A people tall and smooth-skinned : the rhetoric of Isaiah 18 /
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This volume delivers an analysis of the persuasive artistry of Isaiah 18, id est how Isa 18 is designed in order to persuade an ancient audience. The analysis is pursued from four angles: the textual design, the motifs, the rhetoric of the text and finally, it is shown how the various strophes within each stanza of Isa 18 relate to one another. The present analysis demonstrates that Isa 18 is an example of Hebrew rhetoric, and that the text can be read as a coherent whole - even though the majority of scholars analysing Isa 18 have found this chapter confusing. In this volume, it is argued that Isa 18 is shaped in a confusing way in order to make the audience believe that someone else is judged (the Cushites, 18:1-2.7), and not themselves. This volume sheds new light on the understanding of and old text, and the volume is important for exegetes interested in the persuasive artistry of Isa 18.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [239]-256 ) and index. :
9789047411222 :
0083-5889 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Esther in diaspora : toward an alternative interpretive framework /
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In Esther in Diaspora, Tsaurayi Kudakwashe Mapfeka presents a new approach to the book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. He argues that, whereas previous interpretations have emphasised an association with the Jewish festival of Purim, a theory-nuanced concept of diaspora offers the key for reading Esther. Alongside the relatively new approach of Diaspora Studies, the author makes use of the more traditional analogical reasoning, seeing parallels between the community behind Esther and the Zimbabwean diaspora community in the United Kingdom, of which he is a member. The two-fold methodological application results in an innovative and stimulating reading of the book. Overall, the book reflects a deep awareness not only of issues surrounding Esther but of the broader fields of the study of the Bible and of the ancient Near East.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004406568
Isaiah among the ancient Near Eastern prophets : a comparative study of the earliest stages of the Isaiah tradition and the Neo-Assyrian prophecies /
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Focusing on the phenomenon of prophecy in the ancient Near East, this study offers a comparison between parts of First Isaiah and the Assyrian prophecies. In the first part, the material from First Isaiah and from seventh-century Assyria is investigated in its own right. The second part is a comparison of the Isaiah tradition in its earliest shape with the prophetic material from seventh-century Assyria. The topics dealt with in the comparison are the interrelation of prophetic oracles and historical events, the functions of the prophets, and the literary development of prophecy. The study shows that ancient Israelite prophecy, of which the historical Isaiah was an exponent, was much in conformity with ancient Near Eastern prophecy in general.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [467]-496) and indexes. :
9789047422617 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Rezeption und Wirkung des Dekalogs in jüdischen und christlichen Schriften bis 200 n.Chr. /
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J. Cornelis de Vos examines the impact and reception of the Decalogue up to 200 CE, scrutinizing the versions of the Decalogue, and the history of the Decalogue in ancient Jewish writings, the New Testament, and early Christian writings. Almost all texts show an interconnection of identity and normativity: the Decalogue functions as an expression of fundamental moral concepts of socio-religious groups. At the same time, these groups enhance the Decalogue with normativity-sometimes even expanding on it-to make it a text that generates their own identity. This is the first study that presents an in-depth and continuous analysis of the early history of the Decalogue. Der Wirkung und Rezeption des Dekalogs bis 200 n.Chr. widmet sich J. Cornelis de Vos in dieser Studie. Dafür erforscht er zunächst die alten Textzeugen der beiden Dekalogfassungen, um anschließend zu fragen, wie die Zehn Gebote bei antik-jüdischen Autoren, im Neuen Testament sowie in frühchristlichen Schriften aufgenommen wurden. Es zeigt sich eine Verbindung von Normativität und Identität: Der Dekalog gilt zumeist als Ausdruck der moralischen Grundauffassungen sozioreligiöser Gruppen; er wird gleichzeitig von diesen Gruppen mit Normativität aufgeladen - manchmal sogar erweitert - gerade um als Identität stiftend für die eigene Gruppe zu gelten. Dies ist die erste Studie, die eine detaillierte und durchgehende Geschichte des Dekalogs in der Antike beschreibt.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004324398 :
1871-6636 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The Danielic discourse on empire in Second Temple literature /
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In The Danielic Discourse on Empire in Second Temple Literature , Alexandria Frisch asks: how did Jews in the Second Temple period understand the phenomenon of foreign empire? In answering this question, a remarkable trend reveals itself-the book of Daniel, which situates its narrative in an imperial context and apocalyptically envisions empires, was overwhelmingly used by Jewish writers when they wanted to say something about empires. This study examines Daniel, as well as antecedents to and interpretations of Daniel, in order to identify the diachronic changes in perceptions of empire during this period. Oftentimes, this Danielic discourse directly reacted to imperial ideologies, either copying, subverting, or adapting those ideologies. Throughout this study, postcolonial criticism, therefore, provides a hermeneutical lens through which to ask a second question: in an imperial context, is the Jewish conception of empire actually Jewish?
