Symbiosis, Symbolism, and the Power of the Past

Symbiosis, Symbolism, and the Power of the Past
Author: William G. Dever
Publisher: Eisenbrauns
Total Pages: 616
Release: 2003
Genre: History
ISBN: 1575060817

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, this collection of erudite essays concentrates on the archaeology of ancient Israel, Canaan, and neighboring nations.

Confronting the Past

Confronting the Past
Author: Seymour Gitin
Publisher: Eisenbrauns
Total Pages: 402
Release: 2006
Genre: Bible
ISBN: 1575061171

William G. Dever is recognized as the doyen of North American archaeologist-historians who work in the field of the ancient Levant. He is best known as the director of excavations at the site of Gezer but has worked at numerous other sites, and his many students have led dozens of other expeditions. He has been editor of the Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, was for many years professor in the influential archaeology program at the University of Arizona, and now in retirement continues actively to write and publish. In this volume, 46 of his colleagues and students contribute essays in his honor, reflecting the broad scope of his interests, particularly in terms of the historical implications of archaeology.

The House of the Mother

The House of the Mother
Author: Cynthia R. Chapman
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 355
Release: 2016-01-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0300197942

This work reevaluates the biblical house of the father in light of the anthropological critique of the patrilineal model. It uncovers and defines the contours of an underappreciated yet socially significant kinship unit in the Bible: 'the house of the mother.'

A Political History of the Arameans

A Political History of the Arameans
Author: K. Lawson Younger Jr.
Publisher: SBL Press
Total Pages: 887
Release: 2016-10-07
Genre: History
ISBN: 162837084X

An up-to-date analysis of the history of the ancient Near East and the Arameans K. Lawson Younger Jr. presents a political history of the Arameans from their earliest origins to the demise of their independent entities. The book investigates their tribal structures, the development of their polities, and their interactions with other groups in the ancient Near East. Younger utilizes all of the available sources to develop a comprehensive picture of this complex, yet highly important, people whose influence and presence spanned the Fertile Cresent. Features: The best, recent understanding of tribal political structures, aspects of mobile pastoralism, and models of migration A regional rather than a monolithic approach to the rise of Aramean polities Thorough integration of the complex relationships and interactions of the Arameans with the Luwians, the Assyrians, the Israelites, and others

Prophets, Priests, and Promises

Prophets, Priests, and Promises
Author: Gary N. Knoppers
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 471
Release: 2021-05-03
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9004444890

This volume presents collected essays of Gary N. Knoppers (1956–2018) on the historical books of the Hebrew Bible, among them seven thoroughly revised and eight newly published ones. An introduction by H.G.M. Williamson acknowledges their significance for Knoppers’ oeuvre.

Empire, Power and Indigenous Elites

Empire, Power and Indigenous Elites
Author: Anne Fitzpatrick-McKinley
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 339
Release: 2015-03-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9004292225

Ancient Near Eastern empires, including Assyria, Babylon and Persia, frequently permitted local rulers to remain in power. The roles of the indigenous elites reflected in the Nehemiah Memoir can be compared to those encountered elsewhere. Nehemiah was an imperial appointee, likely of a military/administrative background, whose mission was to establish a birta in Jerusalem, thereby limiting the power of local elites. As a loyal servant of Persia, Nehemiah brought to his mission a certain amount of ethnic/cultic colouring seen in certain aspects of his activities in Jerusalem, in particular in his use of Mosaic authority (but not of specific Mosaic laws). Nehemiah appealed to ancient Jerusalemite traditions in order to eliminate opposition to him from powerful local elite networks.

Behind the Scenes of the Old Testament

Behind the Scenes of the Old Testament
Author: Jonathan S. Greer
Publisher: Baker Academic
Total Pages: 956
Release: 2018-11-19
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1493415549

This authoritative volume brings together a team of world-class scholars to cover the full range of Old Testament backgrounds studies in a concise, up-to-date, and comprehensive manner. With expertise in various subdisciplines of Old Testament backgrounds, the authors illuminate the cultural, social, and historical contexts of the world behind the Old Testament. They introduce readers to a wide range of background materials, covering history, geography, archaeology, and ancient Near Eastern textual and iconographic studies. Meant to be used alongside traditional literature-based canonical surveys, this one-stop introduction to Old Testament backgrounds fills a gap in typical introduction to the Bible courses. It contains over 100 illustrations, including photographs, line drawings, maps, charts, and tables, which will facilitate its use in the classroom.

The Legacy of Israel in Judah's Bible

The Legacy of Israel in Judah's Bible
Author: Daniel E. Fleming
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 409
Release: 2012-07-30
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1139536877

The Legacy of Israel in Judah's Bible undertakes a comprehensive re-evaluation of the Bible's primary narrative in Genesis through Kings as it relates to history. It divides the core textual traditions along political lines that reveal deeply contrasting assumptions, an approach that places biblical controversies in dialogue with anthropologically informed archaeology. Starting from close study of selected biblical texts, the work moves toward historical issues that may be illuminated by both this material and a larger range of textual evidence. The result is a synthesis that breaks away from conventional lines of debate in matters relating to ancient Israel and the Bible, setting an agenda for future engagement of these fields with wider study of antiquity.

Encountering the Parables in Contexts Old and New

Encountering the Parables in Contexts Old and New
Author: T. E. Goud
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2022-08-25
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0567706168

The contributors to this book pursue three important lines of inquiry into parable study, in order to illustrate how these lessons have been received throughout the millennia. The contributors consider not only the historical and material world of the parables' composition, and focusing on the social, political, economic, and material reality of that world, but also seek to connect how the parables may have been seen and heard in ancient contexts with how they have been, and continue to be, seen and heard. Intentionally allowing for a “bounded openness” of approach and interpretation, these essays explore numerous contexts, encounters and responses. Examining topics ranging from ancient harvest imagery and dependency relations to contemporary experience with the narratives and lessons of the parables, this volume seeks to link those very real ancient contexts with our own varied modern contexts.

The Village in Antiquity and the Rise of Early Christianity

The Village in Antiquity and the Rise of Early Christianity
Author: Alan Cadwallader
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 473
Release: 2023-12-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0567695964

A complete geographical and thematic overview of the village in an antiquity and its role in the rise of Christianity. The volume begins with a “state-of-question” introduction by Thomas Robinson, assessing the interrelation of the village and city with the rise of early Christianity. Alan Cadwallader then articulates a methodology for future New Testament studies on this topic, employing a series of case studies to illustrate the methodological issues raised. From there contributors explore three areas of village life in different geographical areas, by means of a series of studies, written by experts in each discipline. They discuss the ancient near east (Egypt and Israel), mainland and Isthmian Greece, Asia Minor, and the Italian Peninsula. This geographic focus sheds light upon the villages associated with the biblical cities (Israel; Corinth; Galatia; Ephesus; Philippi; Thessalonica; Rome), including potential insights into the rural nature of the churches located there. A final section of thematic studies explores central issues of local village life (indigenous and imperial cults, funerary culture, and agricultural and economic life).