Synopses & Reviews
As in the widely popular Second Edition, this comprehensive and systematic text approaches the Bible from a literary/historical perspective, and studies the work as a body of writing produced by real people who intended to convey messages to a real audience. Avoiding assessments of the Bible's truth or authority, the authors maintain a rigorously objective tone as they discuss such major issues as the forms and strategies found in biblical writing, the actual historical and physical settings of that writing, the process of canon formation, the sources of the Pentateuch, and the nature of such literary biblical genres as prophecy, apocalypse, and gospel. Each chapter is an independent yet related essay, and the Third Edition has been updated and enhanced by two new chapters: "Ancient Near Eastern Literature and the Bible" and "The Text of the Bible." In addition, the reading lists following each chapter have been completely updated in order to reflect the most recent scholarship. The result is an easy-to-use, exciting presentation of the art of the Bible that is indispensable to students and accessible to readers of all kinds.
Synopsis
Authors Gabel and Wheeler approach the Bible from a literary/historical perspective, and study the work as a body of writing produced by real human beings who intended to convey messages to real readers. Avoiding assessments of the Bible's truth or authority, the book maintains a rigorously objective tone as it discusses such major issues as the forms and strategies of biblical writing, the actual historical and physical settings of that writing, the process of canon formation, the sources of the Pentaeuch, and the nature of such biblical literary genres as prophecy, apocalypse, and gospel. Each chapter is an independent yet related essay, designed to allow instructors maximum flexibility in using the text. The result is an easy-to-use, exciting presentation of the art of the Bible that is very accesible to students.
Synopsis
To say that the Bible is "literature" is to acknowledge that it was written by real human beings who lived in historical times and who had meanings they sought to convey to real readers. In this exciting new work, Gabel and Wheeler approach the Bible from a literary/historical perspective, offering insights into the literary forms and strategies of Biblical writing, its historical and physical settings, the process of canon formation, the sources of the Pentateuch, and the nature of biblical genres like propohecy, apocalypse, and gospel. The text also considers practical problems in the translation process, and compares a number of English versions. The rigorously neutral scholarship displayed in The Bible as Literature makes the literary art of the Bible accessible to people of all faiths.
Table of Contents
1. The Bible as Literature
2. Literary Forms and Strategies in the Bible
3. Ancient Near Eastern Literature and the Bible
4. The Bible and History
5. The Physical Setting of the Bible
6. The Formation of the Canon
7. The Composition of the Pentateuch
8. The Prophetic Writings
9. The Wisdom Literature
10. The Apocalyptic Literature
11. The Intertestamental Period
12. Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha: The Outside Books
13. The Gospels
14. Acts and the Letters
15. The Text of the Bible
16. Translating the Bible
17. The Religious Use and Interpretation of the Bible
Appendix I: The Name of Israel's God
Appendix II: Writing in Biblical Times
Index