Old Testament

This book combines a careful study of the subject matter and the literary form of each of the historical books of the Old Testament and at the same time explains why this literature should be of great interest to Christian and Jewish believers today.
The study is text based, carefully examining the wording of selected pericopes and following up with reflections on the theological significance of the texts. Its focus is twofold. First, it is a study of the history of Israel through a critical examination of the biblical sources attempting to see the events through the eyes of the authors/editors and to understand the religious and national filters through which they saw those events. Secondly, it is also a study of the faith of Israel expressed in these writings in an attempt to reflect on the major patterns and themes expressed and presupposed in the narratives.
Special attention is given to the stories of the prophets in these books.
This book examines the biblical books in four groups: 1) the Deuteronomist history extending from Joshua to 2 Kings, 2) the Chroniclers or priestly history extending from 1 Chronicles to Nehemiah, 3) the Maccabean story looking and 1 and 2 Maccabees from the Greek Bible, and 4) the midrashic accounts including Ruth, Esther, Judith, Esther, and Tobit.
Numerous maps and diagrams assist the reader to follow the geographical references in the texts as well as complicated family lines and sequences of kings. An index assists in finding specific names and events.

Lucidly written by leading biblical scholar Michael D. Coogan, this balanced, engaging, and up-to-date introduction to the Hebrew scriptures distills the best of current scholarship. Employing the narrative chronology of the Bible itself and the history of the ancient Near East as a framework, Coogan covers all the books of the Hebrew Bible, along with the deuterocanonical books included in the Bible used by many Christians. He treats every book of the canon with careful attention to its historical context, its particular genre, and its distinctive features. Dealing in detail with ancient Near Eastern sources and archaeological data, Coogan works from a primarily historical and critical methodology but also introduces students to literary analysis and other interpretive strategies, especially current ones.

The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures is enhanced by a glossary, timelines, photos, illustrations, maps, and a four-color insert on Jerusalem in biblical times. Strategically placed boxes address issues that often puzzle readers of the Bible, provide models of interpretation of particular texts, and discuss their significance for Judaism and Christianity. Each chapter includes a preview and summary, key terms, questions for review and discussion, and suggestions for further reading.

NEW TO THIS EDITION

* Fully revised and updated throughout
* Two new introductory chapters that provide students with the context necessary to analyze the biblical texts--one on the composition of the Old Testament and one on the history and geography of the ancient Near East and how it influenced the Hebrew Bible.
* An updated Instructor's Manual, Testbank CD and a Companion available at Website www.oup.com/us/coogan featuring resources for both instructors and students
* A FREE 6-month subscription to Oxford Biblical Studies Online (www.oxfordbiblicalstudies.com), edited by Michael D. Coogan, which provides students with unrivalled access to six essential Oxford Bibles; Concordances; the Oxford Bible Commentary; nearly 5,000 A-Z articles, from Abel to Zion, integrated with chapter-based scholarly works; hundreds of images and maps; and countless other internet resources.

More than commonplace truisms, the Book of Proverbs is an anthology of teachings designed to help you live with a sense of self-responsibility. Its wisdom, compiled in the seventh century BCE and credited to King Solomon, transcends nationality and politics, addressing instead the individual seeking the true satisfaction and tranquility that comes from living with an honest perception of reality.
In this fresh translation of an ancient "how-to," Rami Shapiro unpacks the proverbs, demonstrating how these complex poetic forms are actually straightforward instructions to live simply, without rationalizations and excuses. He shows how unlike almost anything else in the Hebrew Bible, the truths claimed in the Book of Proverbs are testable and verifiable. They force us to examine our lives and how we are living them without the benefit of psychological sophistry and New Age babble: We are either doing good or doing bad; we are either disciplined or lazy; we are either students of wisdom or puppets of desire.
Now you can experience the Book of Proverbs and understand Solomon's teachings with no previous knowledge of the Hebrew Bible. This SkyLight Illuminations edition presents insightful commentary that shares the ancient king's timeless principles and encourages us to put them into practice in ways that are uniquely our own.