Exploring the Bible

Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Pentateuch offers a clear overview of the "five books of Moses," as well as an introduction to the historical and textual questions that modern scholarship has posed and the answers it has proposed. This critically informed, textually sensitive introduction to the Pentateuch introduces students to, The basic features of the Pentateuch, The social world of the Bible, The latest scholarship on the composition of the Pentateuch, Literary techniques and forms, Theme, composition and rhetorical function of the Pentateuch. In this textbook you will find double-column formatting for ease of use, annotated bibliographies for further reading, sidebar explorations of select historical and textual topics in greater detail, a glossary of terms, and relevant charts and maps.

The historical books, from Joshua to Ezra and Nehemiah, form the narrative backbone of the Old Testament. Without them the Pentateuch would stop cold and the Prophets would hang in suspension. Even the Psalms and Wisdom literature would lose some of their luster for lack of a setting. Without these historical books the New Testament would be resolving an incomplete narrative, answering a question only half and hesitantly posed. For all these reasons and more, it is a tragic fact that many of us today cannot give a brief and coherent account of this story. We fear that books with names like Judges, Kings and Chronicles would bore us. But nothing could be further from the truth. For the story they tell is full of action and intrigue, tragedy and suspense, vivid characters and memorable events. They are the stuff of great art and literature, and they have inspired men and women to lives and deeds of uncommon faith and courage. Exploring these books is essential for a true education, whether religious or otherwise. In this guidebook, Philip E. Satterthwaite and J. Gordon McConville introduce us to the content and the context of these historical books. We view them within the setting of ancient history and history writing, and come to appreciate their literary artistry, their role within the Scriptures of Israel, and their lasting value as theological and ethical resources. Designed especially for students, Exploring the Old Testament, Volume 2: A Guide to the Historical Books overflows with interesting and helpful features that encourage avid exploration and the joy of learning.

Israel's poets and sages left a scriptural legacy that has powerfully shaped the worship, thoughts and actions of the people of God. In the highs and lows and crossroads of life, we instinctively turn to their poetry, proverbs and discourses for the language we do not possess and the wisdom we desperately seek. Yet there is more to this literature than meets the eye--or fills the momentary need. A study of the Bible's wisdom and poetry will dramatically enhance its power and effectiveness. From the depths of lament to the heights of praise, from the eroticism of the Song of Songs to the hard realism of Ecclesiastes, and from the aphorisms of Proverbs to the discourses of Job, this guide introduces readers to the ancient background, the literary artistry, and the varied and timeless messages of the Psalms and Wisdom literature. Ernest C. Lucas gives us an informed, illuminating and interactive introduction to this portion of Scripture. Sparkling with interest and geared to the needs of students, this is an excellent textbook introduction to the Psalms and Wisdom literature.

Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Prophets issues in critical interpretation the place of the prophetic books in the Old Testament canon the social location of biblical prophets contemporary applications of the prophetic books dates and destinations of the prophecies of each of the books theological contributions of the prophetic books an overview of literary criticism on the Prophets

• Jewish and Greco-Roman background • Paul's life, mission, and theology • the structure and major themes of each book • issues of authorship, date, and setting • methods in reading and interpreting the Letters and Revelation • the intersection of New Testament criticism with contemporary issues of faih and culture • the theological links between Jesus and Paul • the way New Testament authors read the Hebrew Scriptures • the contribution of archaeology to New Testament studies • updated bibliographies highlighting the most important and influential works published in the last decade

• Jewish and Greco-Roman background • literary genres and forms • issues of authorship, date, and setting • the content and major themes of each book • various approaches to the study of the Gospels and Acts • the intersection of New Testament criticism with contemporary faith and culture • the impact of social memory theory on Gospel studies • the relationship of John's Gospel to the Synoptics • recent work on characterization in narrative studies of the Gospels • the way the Hebrew Scriptures are read by the New Testament authors • the contribution of archaeology to New Testament studies • updated bibliographies highlighting the most important and influential works published in the last decade.