The Cambridge Companion to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament

This Companion provides an outstanding introduction to the historical origins and literary character of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament.

Stephen B. Chapman (Edited by), Marvin A. Sweeney (Edited by)

9780521709651, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 11 July 2016

540 pages
22.8 x 15.1 x 3 cm, 0.77 kg

'It is a very sound guide to the current state of play in the study of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and should be widely welcomed.' John Barton, Church Times

This Companion offers a concise and engaging introduction to the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. Providing an up-to-date 'snapshot' of scholarship, it includes essays, specially commissioned for this volume, by twenty-three leading scholars. The volume examines a range of topics, including the historical and religious contexts for the contents of the biblical canon, and critical approaches and methods, as well as newer topics such as the Hebrew Bible in Islam, Western art and literature, and contemporary politics. This Companion is an excellent resource for students at university and graduate level, as well as for laypeople and scholars in other fields who would like to gain an understanding of the current state of the academic discussion. The book does not presume prior knowledge, nor does it engage in highly technical discussions, but it does go into greater detail than a typical introductory textbook.

Part I. Text and Canon: 1. Texts, titles, and translations James C. VanderKam
2. Collections, canons, and communities Stephen B. Chapman
Part II. Historical Background: 3. The ancient Near Eastern context Kenton L. Sparks
4. The history of Israelite religion Brent A. Strawn
5. The Hebrew Bible and history Marc Zvi Brettler
Part III. Methods and Approaches: 6. Historical-critical methods John J. Collins
7. Social science models Victor H. Matthews
8. Literary approaches to the Hebrew Bible Adele Berlin
Part IV. Subcollections and Genres: 9. The Pentateuch and Israelite law Thomas B. Dozeman
10. The former prophets and historiography Richard D. Nelson
11. The latter prophets and prophecy Marvin A. Sweeney
12. The Psalms and Hebrew poetry William P. Brown
13. Wisdom Samuel E. Balentine
14. Late historical books and rewritten history Ehud Ben Zvi
15. The biblical short story Lawrence M. Wills
16. Apocalyptic writings Stephen L. Cook
17. Deuterocanonical/apocryphal books Sharon Pace
Part V. Reception and Use: 18. The Hebrew Bible in Judaism Frederick E. Greenspahn
19. The Old Testament in Christianity R. W. L. Moberly
20. The Hebrew Bible in Islam Walid A. Saleh
21. The Hebrew Bible in art and literature David Lyle Jeffrey
22. The Old Testament in public: the Ten Commandments, evolution, and Sabbath closing laws Nancy J. Duff
23. The theology of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament John Goldingay.

Subject Areas: Judaism: sacred texts [HRJS], Judaism: worship, rites & ceremonies [HRJC], Judaism [HRJ], Biblical studies & exegesis [HRCG], Social & cultural history [HBTB], History: specific events & topics [HBT], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA], History: earliest times to present day [HBL]