The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures - Softcover

Coogan, Michael D.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195139119 ISBN 13: 9780195139112

Publisher: OUP USA, 2005

Synopsis

Lucidly written by a leading biblical scholar, this balanced, engaging, and up-to-date introduction to the Hebrew scriptures distills the best of current scholarship. Employing the narrative chronology of the Bible itself and the history of the ancient Near East as a framework, author Michael D. Coogan covers all the books of the Hebrew Bible, along with the deuterocanonical books included in the Bible used by many Christians. He treats every book of the canon with careful attention to its historical context, its particular genre, and its distinctive features. Dealing in detail with ancient Near Eastern sources and archaeological data, Coogan works from a primarily historical and critical methodology but also introduces readers to literary analysis and other interpretive strategies, especially current ones. The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures is enhanced by a glossary, timelines, photos, illustrations, maps, and a four-color insert on Jerusalem in biblical times. Strategically placed boxes address issues that often puzzle readers of the Bible, provide models of interpretation of particular texts, and discuss their significance for Judaism and Christianity. Each chapter includes key terms, questions for review and discussion, and suggestions for further reading. Providing a non-denominational and non-doctrinal treatment, The Old Testament is accessible to students of all backgrounds. It offers a unique and captivating introduction to the Hebrew scriptures themselves and to how they have been—and can be—interpreted.

About this title

Review

This comprehensive introduction to the Old Testament...is very lucidly written... The great skill of the author is in covering a huge amount of material in an unhurried and systematic way, at every point directing the reader's interest to sources which will further enrich his or her study. To be highly recommended to classes beginning Old Testament study. (Expository Times)

About the Author

Michael D. Coogan is Lecturer on the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible at the Harvard Divinity School and Director of Publications for the Harvard Semitic Museum. He is the author of A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament, Third Edition (2015), A Reader of Ancient Near Eastern Texts (2012), and The Old Testament: A Very Short Introduction (2008), all published by Oxford University Press.

Cynthia R. Chapman is the Adelia A.F. Johnston and Harry Thomas Frank Associate Professor of Religion at Oberlin College, where she has taught biblical studies for twelve years. She is the author of The House of the Mother: The Social Function of Maternal Kin in Biblical Hebrew Narrative and Poetry (2016) and The Gendered Language of Warfare in the Israelite-Assyrian Encounter (2004).

Edition details

• Publisher: OUP USA
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195139119
• ISBN 13: 9780195139112
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 592