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004331310 :
1384-2161 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The Day of Atonement : its interpretations in early Jewish and Christian traditions /
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Established at the center of the Torah, the instructions for the celebration of the "Day of Atonement" hold a prominent position (Leviticus 16). The language of atonement, purification and reconciliation represents the variety of concepts that both explore the complex relationships between God and man, between Yahweh and his chosen people Israel, and that set apart the place of encounter-the sanctuary. Leviticus 16 has served as the point of departure for numerous religious and cultural practices and thoughts that have had a formative influence on Judaism and Christianity up to the present day. The essays in this volume form a representative cross section of the history of the reception of Leviticus 16 and the tradition of the Yom ha-Kippurim.
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Proceedings of a conference held July 8-10, 2010 at Johannes Gutenberg-Universitat. :
1 online resource (xvi, 282 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789004216808 :
1388-3909 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Studies on the text and versions of the Hebrew Bible in honour of Robert Gordon /
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This collection of previously unpublished essays by outstanding international scholars in honour of Robert P. Gordon, Regius Professor of Hebrew at Cambridge University, covers a wide range of topics, from accuracy, anachronism, and incongruity in the books of Samuel, through the theology of Psalms, ancient Near eastern historiography, and the ideology of the Septuagint, to philology and grammar in the Dead Sea Scrolls, Targum, Josephus, and medieval sources. It should interest readers concerned with inner-biblical exegesis and the Hebrew Bible in relation to its parallels, translations, and versions, as well as with big questions about the classification of the Bible and its antecedents as books, the social context of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Christian attitudes towards 'original Hebrew'.
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1 online resource (xx, 435 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004217379 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The Gospel of Thomas : introduction and commentary /
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In this new commentary on the controversial Gospel of Thomas , Simon Gathercole provides the most extensive analysis yet published of both the work as a whole and of the individual sayings contained in it. This commentary offers a fresh analysis of Thomas not from the perspective of form criticism and source criticism but seeks to elucidate the meaning of the work and its constituent elements in its second-century context. With its lucid discussion of the various controversial aspects of Thomas, and treatment of the various different scholarly views, this is a foundational work of reference for scholars not just of apocryphal Gospels, but also for New Testament scholars, Classicists and Patrologists.
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1 online resource (pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004273252 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Prayer in the Gospels : a theological exegesis of the ideal pray-er /
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In Prayer in the Gospels Mathias Nygaard offers a new reading of the prayer materials of the Gospels. The main focus is the theological anthropology of the prayer texts. This aspect is described through a text-centered analysis of the 'ideal pray-er', one aspect of the implied audiences. An emphasis on the responses elicited by the material in question gives religious experience a central role in the theological discussion. Nygaard argues that in the Gospels humans are defined by the gifts bestowed in Jesus Christ, and through the dialogical reception of those gifts in prayer. The result is a kenotic and irreducible understanding of a 'self' defined from without, as appropriate to the 'logic of the cross' and the eschatology of the texts.
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1 online resource (xiv, 283 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [235]-259) and index. :
9789004230576 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Writing and reading the scroll of Isaiah : studies of an interpretive tradition /
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The second part of a 2-volume work, this study combines recent approaches that treat the formation and early interpretation of the final form of the book of Isaiah with the more conventional historical-critical methods that treat the use of traditions by Isaiah's authors and editors. Studies investigate Isaiah's use of early sacred tradition, the editing and contextualization of oracles within the Isaianic tradition itself, and the interpretation of the book of Isaiah in later traditions (as seen in the various versions of the text and various communities). Contributors of this volume include virtually all of the major scholars of Isaiah and the leading scholars of biblical interpretation in the intertestamental, New Testament, and early Jewish periods.
