Stockmen from Tekoa, Sycamores from Sheba

Stockmen from Tekoa, Sycamores from Sheba
Author: Richard C. Steiner
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 172
Release: 2023-09-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1666786888

In this brief but far-ranging book, Steiner addresses key issues concerning the descriptions of Amos's occupations. It features a thorough linguistic analysis of each relevant term or phrase, analyses of the how such professions were carried out, and an examination of the social role and standing of those so engaged. S. convincingly solves the apparent contradiction of Amos's claim to be a "cattleman" (boqer, 7:14) and his being taken "from behind the flock" (so'n, 7:15). Moreover, Steiner finds Amos's life as a stockman to be compatible with that of a harvester of sycomore figs (boles siqmim, 7:14; note the spelling "sycomore," to differentiate between ficus sycomorus and the unrelated "sycamore" of North America and Europe).

The Production of Prophecy

The Production of Prophecy
Author: Diana Vikander Edelman
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 246
Release: 2014-12-18
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1317490312

The Persian and Hellenistic periods saw the production and use of a variety of authoritative texts in Israel. 'The Production of Prophecy' brings together a range of influential biblical scholars to examine the construction of prophecy and prophetic books during the Persian period. Drawing on methodological and comparative research and studies of particular biblical texts, the volume explores biblical prophecy as a written phenomenon, examining the prophets of the past, setting this within the general history of Yehud. The relationship between prophetic and other authoritative, written texts is explored, as well as the general social and ideological setting in which the prophetic books emerged.

1 Kings 16 - 2 Kings 16

1 Kings 16 - 2 Kings 16
Author: Steve McKenzie
Publisher: Kohlhammer Verlag
Total Pages: 567
Release: 2018-12-19
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 3170340417

This volume makes use of diverse methods and approaches to offer fresh treatments of 1 Kings 16 - 2 Kings 16 both synchronically and diachronically. Among its major contributions are a detailed text-critical analysis that frequently adopts readings of the Old Greek and Old Latin and, at the same time, a reexamination of the variant chronologies for the kings of Israel and Judah that argues for the priority of the one in the Masoretic Text. The book presents a new theory of the compositional history of these chapters that ascribes them mostly to the hand of a postexilic "Prophetic Narrator" who reworked older legenda, especially about Elisha, and effectively shaped Kings into the work we have today.

Reading the Bible in Ancient Traditions and Modern Editions

Reading the Bible in Ancient Traditions and Modern Editions
Author: Andrew B. Perrin
Publisher: SBL Press
Total Pages: 747
Release: 2017-11-17
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0884142531

A collection of essays commemorating the career contributions of Peter W. Flint An international group of scholars specializing in various disciplines of biblical studies—Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Second Temple Judaism, and Christian origins—present twenty-seven new contributions that commemorate the career of Peter W. Flint (1951–2016). Each essay interacts with and gives fresh insight into a field shaped by Professor Flint’s life work. Part 1 explores the interplay between text-critical methods, the growth and formation of the Hebrew Scriptures, and the making of modern critical editions. Part 2 maps dynamics of scriptural interpretation and reception in ancient Jewish and Christian literatures of the Second Temple period. Features Essays that assess the state of the field and reflect on the methods, aims, and best practices for textual criticism and the making of modern critical text editions Demonstrations of how the processes of scriptural composition, transmission, and reception converge and may be studied together for mutual benefit Clarification of the state/forms of scripture in antiquity and how scripture was extended, rewritten, and recontextualized by ancient Jewish and Christian scribes and communities

Rethinking the Prophetic Critique of Worship in Amos 5 for Contemporary Nigeria and the USA

Rethinking the Prophetic Critique of Worship in Amos 5 for Contemporary Nigeria and the USA
Author: Michael Ufok Udoekpo
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2016-12-14
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1498297315

Father Udoekpo's work offers a thorough review of the theology of worship in the work of Amos of Tekoa, one of Israel's foundational prophets. It critically examines Amos 5 in its socio-historical and literary context and theologically reevaluates the application of Amos's message of ethical worship, judgment, and hope to two contemporary cultures: Nigeria and the United States of America. While intentionally down to earth and engaging in society and religion, this work discusses in a thoughtful and detailed exegetical manner the various sub-units of lamentation (vv. 1-3), the motifs of the remnant, the exhortation to the seek the Lord, justice and righteousness (vv. 4-6; 14-15, 24), judgment, and the notion of the Day of the Lord (vv. 18-20) as they relate to the theology of worship (vv. 21-27) in Amos 5. The author pastorally draws the reader's attention to Amos' view that worship must not be restricted to hypocritical offerings, empty rituals, and songs at sanctuaries, but needs to incorporate ethics of justice, peace, and righteousness practiced in marketplaces and plazas.

