealed, threads whose twists reflect both media coverage of religion and religious views of the media.
The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, Volume V Mem–Nun
Published: Aug 2001
£150.00
The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew is a completely new and innovative dictionary.
Unlike previous dictionaries, which have been dictionaries of biblical Hebrew, this is the first dictionary of the classical Hebrew language to include the Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, and all the other known Hebrew inscriptions and manuscripts.
This Dictionary covers the period from the earliest times to 200 CE. It lists and analyses every occurrences of each Hebrew word that occurs in texts of that period, with an English translation of every Hebrew word and phrase cited.
Among its special features are: a list of the non-biblical texts cited (especially the Dead Sea Scrolls), a word frequency index for each letter of the alphabet, a substantial bibliography (from Volume 2 onward) and an English–Hebrew index in each volume.
The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, Volume V Mem–Nun
£150.00
The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew is a completely new and innovative dictionary.
Unlike previous dictionaries, which have been dictionaries of biblical Hebrew, this is the first dictionary of the classical Hebrew language to include the Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, and all the other known Hebrew inscriptions and manuscripts.
This Dictionary covers the period from the earliest times to 200 CE. It lists and analyses every occurrences of each Hebrew word that occurs in texts of that period, with an English translation of every Hebrew word and phrase cited.
Among its special features are: a list of the non-biblical texts cited (especially the Dead Sea Scrolls), a word frequency index for each letter of the alphabet, a substantial bibliography (from Volume 2 onward) and an English–Hebrew index in each volume.
The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, Volume IV Yodh–Lamedh
Published: Aug 1998
£150.00
The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew is a completely new and innovative dictionary.
Unlike previous dictionaries, which have been dictionaries of biblical Hebrew, this is the first dictionary of the classical Hebrew language to include the Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, and all the other known Hebrew inscriptions and manuscripts.
This Dictionary covers the period from the earliest times to 200 CE. It lists and analyses every occurrences of each Hebrew word that occurs in texts of that period, with an English translation of every Hebrew word and phrase cited.
Among its special features are: a list of the non-biblical texts cited (especially the Dead Sea Scrolls), a word frequency index for each letter of the alphabet, a substantial bibliography (from Volume 2 onward) and an English–Hebrew index in each volume.
The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, Volume IV Yodh–Lamedh
£150.00
The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew is a completely new and innovative dictionary.
Unlike previous dictionaries, which have been dictionaries of biblical Hebrew, this is the first dictionary of the classical Hebrew language to include the Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, and all the other known Hebrew inscriptions and manuscripts.
This Dictionary covers the period from the earliest times to 200 CE. It lists and analyses every occurrences of each Hebrew word that occurs in texts of that period, with an English translation of every Hebrew word and phrase cited.
Among its special features are: a list of the non-biblical texts cited (especially the Dead Sea Scrolls), a word frequency index for each letter of the alphabet, a substantial bibliography (from Volume 2 onward) and an English–Hebrew index in each volume.
The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, Volume III Zayin–Teth
Published: Oct 1996
£150.00
The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew is a completely new and innovative dictionary.
Unlike previous dictionaries, which have been dictionaries of biblical Hebrew, this is the first dictionary of the classical Hebrew language to include the Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, and all the other known Hebrew inscriptions and manuscripts.
This Dictionary covers the period from the earliest times to 200 CE. It lists and analyses every occurrences of each Hebrew word that occurs in texts of that period, with an English translation of every Hebrew word and phrase cited.
Among its special features are: a list of the non-biblical texts cited (especially the Dead Sea Scrolls), a word frequency index for each letter of the alphabet, a substantial bibliography (from Volume 2 onward) and an English–Hebrew index in each volume.
The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, Volume III Zayin–Teth
£150.00
The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew is a completely new and innovative dictionary.
Unlike previous dictionaries, which have been dictionaries of biblical Hebrew, this is the first dictionary of the classical Hebrew language to include the Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, and all the other known Hebrew inscriptions and manuscripts.
This Dictionary covers the period from the earliest times to 200 CE. It lists and analyses every occurrences of each Hebrew word that occurs in texts of that period, with an English translation of every Hebrew word and phrase cited.
Among its special features are: a list of the non-biblical texts cited (especially the Dead Sea Scrolls), a word frequency index for each letter of the alphabet, a substantial bibliography (from Volume 2 onward) and an English–Hebrew index in each volume.
