Multimedia • Reference • Religion • Travel |
 Social World Of Ancient Israel 1250-587 BCE Victor H. Matthews and Don C. Benjamin 
 Description From The Publisher: Getting a fix on the social context of the Hebrew Bible is imperative for anyone reconstructing either the "story" of the text or the "history" behind the text. Resources in this area often prove overspecialized and arcane, and can require highly sophisticated skills in cultural anthropology or Semitic languages just to read the table of contents. Social World of Ancient Israel, 1250–587 BCE, offers those interested in learning about the biblical world a more user-friendly framework for viewing the broader picture; at the same time it relies upon the latest methodologies of cultural anthropology and biblical analysis in its presentation. Painting a picture in broad but precise strokes, the authors portray the landscape of ancient Israel in new and exciting colors that expert and student alike will appreciate. Social World of Ancient Israel takes a unique look at the most prominent social institutions of the world of early Israel and the period of the monarchy, and then shows how properly understanding these social institutions is essential for sound biblical interpretation. Immersing the reader into five major areas of daily life in antiquity—politics, economics, diplomacy, law, and education—Matthews and Benjamin explore the ways in which knowing how "players" function in these institutions, such as "father/mother," "prophet/wise one," "host/stranger," can shape our understanding of earliest Israel. Perhaps most significantly, the book gently exposes the inefficiency of past anthropological models for interpreting the relationships, attitudes and social conventions of earliest Israel. Its corrective insights will enable scholar and student alike to plot new approaches for studying the Hebrew Bible and the ancient people of Israel. Reviews "Social World of Ancient Israel offers the most refreshing and innovative approach to ancient Israelite society that I have ever read. The book
uses different roles in village life and state institutions to open up the biblical world. Matthews and Benjamin draw extensively and creatively on biblical and ancient Near Eastern literature as well as the newest work in anthropology. Clear and engaging for beginners, full of insights for biblical scholars, this book fills a major need for a masterful synthesis of life in ancient Israel."
About the Authors Victor H. Matthews is professor of religious studies at Southwestern Missouri State University. He received a Ph.D. from Brandeis University and has written numerous popular as well as scholarly articles. He is the author of Manners and Customs in the Bible, and co-author of Old Testament Parallels: Laws and Stories from the Ancient Near East, and The Social World of Ancient Israel. Don C. Benjamin teaches at Rice University. He is co-author of Old Testament Parallels: Laws and Stories from the Ancient Near East (1991), and is author of Deuteronomy and City Life (1993).Table of Contents Pt. 1Ancient Israel as Villages Ch. 1 The Father Ch. 2 The Mother Ch. 3 The Farmer Ch. 4 The Herder Ch. 5 The Midwife Ch. 6 The Host and the Stranger Ch. 7 The Chief Ch. 8 The Legal Guardian Ch. 9 The Elder Ch. 10 The Widow Ch. 11 The Wise and the Fool Pt. II Ancient Israel as a State Ch. 12 The Monarch Ch. 13 The Virgin Ch. 14 The Priest Ch. 15 The Slave Ch. 16 The Prophet Ch. 17 The Lawgiver Ch. 18 The Storyteller Customer Reviews Write your own online review. Look for Similar Books by Subject
| |||||||
  Copyright ©1996-2011 CenturyOne Bookstore. All Rights Reserved. All prices subject to change and given in U.S. dollars. Your purchase from CenturyOne.com will assist the CenturyOne Foundation in providing funding for various archaeological and research projects which seek to provide more information about the period of the First Century C.E., the origins of Christianity and the world of the Bible in general. All materials contained in http://www.centuryone.com are protected by copyright and trademark laws and may not be used for any purpose whatsoever other than private, non-commercial viewing purposes. Derivative works and other unauthorized copying or use of stills, video footage, text or graphics is expressly prohibited. |