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1 online resource (vii, pages 478-829) :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789004275959 :
0083-5889 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Paul's glory-christology : tradition and rhetoric /
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In 1927 C.A.A. Scott, while commenting on the apostle Paul's Christology, remarked that the \'history of the word Glory in the Bible has yet to be written.\' By using methodology developed in semantics, semiotics, and, more generally, literary theory, Newman examines the origin and rhetoric of Paul's Glory-Christology. The investigation involves three distinct tasks: (1) to plot the tradition-history of Glory which formed part of Paul's linguistic world, (2) to examine Paul's letter, in light of the reconstructed tradition-history of Glory, in order to discern the rationale of Paul's identification of Christ as Glory and, (3) to map out the implications of such an identification for Paul's theological and rhetorical strategy. On the basis of this study, four conclusions are reached for understanding Paul. First, Paul inherited a symbolic universe with signs already \'full\' of signification. Second, knowing the (diachronically acquired) connotative range of a \'surface\' symbol (e.g. Glory) aids in discerning Paul's precise contingent strategy. Third, knowing the \'surface\' symbol's referential power defines and contributes to the \'deeper structure\' of Paul's theological grammar. Finally, the heuristic power within the construals of the Glory tradition coalesce in Paul's Christophany and thus provide coherence at the \'deepest\' level of Paul's Christology.
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Revision of the author's thesis (Ph. D.)--Baylor University, 1989. :
1 online resource (xvi, 305 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 248-281) and indexes. :
9789004267022 :
0167-9732 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The Damascus document : a centennial of discovery : proceedings of the third International Symposium of the Orion Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Associated Litera...
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The papers published in this volume were presented at the Third International Orion Symposium (1998), to mark the centennial of the discovery of the Damascus Document (CD) in the Cairo Geniza and the final publication of the 4QD manuscripts in the Discoveries in the Judaean Desert series. Since its discovery, CD has sparked lively debate about its sectarian origins and halacha, issues with far-reaching implications not only for the development of Jewish law but also for the very nature of Second Temple period Judaism and its continuity into the early medieval period. The contributors examine the physical reconstruction of CD, its relationship to other legal works in the Qumran corpus and to rabbinic law. Essays on specific legal topics, as well as historical perspectives, round out the volume.
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1 online resource (viii, 227 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004350366 :
0169-9962 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Strukturale Beobachtungen zum Neuen Testament /
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This volume is a collection of essays by the author covering a period of twenty years and the most important groups of text in the New Testament. They are connected to each other by linking the interests and stimulus of modern linguistics and literary science to traditional historical- critical methods.
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Essays originally published 1972-1988. :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789004379817 :
0077-8842;
The Egerton gospel (Egerton papyrus 2 + Papyrus Köln VI 255) : introduction, critical edition, and commentary /
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In this commentary on the Egerton Gospel, Lorne R. Zelyck presents a fresh paleographical analysis and thorough reconstruction of the fragmentary text, which results in new readings and interpretations. Details surrounding the acquisition of the manuscript are presented for the first time, and various scholarly viewpoints on controversial topics, such as the date of composition and relationship to the canonical gospels, are addressed. This early apocryphal gospel (150-250 CE) provides traditional interpretations of the canonical gospels that are similar to those of other early Christian authors, and affirms Jesus' continuity with the miracle-working prophets Moses and Elisha, his obedience to the Law, divinity, and violent rejection by Jewish opponents.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004409842
The Shepherd of Hermas and the Pauline legacy /
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In The Shepherd of Hermas and the Pauline Legacy, Jonathan E. Soyars traces the influence of Pauline literary traditions upon one of the most widely attested and influential apocalyptic texts from early Christianity. Scholarship largely considers Hermas to have known very little about Pauline letters, but by looking beyond verbatim quotations Soyars discovers extensive evidence of his adoption, adaptation, and synthesis of identifiable Pauline material in the Visions, Mandates, and Similitudes sections. Hermas emerges as a Pauline interpreter who creatively engages topics and themes developed within and across the Pauline letters through time. These results reconnect the Shepherd with early Paulinism and extend reconstructions of the sphere of Pauline influence in the second century C.E.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004402584
Reward, punishment, and forgiveness : the thinking and beliefs of ancient Israel in the light of Greek and modern views /
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This book deals with central and universal issues of reward, punishment and forgiveness for the first time in a compact and comprehensive way. Until now these themes have received far too little attention in scholarly research both in their own right and in their interrelationship. The scope of this study is to present them in relation to the foundations of our culture. These and related issues are treated primarily within the Hebrew Bible, using the methods of literary analysis. The centrality of these themes in all religions and all cultures has resulted, however, in a comparative investigation, drawing attention to the problem of terminology, the importance of Greek culture for the European tradition, and the fusion of Greek and Jewish-Christian cultures in our modern philosophical and theological systems. This broad perspective shows that the biblical personalist understanding of divine authority and of human righteousness or guilt provides the personalist key to the search for reconciliation in a divided world.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004276031 :
0083-5889 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Reduced laughter : seriocomic features and their functions in the Book of Kings /
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In this book Helen Paynter offers a radical re-evalution of the central section of Kings. Reading with attention to the literary devices of carnivalization and mirroring, she demonstrates that it contains a florid satire on kings, prophets and nations. Building on the work of humorists, literary critics and biblical scholars, the author constructs diagnostic criteria for carnivalization (seriocomedy), and identifies an abundance of these features within the Elijah/Elisha and Aram narratives, showing how literary mirroring further enhances their satirical effect. This book will be of particular interest to students and scholars concerned with the Hebrew Bible as literature but will be valued by those who favour more historical approaches for its insights into the Hebrew text.
