The Chronicler in His Age


Book Description

In The Chronicler in His Age, the content of the book of Chronicles characterizes a range of information and concentrates on the nature and composition of Judah and Jerusalem. Ackroyd also notes that the Chronicler had a deep concern for those who were exiled and the theology that also was a part of their lives. By being designated as “the Chronicler,” the theory of the author being in a central point is given, but according to Ackroyd, that idea must be made accurate so that we can have a larger view of the interpretation that is a part of that period of time.




The Chronicler in His Age


Book Description




An Ancient Israelite Historian


Book Description

“Kalimi, one of the esteemed specialists of the Chronicler’s work... has provided us an intriguing historical and theological study about the Chronicler’s work that will surely provoke further discussion.” — Stefan Beyerle, In: Journal for the Study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic and Roman Period 37 (2006). “Among Biblical scholars of Jewish background, Kalimi shows an outstanding ability to see and draw relationships between original passages and sources as well as ancient and modern commentaries.... Kalimi accomplished what he promised in the title of the book: to demonstrate that the Chronicler is “an ancient Israelite historian.'" - Chen Yiyi, In: Journal of Ancient Civilizations 24 (2009). “The book is another important contribution to the study of Chronicles by an eminent expert on that field, and as such is indispensable on every scholar’s desk, not only in the field of Chronicles but also for everyone with an interest in biblical historiography in general.” – M. Marciak, In: The Polish Journal of Biblical Research 8 (2009). “Professor Kalimi is to be congratulated for these two works, which are perhaps the finest analysis of Chronicles in the recent decades. Tons of ink has been spent on discussions that have gone above basic questions that the author has analyzed point by point, and no doubt studies in the future have come in the work of Kalimi a base and inescapable benchmark for discussions.” – J.M. Tebes, In: Antiguo Oriente 8 (2010).




The Chronicler's Genealogies


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Tradition and Transformation in the Book of Chronicles


Book Description

This monograph contributes to a better understanding of the Book of Chronicles. The past forty years have seen a complete transformation in the study of the Book of Chronicles. The former domination of Chronicles by parallel texts in the Books of Samuel and Kings made way for studying the historical, sociological, literary, theological, and ideological aspects of Chronicles in their own right. This book/document is now increasingly recognized as being of major interest to the Second Temple Period. Reading the book of Chronicles, it appears that the Chronicler is constantly transforming Israel's tradition(s) into a new theological and ideological system. In this study, attention is, therefore, paid both to specific texts, such as 1 Chronicles 17; 21; 2 Chronicles 20; 26, and to particular central themes, such as the special function of Jerusalem, and the peculiar way of how the Chronicler presents prophets, war narratives, and genealogies.




King Manasseh and Child Sacrifice


Book Description

The Hebrew Bible portrays King Manasseh and child sacrifice as the most reprehensible person and the most objectionable practice within the story of 'Israel'. This monograph suggests that historically, neither were as deviant as the Hebrew Bible appears to insist. Through careful historical reconstruction, it is argued that Manasseh was one of Judah's most successful monarchs, and child sacrifice played a central role in ancient Judahite religious practice. The biblical writers, motivated by ideological concerns, have thus deliberately distorted the truth about Manasseh and child sacrifice.




The Shape of the Writings


Book Description

Are the Writings a miscellaneous collection of books, as is so often asserted, or do they have a purposeful design or arrangement? Over the past 35 years, there has been a significant amount of scholarly interest in the shape of the Law, Former Prophets, Twelve Minor Prophets and the Psalms, while examinations of the shape of the Writings were almost nonexistent until very recently. The 11 essays in this volume explore this often-neglected issue from a variety of critical perspectives—reader-centered approaches, canonical, structural-canonical, and redactional—made more robust by the mix of German- and English-language scholarship on this question, including 4 articles translated from German into English. Essays range from the historical development of the collection, to analysis of the collection’s different arrangements, to the relationship of books and subcollections within the Writings, to the reception of the collection in Jewish and Christian sources. Every book in the Writings is discussed, with particular attention given to Job, Ruth, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. The volume closes with 3 critical responses from John Barton, Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, and Christopher Seitz.




