The First Book of Samuel


Book Description

David and Goliath, the call of Samuel, the witch of Endor, David and Bathsheba — such biblical stories are well known. But the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, where they are recorded, are among the most difficult books in the Bible. The Hebrew text is widely considered corrupt and sometimes even unintelligible. The social and religious customs are strange and seem to diverge from the tradition of Moses. In this first part of an ambitious two-volume commentary on the books of Samuel, David Toshio Tsumura sheds considerable light on the background of 1 Samuel, looking carefully at the Philistine and Canaanite cultures, as he untangles the difficult Hebrew text.




The Books of Samuel


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The Old Testament Problem


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The Books of Samuel


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The Character of the Syriac Version of the First Book of Samuel


Book Description

Textual critics and biblical scholars recognize the need to understand the unique character of a biblical version before comparing its readings to the Masoretic Text. This study focuses on the character of the Syriac version of 1 Samuel and its relationship to the MT, the LXX, Targum Jonathan and the Hebrew texts from Qumran. Readings that are unique to this version are organized so as to expose its translation techniques, exegesis, and other characteristics. Readings that agree with the LXX and Targum Jonathan against the MT are evaluated with a view to detecting traces of influence from these versions. This study will assist biblical scholars, text critics, and students of the Peshitta who wish to learn more about a particular reading or about the Peshitta’s overall character.




Community


Book Description

Community provides a constructive collection of essays offering biblical and theological reflections on the topic of community in honor of the Mennonite Old Testament scholar August H. Konkel’s seventieth birthday. As such, Community follows the trajectory of Gus’s own myriad contributions to scholarship that have been intentionally engaged both on behalf of and as a lively and constructive member of such community. These essays present forays across the spectrum of biblical and theological studies that intersect with the many contributions of Gus’s life work.




The Bible and Criticism in Victorian Britain


Book Description

This book contains the F.D. Maurice lectures for 1992 and six Gifford lectures of 1994. The Maurice lectures present the first account of Maurice as an Old Testament interpreter. The lectures on Smith concentrate upon his theological interests as an interpreter of the Bible, as well as the first account based on unpublished material of Smith's activity as a preacher. There is also a close investigation of Smith's links with Germany, and the influence upon him of Richard Rothe is investigated in some detail for the first time. One of the aims of the book is to show how, in their different ways, Maurice and Smith tried to relate the Old Testament to the two different periods of Victorian Britain in which they lived. The book also is intended as a further contribution to our knowledge of the history of biblical criticism in Britain.