Synopses & Reviews
Ancient Israel by Roland de Vaux, now considered by many to be a modern classic, offers a fascinating, full-scale reconstruction of the social and religious life of Israel in Old Testament times. Drawing principally from the text of the Old Testament itself, as well as from archaeological evidence and information gathered from the historical study of Israel's neighbors, de Vaux first provides an extensive introduction to the nomadic nature of life in ancient Israel and then traces in detail the development of Israel's most important institutionsfamily, civil, military, and religious - and their influence on the nation's life and history.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [519]-552) and indexes.
Table of Contents
Introduction : nomadism and its survival -- Family institutions. The family ; Marriage ; The position of women, widows ; Children ; Succession and inheritance ; Death and funeral rites -- Civil institutions. Population ; The free population : its divisions ; Slaves ; The Israelite concept of the state ; The person of the king ; The royal household ; The principal officials of the king ; The administration of the kingdom ; Finance and public works ; Law and justice ; Economic life ; Divisions of time ; Weights and measures -- Military institutions. The armies of Israel ; Fortified cities and siege warfare ; Armaments ; War ; The holy war -- Religious institutions. Semitic sanctuaries ; The first Israelite sanctuaries ; The temple at Jerusalem ; The centralization of the cult ; The priestly office ; The Levites ; The priesthood in Jerusalem under the monarchy ; The priesthood after the exile ; Altars ; The ritual of sacrifice ; The history of sacrifice in Israel ; The origin of Israelite ritual ; The religious significance of sacrifice ; Secondary acts of the cult ; The liturgical calendar ; The Sabbath day ; The ancient feasts of Israel ; The later feasts.