Author: Luis I. J. Stadelmann
Publisher: Gregorian & Biblical Press
ISBN:
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 218
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Book Description
Among the ancient Near Eastern peoples, the Hebrews uniquely contributed to man's knowledge and understanding of the cosmos. Since their attitude towards the external world reveals the profound conviction that nature plays an integral role in the drama of religious history, the physical universe was hardly a neutral world between Yahweh and Israel. Through their awareness of Yahweh's dealings with his people and of cosmic realities the ancient Hebrews gradually came to discover the attributes of God. They realized, even in the world of nature around them, the broad outline of the plan to which their own destiny was to conform. Hence, the study of their world view is less an inquiry into an intangible cosmic concept than an analysis which discloses their insights into the realities of the physical universe. In order to appreciate the Hebrews' unique world view we shall investigate the creation narratives against the wider background of the ancient Near Eastern literature. We shall journey into all the levels of the universe: the heavens with their luminaries and the meteorological phenomena; the earth with its topographical features; the geophysical phenomena which challenge the very stability of the universe; the waters welling up as springs, or furrowing the earth's surface as rivers, or dotting it as seas, lakes and swamps; the division of the earth into four segments, known as the cardinal points, where the different countries are located; the relation of all these segments to the navel of the earth; finally, the underworld in which are located the subterranean ocean, the foundations of the mountains, and the realm of the dead.
Author: Yoram Hazony
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521176670
Category : Bibles
Languages : en
Pages : 393
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Book Description
This book offers a new framework for reading the Bible as a work of reason.
Author: Philip Peter Jenson
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 056718112X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 289
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Book Description
This wide-ranging investigation of the priestly cultic texts from Exodus 25 onwards explores the coherence and theology of the priestly writing, utilizing insights from anthropology and recent biblical scholarship. Through a carefully worked out set of laws and institutions, the priestly authors sought to order Israel's life before God in a sustainable and satisfying way. This is a valuable contribution to the growing number of studies concerned to understand and recover this neglected part of the Bible.
Author: Joseph R. Hacker
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 081220509X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 334
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Book Description
The rise of printing had major effects on culture and society in the early modern period, and the presence of this new technology—and the relatively rapid embrace of it among early modern Jews—certainly had an effect on many aspects of Jewish culture. One major change that print seems to have brought to the Jewish communities of Christian Europe, particularly in Italy, was greater interaction between Jews and Christians in the production and dissemination of books. Starting in the early sixteenth century, the locus of production for Jewish books in many places in Italy was in Christian-owned print shops, with Jews and Christians collaborating on the editorial and technical processes of book production. As this Jewish-Christian collaboration often took place under conditions of control by Christians (for example, the involvement of Christian typesetters and printers, expurgation and censorship of Hebrew texts, and state control of Hebrew printing), its study opens up an important set of questions about the role that Christians played in shaping Jewish culture. Presenting new research by an international group of scholars, this book represents a step toward a fuller understanding of Jewish book history. Individual essays focus on a range of issues related to the production and dissemination of Hebrew books as well as their audiences. Topics include the activities of scribes and printers, the creation of new types of literature and the transformation of canonical works in the era of print, the external and internal censorship of Hebrew books, and the reading interests of Jews. An introduction summarizes the state of scholarship in the field and offers an overview of the transition from manuscript to print in this period.
Author: John H. Walton
Publisher: Baker Academic
ISBN: 1493414364
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 384
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Book Description
Leading evangelical scholar John Walton surveys the cultural context of the ancient Near East, bringing insight to the interpretation of specific Old Testament passages. This new edition of a top-selling textbook has been thoroughly updated and revised throughout to reflect the refined thinking of a mature scholar. It includes over 30 illustrations. Students and pastors who want to deepen their understanding of the Old Testament will find this a helpful and instructive study.
Author: Ethan Smith
Publisher: Legare Street Press
ISBN: 9781015506367
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Author: Benjamin D. Sommer
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139477781
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 351
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Book Description
Sommer utilizes a lost ancient Near Eastern perception of divinity according to which a god has more than one body and fluid, unbounded selves. Though the dominant strains of biblical religion rejected it, a monotheistic version of this theological intuition is found in some biblical texts. Later Jewish and Christian thinkers inherited this ancient way of thinking; ideas such as the sefirot in Kabbalah and the trinity in Christianity represent a late version of this theology. This book forces us to rethink the distinction between monotheism and polytheism, as this notion of divine fluidity is found in both polytheistic cultures (Babylonia, Assyria, Canaan) and monotheistic ones (biblical religion, Jewish mysticism, Christianity), whereas it is absent in some polytheistic cultures (classical Greece). The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel has important repercussions not only for biblical scholarship and comparative religion but for Jewish-Christian dialogue.
Author: Denis Alexander
Publisher: Monarch Books
ISBN: 9780857215789
Category : Creation
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Builds an integrated position between the biblical doctrine of creation and evolutionary theory. Updated edition.
Author: Jonathan Neumann
Publisher: All Points Books
ISBN: 125016088X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 288
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Book Description
A devastating critique of the presumed theological basis of the Jewish social justice movement—the concept of healing the world. What is tikkun olam? This obscure Hebrew phrase means literally “healing the world,” and according to Jonathan Neumann, it is the master concept that rests at the core of Jewish left wing activism and its agenda of transformative change. Believers in this notion claim that the Bible asks for more than piety and moral behavior; Jews must also endeavor to make the world a better place. In a remarkably short time, this seemingly benign and wholesome notion has permeated Jewish teaching, preaching, scholarship and political engagement. There is no corner of modern Jewish life that has not been touched by it. This idea has led to overwhelming Jewish participation in the social justice movement, as such actions are believed to be biblically mandated. There's only one problem: the Bible says no such thing. In this lively theological polemic, Neumann shows how tikkun olam, an invention of the Jewish left, has diluted millennia of Jewish practice and belief into a vague feel-good religion of social justice. Neumann uses religious and political history to debunk this pernicious idea, and shows how the Bible was twisted by Jewish liberals to support a radical left-wing agenda. In To Heal the World?, Neumann explains how the Jewish Renewal movement aligned itself with the New Left of the 1960s, and redirected the perspective of the Jewish community toward liberalism and social justice. He exposes the key figures responsible for this effort, shows that it lacks any real biblical basis, and outlines the debilitating effect it has had on Judaism itself.
Author: James B. Jordan
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 157910259X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 361
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Book Description
