The Oxford History of the Biblical WorldMichael D. Coogan In this impressive volume, leading scholars offer compelling glimpses into the biblical world, the world in which prophets, poets, sages, and historians created one of our most important texts--the Bible. For more than a century, archaeologists have been unearthing the tombs, temples, texts, and artifacts of the ancient Near East and the Mediterranean world. Using new approaches, contemporary scholars have begun to synthesize this material with the biblical traditions. The Oxford History of the Biblical World incorporates the best of this scholarship, and in chronologically ordered chapters presents the reader with a readable and integrated study of the history, art, architecture, languages, literatures, and religion of biblical Israel and early Judaism and Christianity in their larger cultural contexts. The authors also examine such issues as the roles of women, the tensions between urban and rural settings, royal and kinship social structures, and official and popular religions of the region. Understanding the biblical world is a vital part of understanding the Bible. Broad, authoritative, and engaging, The Oxford History of the Biblical World will illuminate for any reader the ancient world from which the Bible emerged. |
Contents
3 | |
25 | |
Bitter Lives Israel in and out of Egypt | 58 |
Forging an Identity The Emergence of Ancient Israel | 90 |
There Was No King in Israel The Era of the Judges | 132 |
Kinship and Kingship The Early Monarchy | 65 |
A Land Divided Judah and Israel from the Death of Solomon to the Fall of Samaria | 6 |
Into Exile From the Assyrian Conquest of Israel to the Fall of Babylon | 42 |
Between Alexandria and Antioch Jews and Judaism in the Hellenistic Period | 17 |
Visions of Kingdoms From Pompey to the First Jewish Revolt | 52 |
Churches in Context The Jesus Movement in the Roman World | 88 |
Transitions and Trajectories Jews and Christians in the Roman Empire | 120 |
CHRONOLOGY | 147 |
153 | |
CONTRIBUTORS | 156 |
159 | |
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Common terms and phrases
According activities ancient appear archaeological Assyrian authority battle beginning Bible biblical Bronze Age building called Canaan Canaanite central century century BCE Christian church city-states continued culture David death early East eastern Egypt Egyptian emperor empire established evidence exiles Exodus Ezra followers forces Greek Hebrew important Iron Israel Israelite Jerusalem Jesus Jewish Jews Judah Judaism Judean Judges king kingdom known land late later leaders letters lived major material military monarchy narrative northern origins Palestine perhaps period Persian Philistines political population practice priest probably prophets record reference region reign religious remains Roman Rome royal rule Samaria scholars settlement social society sources story suggest Syria Tell Temple territory texts throughout tradition worship Yahweh