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1 online resource (242 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789004322363 :
0928-0731 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The book of Daniel : composition and reception /
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In this collection of new essays, more than thirty leading scholars from Europe, North America and Israel examine the Composition and Reception of Daniel in eight sections: Review of Scholarship and Context (J.J. Collins, M. Knibb); Near Eastern Milieu (K. van der Toorn, S. Paul, J. Walton); Interpretation of Specific Passages (D. Dimant, R. Kratz, A. Lacocque, E. Haag, J.-W. van Henten); Social Setting (R. Albertz, S. Beyerle, L. Grabbe, P. Davies, D. Smith-Christopher); Literary Context, including Qumran (J.-W. Wesselius, G. Boccaccini, P.W. Flint, L. Stuckenbruck, E. Eshel, J. Hobbins); Reception in Judaism and Christianity (K. Koch, C. Rowland, U. Gleßmer, C.A. Evans, J.D.G. Dunn, M. Henze); Textual History (E. Ulrich, A.A. Di Lella, K. Jenner) and Theology of Daniel (J. Goldingay, J. Barton, J. Lust). This is the second volume to appear (following Writing and Reading the Scroll of Isaiah. Studies of an Interpretative Tradition ) in the collection The Formation and Interpretation of Old Testament Literature , part of the series Supplements to Vetus Testamentum . Further volumes in preparation on the composition and reception of Old Testament books include Genesis, Leviticus, Kings, Psalms, and Proverbs. This publication has also been published in paperback, please click here for details.
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1 online resource (xxii, 291-769 pages) :
9789004276093 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Deviancy in early rabbinic literature : a collection of socio-anthropological essays /
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Deviancy in Early Rabbinic Literature deals with the status of those groups and individuals who, for various reasons, appear to have no place in mainstream Rabbinic Jewish society, or may be perceived by that society as posing a threat to its norms and to its very existence. The book examines the thoughts and attitudes of the Rabbis set forth in various sections of the Mishnah, Tosefta and Talmud. Deviant groups studied include witches, prostitutes, Gentiles, bastards, Nazirites, soldiers, Kutites, the disabled and the menstruous woman. Social anthropological methodologies are used to provide a unique perspective on the implicit message of the redactors of these Rabbinic texts, and to make these important texts equally accessible to both scholars and laymen interested in acquiring a deeper understanding of these important issues.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [213]-220) and index. :
9789047420187 :
1571-5000 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Studies in the Pentateuch /
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This collection of thirteen articles in English by scholars from several countries concerns questions in the Pentateuch. Seven are on the book of Genesis: the use of 'ādām in Genesis i-v; the Toledot of Adam; Genesis x in the light of Babylonian geography; the site of Salem; the date and composition of Genesis xiv; Abraham's righteousness in Genesis xv 6; the Hagar tradition in Genesis xvi and xxi. Three are on Deuteronomy: \'Yahweh is one\'; return to Egypt in Deuteronomy xvii 16 and xxviii 68; the creed in Deuteronomy xxvi. There are also essays on the Elohistic depiction of Aaron; the wilderness itineraries and recent archaeological research; and the dietary laws of the Pentateuch. Substantial contributions are made to the study of different parts of the Pentateuch.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789004275645 :
0083-5889 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.