The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, Volume 2 Beth–Waw
Published: Aug 1995
£150.00
The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew is a completely new and innovative dictionary.
Unlike previous dictionaries, which have been dictionaries of biblical Hebrew, this is the first dictionary of the classical Hebrew language to include the Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, and all the other known Hebrew inscriptions and manuscripts.
This Dictionary covers the period from the earliest times to 200 CE. It lists and analyses every occurrences of each Hebrew word that occurs in texts of that period, with an English translation of every Hebrew word and phrase cited.
Among its special features are: a list of the non-biblical texts cited (especially the Dead Sea Scrolls), a word frequency index for each letter of the alphabet, a substantial bibliography (from Volume 2 onward) and an English–Hebrew index in each volume.
The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, Volume 2 Beth–Waw
£150.00
The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew is a completely new and innovative dictionary.
Unlike previous dictionaries, which have been dictionaries of biblical Hebrew, this is the first dictionary of the classical Hebrew language to include the Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, and all the other known Hebrew inscriptions and manuscripts.
This Dictionary covers the period from the earliest times to 200 CE. It lists and analyses every occurrences of each Hebrew word that occurs in texts of that period, with an English translation of every Hebrew word and phrase cited.
Among its special features are: a list of the non-biblical texts cited (especially the Dead Sea Scrolls), a word frequency index for each letter of the alphabet, a substantial bibliography (from Volume 2 onward) and an English–Hebrew index in each volume.
The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, Volume 1 Aleph
Published: Dec 1993
£150.00
The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew is a completely new and innovative dictionary.
Unlike previous dictionaries, which have been dictionaries of biblical Hebrew, this is the first dictionary of the classical Hebrew language to include the Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, and all the other known Hebrew inscriptions and manuscripts.
This Dictionary covers the period from the earliest times to 200 CE. It lists and analyses every occurrences of each Hebrew word that occurs in texts of that period, with an English translation of every Hebrew word and phrase cited.
Among its special features are: a list of the non-biblical texts cited (especially the Dead Sea Scrolls), a word frequency index for each letter of the alphabet, a substantial bibliography (from Volume 2 onward) and an English–Hebrew index in each volume.
The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, Volume 1 Aleph
£150.00
The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew is a completely new and innovative dictionary.
Unlike previous dictionaries, which have been dictionaries of biblical Hebrew, this is the first dictionary of the classical Hebrew language to include the Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, and all the other known Hebrew inscriptions and manuscripts.
This Dictionary covers the period from the earliest times to 200 CE. It lists and analyses every occurrences of each Hebrew word that occurs in texts of that period, with an English translation of every Hebrew word and phrase cited.
Among its special features are: a list of the non-biblical texts cited (especially the Dead Sea Scrolls), a word frequency index for each letter of the alphabet, a substantial bibliography (from Volume 2 onward) and an English–Hebrew index in each volume.
Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism
£80.00
Volume 1 was for 2000, Volume 2 was for 2001 —2005, Volume 3 was for 2006, Volume 4 was for 2007, Volume 5 was for 2008, Volume 6 was for 2009, Volume 7 was for 2010 and Volume 8 was for 2011–2012, Volume 9 was for 2013, Volume 10 was for 2014 and Volume 11 was for 2015. Volumes 12-ongoing: Wipf & Stock Publishers.
The scope of JGRChJ is the texts, language and cultures of the Graeco-Roman world of early Christianity and Judaism. The papers published in JGRChJ are designed to pay special attention to the 'larger picture' of politics, culture, religion and language, engaging as well with modern theoretical approaches.
Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism
£80.00
Volume 1 was for 2000, Volume 2 was for 2001 —2005, Volume 3 was for 2006, Volume 4 was for 2007, Volume 5 was for 2008, Volume 6 was for 2009, Volume 7 was for 2010 and Volume 8 was for 2011–2012, Volume 9 was for 2013, Volume 10 was for 2014 and Volume 11 was for 2015. Volumes 12-ongoing: Wipf & Stock Publishers.
The scope of JGRChJ is the texts, language and cultures of the Graeco-Roman world of early Christianity and Judaism. The papers published in JGRChJ are designed to pay special attention to the 'larger picture' of politics, culture, religion and language, engaging as well with modern theoretical approaches.
Jeremiah, Volume 1
Jeremiah, Volume 1