Synopses & Reviews
Designed for students undertaking their first systematic study of the Hebrew Bible, this text has two goals: to acquaint readers with the content and major themes of the biblical documents, and to introduce them to issues in biblical scholarship. Pedagogically rich and reader-friendly, this text was designed for conventional introductory courses using historical-critical methodology, and will also be useful in courses studying the Bible as literature, or as a reference text in the study of ancient religion.
About the Author
Stephen L. Harris is Professor Emeritus of Humanities and Religious Studies at California State University, Sacramento, where he served ten years as department chair. A Woodrow Wilson Fellow, he received his M.A. and Ph.D. from Cornell University. A member of the American Academy of Religion and the Jesus Seminar, his publications include Understanding the Bible, The Old Testament: An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, and The New Testament: A Students Introduction. He has also written books on geologic hazards, including Fire and Ice: The Cascade and Mono Lake Volcanoes, Agents of Chaos: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Other Geologic Hazards, and, for National Geographic Books, Restless Earth. He contributed the chapter on “Archaeology and Volcanism” to the new Encyclopedia of Volcanoes (Academic Press, 2000).
Table of Contents
Part I: The Hebrew Bible: An Overview 1. The Hebrew Bible: A Composite Portrait of God and the Divine-Human Relationship 2. The Process of Formation: The Transmission, Canonization, and Translation of the Biblical Text Part II: The Biblical World: Culture and Religion 3. The Ancient Near East: The Environment that Produced the Bible 4. The God of Israel: An Evolving Portrait Part III: The Torah 5. Who Wrote the "Books of Moses"? 6. The Five Books of Torah (Divine Instruction) 7. In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis 8. Freedom and Responsibility: The Book of Exodus 9. Regulating the Divine-Human Bond: The Books of Leviticus and Numbers 10. A Mosaic Legacy: The Book of Deuteronomy Part IV: The Prophets (Nevi'im) I 11. Introduction to the Deuteronomistic History 12. The Origins of Israel: The Book of Joshua 13. YHWH and Baal: The Book of Judges 14. The Birth of the Monarchy: The Books of 1 and 2 Samuel 15. Parallel Stories of Israel and Judah: The Books of 1 and 2 Kings Part V: The Prophets (Nevi'im) II 16. The Nature and Function of Israelite Prophecy 17. Prophets to the Northern Kingdom: The Books of Amos and Hosea 18. The Assyrian Crisis: Isaiah of Jerusalem, Micah, Zephaniah, and Nahum 19. The Babylonian Threat: The Books of Habakkuk, Jeremiah, and Obadiah 20. Prophets in Exile: Ezekiel and Second Isaiah 21. After the Exile: Israel's Last Prophets: Haggai, Zechariah, Third Isaiah, Joel, Malachi, and Jonah Part VI: The Writings (Kethuvim) 22. Introduction to the Writings: Reevaluating Israel's Life with God 23. The Postexilic Readjustment: The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah 24. Hebrew Poetry and The Book of Psalms 25. Israel's Wisdom Writers: Seeking God in Cosmos and Society: Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes 26. Four Books of the Megillot (Festival Scrolls): Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, and Esther 27. Reinterpreting Israel's History: 1 and 2 Chronicles 28. Keeping Torah in a Hostile World: The Diaspora, the Maccabean Revolt, Apocalyptism, and the Visions of Daniel Part VII: Additions to the Hebrew Bible: The Deuterocanonical Books 29. Introduction to the Apocrypha 30. The Pseudepigrapha: Noncanonical Writings of the Late Biblical Period 31. The Wars Against Rome and the Destruction of the Jewish State Glossary Bibliography