The Goodly Fellowship of the Prophets (Acadia Studies in Bible and Theology)
The Goodly Fellowship of the Prophets (Acadia Studies in Bible and Theology)

Author: Christopher R. Seitz

Publisher: Baker Academic

Published: 2009-10-01

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 1441211004

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Just below the surface of any Christian view of the Bible is the knotty issue of the biblical canon. How and when was it decided which books would make up the Bible? What makes a book canonical? In this volume, respected Old Testament scholar Christopher Seitz helps readers understand how the Old Testament fits into the canon's development. Brief and readable yet substantive, this volume challenges current understandings of the formation of the Christian canon, utilizing the latest research on the biblical prophets. Seitz reveals canonical connections woven into the fabric of the Prophetic Books and argues that the Law and the Prophets cohere and give shape to the subsequent Christian canon.

The Oxford Handbook of the Writings of the Hebrew Bible
The Oxford Handbook of the Writings of the Hebrew Bible

Author: Donn F. Morgan

Publisher:

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 529

ISBN-13: 0190212438

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This handbook provides an important resource for the serious study of the Writings of the Hebrew Bible. It addresses historical and literary contexts as well as its roles as scripture and canon in Judaism and Christianity. The volume provides creative presentations of the messages and import of the books and the canonical division as a whole.

The Origin of the Bible: A Guide For the Perplexed
The Origin of the Bible: A Guide For the Perplexed

Author: Lee Martin McDonald

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2011-02-17

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 0567040968

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Just how did the Jewish and Christian Bibles come together? Why were some ancient texts excluded? Or included and later rejected? What were the criteria? This volume deals with a significant issue in light of the many and significant discoveries of ancient sacred or religious texts that were not included in the Jewish or Christian Bibles. Because of the focus in the news media in recent years on those extra-canonical books that have come to light in the last century - and even more recently, there is need for clarification of the processes involved in the formation of the Jewish and Christian Bibles. Why were some books included and others excluded? Why were some included initially and subsequently rejected? Was there a church cover-up as some in the media have suggested? As a result of all of this and more, considerable attention is now focused on the use and function of the so-called non-canonical religious texts that are not now a part of the Bibles of various religious communities. Why did the Bible come together? What criteria were used in making decisions about inclusion and exclusion? The proposed volume addresses these questions and others that are critical to a careful understanding of the Jewish and Christian Bibles. The methodology employed in the writing of this book is described below. It is important to take this discussion outside of the scholars' guild and into the hands of the laity, especially those educated college graduates and undergraduates whose interest in this subject has grown over the past twenty or more years. Currently there are no useful volumes on this subject that is geared to them. Scholars continue to talk past them and all too often only to each other about these matters. This volume is designed to fill this void and make the topic more clear for those without the technical academic skills to explore these matters in the ancient languages. Continuum's Guides for the Perplexed are clear, concise and accessible introductions to thinkers, writers and subjects that students and readers can find especially challenging - or indeed downright bewildering. Concentrating specifically on what it is that makes the subject difficult to grasp, these books explain and explore key themes and ideas, guiding the reader towards a thorough understanding of demanding material.

Micah
Micah

Author: Stephen G. Dempster

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 2017-08-29

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 1467448370

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A distinctively theological take on the book of Micah Readers of the book of Micah learn a great deal about God: he is a mighty God who controls the nations, yet he is also concerned with everyday matters like equity, poverty, and care for widows and orphans. In presenting this transcendent-yet-immanent God, Micah's message revolves around themes of justice, judgment, and salvation that continue to carry great significance today. In this theological commentary on the book of Micah, Stephen Dempster places the text in conversation with the larger story of Scripture. After discussing questions of structure and authorship in his introduction, Dempster systematically works through the text, drawing links to the broader biblical story throughout. In the second part of his commentary Dempster offers theological discussion that further explicates the most significant themes in Micah and their applicability to today's Christians.

Old Testament Theology
Old Testament Theology

Author: R. W. L. Moberly

Publisher: Baker Academic

Published: 2013-11-19

Total Pages: 351

ISBN-13: 1441243097

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A top Old Testament theologian known for his accessible and provocative writing probes what is necessary to understand and appropriate the Hebrew Bible as a fundamental resource for Christian theology and life today. This volume offers a creative example of theological interpretation, modeling a way of doing Old Testament theology that takes seriously both the nature of the biblical text as ancient text and also the questions and difficulties that arise as believers read this text in a contemporary context. Walter Moberly offers an in-depth study of key Old Testament passages, highlighting enduring existential issues in the Hebrew Bible and discussing Jewish readings alongside Christian readings. The volume is representative of the content of Israel's Scripture rather than comprehensive, yet it discusses most of the major topics of Old Testament theology. Moberly demonstrates a Christian approach to reading and appropriating the Old Testament that holds together the priorities of both scholarship and faith.

The Shape of the Writings
The Shape of the Writings

Author: Julius Steinberg

Publisher: Penn State Press

Published: 2015-09-02

Total Pages: 385

ISBN-13: 1575063743

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Are the Writings a miscellaneous collection of books, as is so often asserted, or do they have a purposeful design or arrangement? Over the past 35 years, there has been a significant amount of scholarly interest in the shape of the Law, Former Prophets, Twelve Minor Prophets and the Psalms, while examinations of the shape of the Writings were almost nonexistent until very recently. The 11 essays in this volume explore this often-neglected issue from a variety of critical perspectives—reader-centered approaches, canonical, structural-canonical, and redactional—made more robust by the mix of German- and English-language scholarship on this question, including 4 articles translated from German into English. Essays range from the historical development of the collection, to analysis of the collection’s different arrangements, to the relationship of books and subcollections within the Writings, to the reception of the collection in Jewish and Christian sources. Every book in the Writings is discussed, with particular attention given to Job, Ruth, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. The volume closes with 3 critical responses from John Barton, Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, and Christopher Seitz.

