Readings from the Ancient Near East: Primary Sources for Old Testament Study (Encountering Biblical Studies) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0801022924 ISBN 13: 9780801022920

Publisher: Baker Academic, 2002

Synopsis

Essential to a proper understanding of the Old Testament is a knowledge of the political, historical, and theological environment of the ancient Near East. While there is an abundance of material explaining this environment, primary source texts are often unavailable or inaccessible to the beginning Old Testament student.

This volume in the Encountering Biblical Studies series fills that void. Readings from the Ancient Near East takes the student through a wide variety of primary source texts from the ancient Near East that illuminate every book of the Old Testament. It is the companion volume to Encountering the Old Testament, coauthored by Bill Arnold and Bryan Beyer.

The editors have compiled this volume with the beginning Old Testament student in mind. The selections are intended to move a learner with little or no knowledge of the ancient Near East to a basic understanding of its significant texts and authors.

Texts spanning more than two thousand years include Sumerian creation accounts, epic literature from Mesopotamia, cultic ritual texts from Egypt, and prophetic references from Syria. Readings from the Ancient Near East will surely become a standard text for professors, students, pastors, Sunday school teachers, and serious lay readers.

About this title

From the Back Cover

ìIt is paramount that students of the Bible learn the rich textual heritage of the ancient Near East, and this great resource helps them do just that. This is probably the best small single-volume work of its type to appear in over thirty years.î óMark W. Chavalas, University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse

ìA well-selected and well-introduced anthology. It is a natural and obvious choice as a textbook for introductory courses and is without doubt the most comprehensive, up-to-date, and affordable volume of its kind on the market.î óBrent A. Strawn, Candler School of Theology, Emory University

ìOur understanding of the Hebrew Bible is enhanced when we are familiar with similar texts from the ancient world. Until now it has been difficult to introduce students to these ancient texts because only two types of translations existed: too large (and expensive!) or too small (and superficial!). With this volume, Arnold and Beyer bring us a step closer to becoming competent readers of Scripture.î óKenton L. Sparks, Eastern University

ìThere are a number of new volumes of translated ancient texts that might be of interest to students of the Bible, but most are either far too long or too narrowly focused. This new volume promises a convenient, affordable reference for some of the most important writings that help us understand the world of the Old Testament.î óDaniel E. Fleming, New York University ìThis wonderful treasury of key ancient Near Eastern writings provides the essential background for interpreting the Bible in its original context. As an affordable and well-chosen selection of so many important literary works, it fills a need for a modern version of older anthologies that can be used in college survey courses on the Old Testament and its world.î óRichard S. Hess, Denver Seminary

ìThe editorsí familiarity with the primary sources has resulted in a careful selection of material judiciously arranged to be of maximum benefit to the student seeking acquaintance with the vast literature of the ancient Near East relating to the Old Testament.î óJohn H. Walton, Wheaton College

Bill T. Arnold (Ph.D., Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament and Semitic languages at Asbury Theological Seminary, and Bryan E. Beyer (Ph.D., Hebrew Union College) is dean of students at Columbia International University. They are the coauthors of Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey.

About the Author

Bill T. Arnold (Ph.D., Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament and Semitic languages at Asbury Theological Seminary.

Bryan E. Beyer (Ph.D., Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament at Columbia International University Seminary and School of Missions.

Edition details

• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0801022924
• ISBN 13: 9780801022920
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 240
• Editor: Bill T. Arnold, Beyer Bryan E.