Cover image for An introduction to the Bible : sacred texts and imperial contexts
Title:
An introduction to the Bible : sacred texts and imperial contexts
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Publication Information:
Chichester, West Sussex, U.K. ; Malden, MA : Wiley-Blackwell, 2010
Physical Description:
xxi, 383 p. : ill. (some col.), col. maps ; 26 cm.
ISBN:
9781405167383
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30000010292967 BS445 C37 2010 Open Access Book Book
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Summary

Summary

This groundbreaking introductory textbook explores the emergence and development of the Bible, placing it in the broader context of world history. It particularly focuses on the role of a number of empires in the formation of the Biblical canon. Explores the historical role the Bible has played in subsequent empires, and its enduring influence in the contemporary world, resulting in a balanced overview of the historical forces that shaped the canon Explores topics including: the formation of the Pentateuch, the development of the earliest Old Testament stories, the historical study of the Gospel traditions surrounding Jesus; the influence of Roman rule in the provinces where Paul spent much of his ministry; and the interpretation of the Biblical texts and their use by different faith communities Incorporates numerous student-friendly features throughout, including study questions, review sections, bibliographies, timelines, and illustrations and photos


Author Notes

D AVID M. C ARR is Professor of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible at Union Theological Seminary in New York. His previous books include Reading the Fractures of Genesis: Historical and Literary Approaches (1996); The Erotic Word: Sexuality, Spirituality and the Bible (2003); and Writing on the Tablet of the Heart: Origins of Scripture and Literature (2005).

C OLLEEN M. C ONWAY is Professor of Religious Studies at Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey. Her books include Men and Women in the Fourth Gospel: Gender and Johannine Characterization (1999) and Behold the Man: Jesus and Greco Roman Masculinity (2008).


Table of Contents

List of Figures
List of Maps
List of Boxes
Preface
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
Overview of the Historical Period
Timeline
Prologue: Orientation to Multiple Bibles and Multiple Translations
1 Studying the Bible in Its Ancient Context(s)
2 The Emergence of Ancient Israel and Its First Oral Traditions
3 Echoes of Empire in Monarchal Israel
4 Narrative and Prophecy amidst the Rise and Fall of the Northern Kingdom
5 Torah and Other Texts Written in the Wake of the Assyrian Empire
6 Bible for Exiles: Promise and Story in the Neo-Babylonian Empire
7 Persian Empire and the Emergence of a Temple-Centered Jewish Community
8 Hellenistic Empires and the Formation of the Hebrew Bible
9 Studying the New Testament in Its Ancient Context
10 Paul and his Letters in the Roman Colonial Context
11 Mark's Story of Jesus in the Midst of Roman Retribution
12 The Gospel of Matthew: Defining Community in the Wake of Destruction
13 Negotiating the Empire in Luke-Acts
14 The Gospel of John and the Johannine Epistles: Turning Inward as a Strategy for Life in the Empire
15 Variations on Responses to Empire in other New Testament Writings
Epilogue: The Final Formation of the Jewish and Christian Bibles
Glossary
Index