"For generations, the book of Genesis has been treated by scholars as a collection of documents by various hands, expressing different factional interests, with borrowings from other ancient literatures that mark the text as derivative. In other words, academic interpretation of Genesis has centered on the question of its basic coherency, just as fundamentalist interpretation has centered on the question of the appropriateness of reading it as literally...

"The Hebrew Scriptures, or "Old Testament" as Christians call it, has given the world some of the greatest literature known. With this fresh introduction, cutting-edge biblical scholars bring ancient Israel to brilliant Technicolor life. Readers will learn of unlikely heroes and courageous women, royal intrigues and slave rebellions, doubtful prophets and lovesick poets, bloody battles and miraculous triumphs. These retellings will delight observant...

An entirely original translation of the Holy Scriptures, made directly from the traditional Hebrew text into the language of contemporary English speakers.

In this powerful book, Walter Brueggemann moves the discussion of Old Testament theology beyond the dominant models of previous generations. Brueggemann focuses on the metaphor and imagery of the courtroom trial in order to regard the theological substance of the Old Testament, as a series of claims asserted for Yahweh, the God of Israel. This provides a context that attends to pluralism in every dimension of the interpretive process and suggests...

"Toba Spitzer's God Is Here is a thoughtful exploration of the idea of God and how we can reconsider the deity through metaphors and daily practices."--

Both a heart-racing adventure and an uplifting quest, Walking the Bible describes one man's epic odyssey--by foot, jeep, rowboat, and camel--through the greatest stories ever told. From crossing the Red Sea to climbing Mount Sinai to touching the burning bush, Bruce Feiler's inspiring journey will forever change your view of some of history's most storied events.

Retells thirteen Old Testament stories, including "The Creation," "Joseph and His Brothers," "King Solomon's Judgement," and "Jonah and the Great Fish."

"An essential exploration of a rich literary tradition from the Bible to modern times, by a "rare literary authority" (New York Times Book Review). Jews have long embraced their identity as "the people of the book." But outside of the Bible, much of the Jewish literary tradition remains little known. The People and the Books shows how central questions and themes of our history and culture are reflected in the Jewish literary canon: the nature of...

"A book that begins before Adam and ends after us. In this magisterial work, figures of the Bible and its whole outline emerge in a new light: one that is often astonishing and disquieting, as indeed is the book from which they originate"--

Although scholars have for centuries primarily been interested in using the study of ancient Israel to explain, illuminate, and clarify the biblical story, Megan Bishop Moore and Brad E. Kelle describe how scholars today seek more and more to tell the story of the past on its own terms, drawing from both biblical and extrabiblical sources to illuminate ancient Israel and its neighbors without privileging the biblical perspective. Biblical History...