Canon Formation
Canon Formation

Author: W. Edward Glenny

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2023-01-12

Total Pages: 374

ISBN-13: 0567692108

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Contributors to this volume examine the various collections of canonical sub-units in the canon, considering the state of the question regarding each particular collection. The chapters introduce the issues involved in sub-collections being accepted in the canon, summarize the historical evidence of the acceptance of these collections, and discuss the compositional evidence of “canonical consciousness” in the various collections. The contributors consider paratextual evidence, for example, the arrangement of the books in various manuscripts, the titles of the books, and also include evidence such as the presence of catchwords, framing devices, and themes. The book begins with a consideration of the two overarching collections – the Old and New Testaments. Next, several sub-collections within the Hebrew Bible (OT) are considered, including the Torah, Prophets, the Megilloth, the Twelve (both in their Masoretic Text and Septuagint forms), and the Psalter. In addition, sub-collections in the New Testament include the four-fold Gospel, the Pauline Collection (usually with Hebrews in the early manuscripts), the function of Acts within the New Testament, the Praxapostolos (Acts along with the Catholic Epistles), and the function of Revelation as the end of the canon.

The State of Old Testament Studies
The State of Old Testament Studies

Author: H. H. Hardy, II

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 2024-11-05

Total Pages: 546

ISBN-13: 1493447416

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This book surveys the current landscape of Old Testament studies, offering readers a concise guide to contemporary academic discussions. Bringing together a diverse group of experts, it provides an informed introduction to the many fields of Old Testament research by recognized scholars, presents basic questions in each subfield, surveys the primary methods of answering these questions, engages prominent solutions, and evaluates relevant and up-to-date resources. It is an extensive guide to current research and an ideal supplemental textbook for a variety of courses on the Old Testament. Contributors include Samuel Boyd, Mark Brett, Aubrey Buster, M. Daniel Carroll R., Stephen Chapman, Stephen L. Cook, Matthew Coomber, Katherine Davis, Katharine Dell, Stephen Dempster, Christopher J. Fresch, Diedre Fulton, Rachelle Gilmour, Jamie Grant, H. H. Hardy II, Ralph Hawkins, Richard S. Hess, John W. Hilber, Brad E. Kelle, Will Kynes, David Lamb, Bo Lim, Drew Longacre, Tremper Longman III, Sandra Richter, Ken Ristau, Jordan Ryan, Cynthia Shafer-Elliott, Jason M. Silverman, Brent A. Strawn, C. A. Strine, Heath Thomas, Daniel Timmer, and Eric J. Tully.

The Formation of the Biblical Canon: Volume 1
The Formation of the Biblical Canon: Volume 1

Author: Lee Martin McDonald

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2017-01-26

Total Pages: 586

ISBN-13: 0567668770

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Lee Martin McDonald provides a magisterial overview of the development of the biblical canon --- the emergence of the list of individual texts that constitutes the Christian bible. In these two volumes -- in sum more than double the length of his previous works -- McDonald presents his most in-depth overview to date. McDonald shows students and researchers how the list of texts that constitute 'the bible' was once far more fluid than it is today and guides readers through the minefield of different texts, different versions, and the different lists of texts considered 'canonical' that abounded in antiquity. Questions of the origin and transmission of texts are introduced as well as consideration of innovations in the presentation of texts, collections of documents, archaeological finds and Church councils. In this first volume McDonald reexamines issues of canon formation once considered settled, and sets the range of texts that make up the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) in their broader context. Each indidvidual text is discussed, as are the cultural, political and historical situations surrounding them. The second volume considers the New Testament, and the range of so-called 'apocryphal' gospels that were written in early centuries, and used by many Christian groups before the canon was closed. Also included are comprehensive appendices which show various canon lists for both Old and New Testaments and for the bible as a whole.

A Canonical Exegesis of the Eighth Psalm
A Canonical Exegesis of the Eighth Psalm

Author: Hubert James Keener

Publisher: Penn State Press

Published: 2013-10-31

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13: 1575068702

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Since Brevard Childs first introduced it as a “fresh approach” in the late 1960s, canonical exegesis has grown into a widely discussed and developed program—virtually a “school” of biblical interpretation—with many scholars carrying forward an approach to theological exegesis that emphasizes the role of canon as the central context for interpretation of the Christian Scriptures. In this study, Keener takes a twofold approach: (1) he demonstrates that a canonical exegesis is tenable if the task is approached with clarity regarding its core theological foundation; and (2) he applies the approach to the interpretation of the often thorny questions surrounding the understanding of Psalm 8. This is useful in that Psalm 8 touches upon several questions germane to the successful implementation of canonical exegesis due to the many intertextual connections it shares with the rest of the Bible. Keener concludes that Psalm 8 in the Old Testament represents the intersection of two trajectories: (1) the reversal motif in which YHWH maintains the created order through the exaltation of the weak and the humble; and (2) the motif of the conflicted and conflicting human, in which humans are shown as beset by trials, often failing and even occupying the role of the enemies of YHWH. A third trajectory becomes visible in the context of the New Testament, that of the redeeming Christ; this third trajectory intersects with the two Old Testament trajectories and makes possible the redemption of conflicted humanity, giving the ultimate answer to the psalmist’s question, “What is the human?”