From Dan to Beersheba and Beyond


Book Description

From Dan to Beersheba and Beyond is a series of spiritual observations and opinions from an aging pastor on his first trip to Palestine. Traveling with a study group from Dallas Theological Seminary, this Maine pastor finally gets to experience the biblical places and times he has imagined since childhood and has studied and taught throughout his adult years. Pastor Blackstone shares insights and highlights from this thirty-year dream, joined by his daughter Marnie, the heroine of two previous books, Rendezvous in Paris and Though One Go with Me. Travel with this father-daughter team from the slopes of Mount Hermon in the north to the shores of the Red Sea in the south on this spectacular pilgrimage to the Holy Land of Israel. Journey from the modern city of Tel Aviv in the west to the ancient city of Jericho in the east to explore the biblical people and places that make this land unique. Experience picking five stones from the stream in Elah like David, witness the beauty of the Jezreel Valley from the top of Mount Carmel as Elijah did, climb Masada, and stand on Mount Moriah where the Jerusalem temple once stood. Swim in the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea, drink water from the spring where Gideon tested his famous band of three hundred, wade the waters of the Gihon Spring through Hezekiah's Tunnel, and wander the shores of the Mediterranean Sea at Caesarea. Visit the ancient cities of Nazareth, Capernaum, Bethlehem, Chorazin, Bethsaida, Megiddo, Caesarea Philippi, and of course, Dan and Beersheba. If you have ever wanted to make this spiritual journey, From Dan to Beersheba and Beyond will whet your appetite for your own biblical adventure.




Early American Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases


Book Description

p.B. J. Whiting savors proverbial expressions and has devoted much of his lifetime to studying and collecting them; no one knows more about British and American proverbs than he. The present volume, based upon writings in British North America from the earliest settlements to approximately 1820, complements his and Archer Taylor's Dictionary of American Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, 1820-1880. It differs from that work and from other standard collections, however, in that its sources are primarily not "literary" but instead workaday writings - letters, diaries, histories, travel books, political pamphlets, and the like. The authors represent a wide cross-section of the populace, from scholars and statesmen to farmers, shopkeepers, sailors, and hunters. Mr. Whiting has combed all the obvious sources and hundreds of out-of-the-way publications of local journals and historical societies. This body of material, "because it covers territory that has not been extracted and compiled in a scholarly way before, can justly be said to be the most valuable of all those that Whiting has brought together," according to Albert B. Friedman. "What makes the work important is Whiting's authority: a proverb or proverbial phrase is what BJW thinks is a proverb or proverbial phrase. There is no objective operative definition of any value, no divining rod; his tact, 'feel, ' experience, determine what's the real thing and what is spurious."




Spiritual Watchers over the Nations


Book Description

Gods call to intercede for the nations came simply in the words of Psalms 2:8: Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. Actually, praying for each nation can be a daunting task. Breaking down nations into cities, towns, villages, and inhabitants can be even more overwhelming. God, in His mercy, has shown a way to move His hand in prayer so He will deploy angelic assistance in the form of spiritual watchers over each nation. They will amplify the intercessors efforts, strengthen the body of Christ, and go anywhere God sends them, with none of the limitations to which humans are subjected.













Preaching Difficult Texts of the Old Testament


Book Description

Practical, homiletical advice for preachers on some of the most challenging genres of Scripture What should a preacher do when facing a genealogy while preaching the book of Genesis? How should one handle the geographically rich chapters of Joshua? What about all those laborious architectural details on the tabernacle in Exodus? From the theologically complex to the well-worn narrative, from the long pericopes to the tiniest archaeological details, this book seeks to give honest, practical advice that will better equip preachers to tackle such topics. Each chapter includes an introduction of the difficult passages, definition and examples of the difficult passages, function/purpose of the difficult passages, and how to preach the difficult passages. Chapter topics include:Preaching the GenealogiesPreaching the LawPreaching the Lists and Construction DetailsPreaching the Violent Texts and ImprecationsPreaching the Sexually Explicit TextsPreaching the GeographyPreaching Intertextuality and Complex Language IssuesPreaching the Well-Worn StoriesPreaching Theologically Complex or Controversial PassagesPreaching Long Pericopes




History, Politics and the Bible from the Iron Age to the Media Age


Book Description

As biblical studies becomes increasingly fragmented, this collection of essays brings together a number of leading scholars in order to show how historical reconstruction, philology, metacriticism, and reception history can be part of a collective vision for the future of the field. This collection of essays focuses more specifically on critical questions surrounding the construction of ancient Israel(s), 'minimalism', the ongoing significance of lexicography, the development of early Judaism, orientalism, and the use of the Bible in contemporary political discourses. Contributors include John van Seters, Niels Peter Lemche, Ingrid Hjelm, and Philip R. Davies.




Fifty Major Cities of the Bible


Book Description

From the ruins of the ancient seaside city of Acco, to the small but archaeologically important town of Yokneam, Fifty Major Cities of the Bible provides readers with a comprehensive guide to the ancient cities that played a vital role in the world from which the Bible originated. Not only covering renowned cities such as Jerusalem and Jericho, the book also includes lesser known towns like Aroer, Beth-Zur and Gibeah, which have all provided their own valuable contributions to the way in which we now understand the biblical world. A fascinating, easy-to-follow text, key features include: * the biblical context of each city or town * a summary of its known archeological history * non-biblical references to the site * photographs and illustrations * a concise bibliography for further reading Also provided is a handy reference map to the major archaeological sites in Israel, as well as chronological tables for easy reference. Concise, informative and high accessible, Fifty Major Cities of the Bible is a superb overview of the cities and towns that made up the Biblical world, and an essential resource for students and enthusiasts.




Biblical Ideas of Nationality


Book Description

Annotation In this collection of essays, drawn from more than a decade of study and publication, Steven Grosby investigates ancient texts (biblical and other) from the perspective of philosophical anthropology. His work is pioneering and provocative and points the way to further research on the idea of nationality in ancient times.