Tel Dan in Its Northern Cultic Context

Tel Dan in Its Northern Cultic Context
Author: Andrew R. Davis
Publisher: Society of Biblical Lit
Total Pages: 227
Release: 2013-11-04
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1589839293

This work presents in detail a description of archaeological data from the Iron II temple complex at Tel Dan in northern Israel. Davis analyzes the archaeological remains from the ninth and eighth centuries, paying close attention to how the temple functioned as sacred space. Correlating the archaeological data with biblical depictions of worship, especially the “textual strata” of 1 Kings 18 and the book of Amos, Davis argues that the temple was the site of “official” and family religion and that worship at the temple became increasingly centralized. Tel Dan's role in helping reconstruct ancient Israelite religion, especially distinctive religious traditions of the northern kingdom, is also considered.

Josiah's Reform and the Dynamics of Defilement

Josiah's Reform and the Dynamics of Defilement
Author: Lauren A. S. Monroe
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2011-06-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0199775362

Lauren Monroe argues that the use of cultic and ritual language in the account of the Judean King Josiah's reforms in 2 Kings 22-23 is key to understanding the history of the text's composition, and illuminates the essential, interrelated processes of textual growth and identity construction in ancient Israel.

The Moral Vision of Proverbs

The Moral Vision of Proverbs
Author: Timothy J. Sandoval
Publisher: Baker Books
Total Pages: 413
Release: 2024-04-16
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1493444646

Wisdom literature is an unfamiliar genre to modern readers and presents many interpretive challenges. In this major new work, respected wisdom scholar Timothy Sandoval argues that the book of Proverbs, though difficult to access for some, provides a coherent moral vision for human flourishing. The approach Sandoval argues for in The Moral Vision of Proverbs is that of virtue ethics, or character ethics, particularly that which emerges from the classical tradition of Aristotle (as opposed to reading the book, intentionally or unintentionally, through the lenses of modern ethical systems). Sandoval engages with specialists in this ethical tradition as well as biblical scholars to make his case that Proverbs is an ancient, virtue-oriented moral discourse. This comprehensive critical study of Proverbs analyzes the book's major topics and strives to discern the moral and philosophical presuppositions and logic of its rhetoric, all the while engaging past and present interpretive approaches. Although authored by a Christian scholar, this text will be of great interest to a broadly ecumenical audience, whether students of the Old Testament/Tanakh/Hebrew Bible, biblical scholars, or Christian ethicists and moral theologians.

Ethical Dimensions of the Prophets

Ethical Dimensions of the Prophets
Author: Joseph Jensen
Publisher: Liturgical Press
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2006
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780814659830

Do the Old Testament prophets have a stake in modern ethics? They had a great impact in shaping Israel's ethics, and they should also have an impact on ours, writes biblical scholar Joseph Jensen. In Ethical Dimensions of the Prophets, Jensen shows us how the prophets never soft-peddled God's message. Jeremiah lashed out against a tyrannical king. Hosea accused Israel of harlotry for worshiping false gods. And Amos railed about the God's wrath because Israel failed to behave compassionately toward the weak and the poor. Jensen wants readers to hear the prophets in their own terms as they addressed their biblical contemporaries. Yet he asserts that the teachings of the prophets contain valuable lessons for us to ponder and apply today, particularly when it comes to social justice. This book is designed for readers eager to move beyond an introductory understanding of the Bible.

Rethinking Biblical Scholarship

Rethinking Biblical Scholarship
Author: Philip R. Davies
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 301
Release: 2014-09-03
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1317544439

"Rethinking Biblical Scholarship" brings together seminal essays to provide readers with an assessment of the archaeological and exegetical research which has transformed the discipline of biblical studies over the last two decades. The essays focus on history and historiography, exploring how scholarly constructs and ideologies mould historical, literary and cultural data and shape scholarly discourse. Most of the essays illustrate the development of what has been called a "minimalist" methodology. Among the many central topics examined are the formation of the Jewish scriptural canon and how the concepts of "prophecy" and "apocalypse" illuminate the emergence of Judaism in the late Persian and Hellenistic periods.