The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures - Softcover

Coogan, Michael D.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195378407 ISBN 13: 9780195378405

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2010

Synopsis

Lucidly written by leading biblical scholar Michael D. Coogan, this balanced, engaging, and up-to-date introduction to the Hebrew scriptures distills the best of current scholarship. Employing the narrative chronology of the Bible itself and the history of the ancient Near East as a framework, Coogan covers all the books of the Hebrew Bible, along with the deuterocanonical books included in the Bible used by many Christians. He treats every book of the canon with careful attention to its historical context, its particular genre, and its distinctive features. Dealing in detail with ancient Near Eastern sources and archaeological data, Coogan works from a primarily historical and critical methodology but also introduces students to literary analysis and other interpretive strategies, especially current ones.

The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures is enhanced by a glossary, timelines, photos, illustrations, maps, and a four-color insert on Jerusalem in biblical times. Strategically placed boxes address issues that often puzzle readers of the Bible, provide models of interpretation of particular texts, and discuss their significance for Judaism and Christianity. Each chapter includes a preview and summary, key terms, questions for review and discussion, and suggestions for further reading.

NEW TO THIS EDITION

* Fully revised and updated throughout
* Two new introductory chapters that provide students with the context necessary to analyze the biblical texts--one on the composition of the Old Testament and one on the history and geography of the ancient Near East and how it influenced the Hebrew Bible.
* An updated Instructor's Manual, Testbank CD and a Companion available at Website www.oup.com/us/coogan featuring resources for both instructors and students
* A FREE 6-month subscription to Oxford Biblical Studies Online (www.oxfordbiblicalstudies.com), edited by Michael D. Coogan, which provides students with unrivalled access to six essential Oxford Bibles; Concordances; the Oxford Bible Commentary; nearly 5,000 A-Z articles, from Abel to Zion, integrated with chapter-based scholarly works; hundreds of images and maps; and countless other internet resources.

About this title

About the Author

Michael Coogan is Lecturer in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament at Harvard Divinity School, and Director of Publications for the Harvard Semitic Museum and Professor of Religious Studies at Stonehill College.

Review

"OUP clearly has a winner on its hands with Michael Coogan's The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures. It is excellent. . . . There is a liveliness to the prose that one doesn't often find in textbooks."--Carol A. Newsom, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Old Testament, Candler School of Theology, Emory University

"This is an excellent introduction, which fills a significant need in the field. It is judicious, well-conceived and organized, up-to-date, and very clearly written."--Marc Zvi Brettler, Dora Golding Professor of Biblical Studies and Chair of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, Brandeis University

"At last, a well-written, non-technical, up-to-date introduction to the Hebrew Bible that can serve as a textbook for undergraduates and as an entreé into biblical studies for graduate students and adults."--Adele Berlin, Robert H. Smith Professor of the Hebrew Bible, University of Maryland

"This refreshing, systematic study of Old Testament traditions creates its own space among the great introductions to the Hebrew Bible. . . . [A] tremendous achievement in biblical scholarship and a very significant contribution to education in biblical literature and religion."--Samuel Murrell, Associate Professor of Religion, University of North Carolina-Wilmington

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0195378407
• ISBN 13: 9780195378405
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 592