Old Testament Studies: Pentateuch & Historical Literature

Joel S. Baden

• The Composition of the Pentateuch: Renewing the Documentary Hypothesis  

For well over two centuries the question of the composition of the Pentateuch has been among the most central and hotly debated issues in the field of biblical studies. In this book, Joel Baden presents a fresh and comprehensive argument for the Documentary Hypothesis. Critically engaging both older and more recent scholarship, he fundamentally revises and reorients the classical model of the formation of the Pentateuch.

 

Terence E. Fretheim

• The Pentateuch      

In this volume, Terence E. Fretheim seeks to introduce the Pentateuch to modern readers, stressing its continuing capacity to speak a word of--or about--God. The two chapters of Part One provide an orientation to the critical study of the Pentateuch and present a proposal for reading the Pentateuch in terms of its rhetorical strategy. That strategy, Fretheim argues, is designed in such a way as to have a certain effect upon its readers, most basically to shape their faith and life. The five chapters of Part Two focus on the individual books that comprise the Pentateuch.

 

Victor H. Matthews

• 101 Questions and Answers on the Historical Books of the Bible      

This volume provides easy to understand answers to commonly asked questions. In some cases this means going into depth on a biblical narrative. In other cases, the volume outlines brief summaries of historical events or the major nations and peoples that have an impact on the history of ancient Israel. Rounding out the collection are questions on the structure and plot of each of the historical books. Charts embedded into the text provide quick overviews of themes or information on extra-biblical sources.   

 

Roland E. Murphy

• Responses to 101 Questions on the Biblical Torah: Reflections on the Pentateuch    

Roland Murphy, one of the leading biblical scholars in the United States, answers everything you ever wanted to know about these important biblical books. He gives clear, easy-to-understand responses to the questions most frequently asked of a biblical scholar. To read this book is almost to have studied an encyclopedia on the basic biblical education every contemporary Christian should have. It will be ideal for classrooms, study groups, and whoever reads the Bible for spiritual richness.

 

Richard D. Nelson

• The Historical Books    

Nelson introduces readers to the basic concepts of history and historical writing and provides a simple framework of events and periods that can be used to situate historical data reported in texts or presupposed by them. Standard interpretive methods are accessibly explained and illustrated by consistent reference to 2 Samuel 24. The focus of discussion moves from the narrow level of individual pericope to larger units of meaning. Because the goal is to expose the claims made on the reader by these biblical texts and to help the reader make sense of these claims, the interpretive spotlight rests on the present interaction of text and reader rather than on the past.

 

Jean-Louis Ska

• Introduction to Reading the Pentateuch   

When Jean Louis Ska’s Introduzione alla lettura del Pentateuco was first published in Italy, it was quickly hailed as the most attractive and usable introduction to the Pentateuch to appear in modern times. The English translation has been completely reviewed and updated. Among the book’s many strengths are its close attention to the ways in which modern cultural history has affected Pentateuchal interpretation, attention to providing the kinds of examples that are helpful to students, presentation of a good balance between the history of interpretation and the data of the text, and the clarity of Ska’s writing. For both students and scholars, many consider this book the best contemporary introduction to the Pentateuch.