Biblical History and Israel’s Past: The Changing Study of the Bible and History - Softcover

Moore, Megan Bishop; Kelle, Brad E.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0802862608 ISBN 13: 9780802862600

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2011

Synopsis

Although scholars have for centuries primarily been interested in using the study of ancient Israel to explain, illuminate, and clarify the biblical story, Megan Bishop Moore and Brad E. Kelle describe how scholars today seek more and more to tell the story of the past on its own terms, drawing from both biblical and extrabiblical sources to illuminate ancient Israel and its neighbors without privileging the biblical perspective.

Biblical History and Israel’s Past provides a comprehensive survey of how study of the Old Testament and the history of Israel has changed since the middle of the twentieth century. Moore and Kelle discuss significant trends in scholarship, trace the development of ideas since the 1970s, and summarize major scholars, viewpoints, issues, and developments.

About this title

About the Author:

Megan Bishop Moore is visiting assistant professor of religion at Wake Forest University. She is also author of Philosophy and Practice in Writing a History of Ancient Israel.

Brad E. Kelle is professor of Old Testament at Point Loma Nazarene Unversity. His other books include Hosea 2: Metaphor and Rhetoric in Historical Perspective.

Review:

John H. Hayes
— coauthor of A History of Ancient Israel and Judah
“This excellent, comprehensive, and well-written volume will be an invaluable aid to students and an indispensable reference for scholars.”

Philip Davies
— author of The Origins of Biblical Israel
“The rapidly changing scenario of ‘biblical history’ is certainly in need of a clear, balanced, and comprehensive explanation. This book fills that requirement, providing a first-class resource for the scholar and the student, and I can recommend no better book for a new generation of biblical historians. Biblical History and Israel’s Past will not be sitting on my bookshelf. It will lie permanently on my desk. . . . A splendid achievement.”

Brent A. Strawn
— coeditor of Qumran Studies: New Approaches, New Questions
“In this highly readable and remarkably comprehensive study, Megan Moore and Brad Kelle have put in their debt all biblical scholars, whether or not they are specialists in the study of ancient and/or biblical history. The book is a one-stop shop in the changing state of the study of Israel’s past since 1970, but it also includes Moore and Kelle’s own judicious commentary and prognostications for the future. This volume is not to be missed!”

Bibliotheca Sacra
“This well-written and well-published volume is essential to anyone eager to keep abreast of the current issues and trends in Old Testament scholarship.”
 
Religious Studies Review
“Well-written and informative. . . . The book should serve well an advanced undergraduate classroom as well as graduate and seminary courses on the history of Israel and Judah.”
 
Expository Times
“Moore and Kelle have provided the much-needed service of gathering the bulk of the debates and arguments on Israel’s past and its relationship to the Bible into one place. This book could serve as both an effective course textbook and a reference work, and it will continue to be a meaningful resource for years to come.”
 
Catholic Biblical Quarterly
“Provides a comprehensive state-of-the-art survey for the discipline of biblical history and it provides a resource for the new approaches and methodologies that have burgeoned since 1970. . . . Scholars and students alike will want to have this volume within arm’s reach as they engage in the story of Israel’s past.”
 
The Bible Today
“This is one research-laden book that makes compelling reading. It deserves a prize, and should be on the shelf of every practitioner of biblical interpretation, history, and theology.”
 
Review of Biblical Literature
“This is an important book. . . . It is informative and clearly written, and it summarizes complex discussions in digestible formats. . . . I hope that this book will find an abundance of readers.”
 
Choice (American Library Association)
“This clearly written book presents a detailed, comprehensive survey of the many debates taking place among scholars who study ancient Israel from a historical-critical perspective. . . . The volume is important reading for anyone interested in understanding the wide range of viewpoints and the various trends within this important area of study over the past four decades. Recommended.”

About this edition

• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0802862608
• ISBN 13: 9780802862600
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 536