Hezekiah and the Dialogue of Memory


Book Description

Hezekiah is a critical figure in the Hebrew Bible, which credits him with major political, social, and religious reforms in Judah’s history and the weathering of a major crisis in the invasion of the Assyrians under their emperor, Sennacherib. Examining the different accounts of Hezekiah’s reign in 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, and Isaiah, Song-Mi Suzie Park describes a “Hezekiah complex” that developed over a long time, in which the figure of Hezekiah served as a symbol for the vicissitudes of Judah’s history. The king could be understood as a positive reformer of the “pagan” ways of the country, or as a sinner, at least partly responsible for the threats and disasters that befell Judah, from Sennacherib’s invasion through the Babylonian exile more than a century later. By showing how the stories about Hezekiah developed over time through a process of response and counterresponse, forming at the end a dialogue of memory, Park elucidates the ways in which biblical stories in general function as loci of continual dialogue, dispute, and discussion.




Prophets, Prophecy, and Ancient Israelite Historiography


Book Description

The 18 essays by members of the Canadian Society for Biblical Studies published in this volume showcase the work of leading authorities on ancient Israelite and Jewish historiography as it intersects with the phenomenon of prophecy. A deep divide exists between the traditions of historiography and prophecy in the academic study of the Hebrew Bible, and the concern of the contributors is to close that gap, to expose the close relationship between these two traditions in the literature of the Hebrew Bible. The first section of the book explores prophecy and prophets in ancient Israelite and Jewish historiographic books (Torah, Deuteronomistic History, Chronicles, Ezra–Nehemiah, Second Temple Jewish historiography). The second section surveys historiography in Israelite and Jewish prophetic books (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Book of the Twelve, Daniel, 1 Enoch). The contributors engage diverse methodological perspectives in these studies, the goal first being to show the role that the prophets played within the great Hebrew historiographic works and, second, to demonstrate the role that historiography plays within the great Hebrew prophetic works; this makes it clear that the influence is bidirectional. Prophets, Prophecy, and Ancient Israelite Historiography will be of value for advanced students and scholars working on historiographic and prophetic materials in the ancient Israelite and Jewish traditions, featuring the best of research and analysis and interacting with many major ancient literary traditions of historiography and prophecy.




An Annotated Guide to Biblical Resources for Ministry


Book Description

"David Bauer's Annotated Guide to Biblical Resources for Ministry is without doubt the most complete and up-to-date practical bibliographic compendium on the Bible now available. All interpreters of Scripture--pastors and teachers--will find the information provided here useful and accessible. Especially valuable are the annotations of selected books, which offer careful and informed judgments about the usefulness of the works and provide succinct, but informative and accurate, descriptions and evaluations of each book. While Bauer is a New Testament teacher, his choices and assessments in the Old Testament bibliography are as good as any Old Testament scholar could produce. I do not know of any comparable work for pastors and teachers." --Patrick D. Miller, Charles T. Haley Professor of Old Testament Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary "This is one of those rare bibliographic guides that every student of religion, seminarian, and minister will want to have on his or her bookshelf. The focus of this guide is on biblical studies. It contains entries on 2,200 books written by 1,300 scholars. Annotations describe and evaluate books that are highly recommended. Virtually every topic in biblical studies is noted: commentaries on each book of the Bible; biblical histories, theologies, and ethics; books on the canon, archaeology, early Judaism, and interpretive methods; and technical books such as grammars, concordances, Bible dictionaries, and atlases. The great strength of this guide is not only that it provides the reader with a wealth of information but also that the format it follows is eminently reader-friendly. The Guide is invaluable for assisting the student, seminarian, or minister in building a personal library. I highly recommend it! --Jack Dean Kingsbury, Professor Emeritus of Biblical Theology, Union Theological Seminary in Virginia This book provides pastors and church workers with a map for navigating the maze of biblical studies. It offers an extensive list of resources, with helpful comments and recommendations that help readers discover which books will be of most interest to them. The consistent focus is on volumes that are attentive to faith concerns and thus most promising for use within faith communities. A valuable tool for any minister or church worker committed to taking the Bible seriously! --Mark Allan Powell, Professor of New Testament, Trinity Lutheran Seminary