Barton - The Biblical World vol 1

THE BIBLICAL WORLD

The Biblical World is a comprehensive guide to the contents, historical setting and social context of the Bible. It presents the fruits of years of specialist study in accessible form, and is essential reading for anyone who reads the Bible and would like to know more about how and why it came to be.

Volume I begins with an overview of the full range of Biblical material (Old Testament, Apocrypha and New Testament), before going on to more detailed discussion of the major genres of biblical literaturefrom myth and prophecy to poetry and proverbs. The contributors also consider the ways in which the texts have been transmitted, the significance of parallel and related versions, and past interpretations of the Bible.

Explorations of the historical background are complemented by the findings of archaeology, and discussion of matters such as language, law, administration, social life and the arts offers a fuller understanding of the social and cultural setting of ancient Israel and the early Christian churches. Major figures in the Bibleincluding Abraham, Jesus and Paulare studied in detail, as are its central religious concepts, such as salvation and purity. Volume II concludes with a survey of how the Bible is studied and seen today.

Written by an international collection of acknowledged experts, this monumental work will be an invaluable resource for students, academics and clergy, and for all to whom the Bible is important as a religious or cultural document.

John Barton is Oriel and Laing Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture, University of Oxford, and Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford. He is the author of numerous books and articles on biblical texts, and is also the editor of The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Interpretation (1998) and (with John Muddiman) of The Oxford Bible Commentary (2001).

THE BIBLICAL WORLD

Volume I
Edited by

John Barton

LONDON AND NEW YORK

Every attempt has been made to obtain permission to reproduce copyright material. If any proper acknowledgement has not been made, we would invite copyright holders to inform us of the oversight.

First published 2002 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group

This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2006.

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First published in paperback 2004

2002 John Barton selection and editorial matter; individual chapters, the contributors

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

ISBN 0-203-30949-9 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-415-34954-0 (Print Edition) (2 vol. set)
ISBN 0-415-35090-5 (Print Edition) (Vol. 1)

Volume I

Volume II

PART V: INSTITUTIONS

27 The Hebrew and Aramaic languages

John Huehnergard and Jo Ann Hackett

28 The Greek language

John Muddiman

29 Warfare

Thomas M.Bolin

30 The arts: architecture, music, poetry, psalmody

Susan Gillingham

31 Law and administration in the New Testament world

J.Duncan M.Derrett

32 Religion in pre-exilic Israel

Rainer Albertz

33 Religion in Israel during and after the exile

Rainer Albertz

34 Judaism at the turn of the era

Jarl Fossum

35 The first churches: social life

Justin J.Meggitt

36 The first churches: religious practice

Justin J.Meggitt

PART VI: BIBLICAL FIGURES

37 Israels ancestors: the patriarchs and matriarchs

George W.Ramsey

38 Moses

John Van Seters

39 David and Solomon

Gwilym H.Jones

40 Jesus

Robert Morgan

41 Paul

David G.Horrell

PART VII: RELIGIOUS IDEAS

42 Salvation in Jewish thought

Dan Cohn-Sherbok

43 Salvation in Christian thought

Andrew Chester

44 Interpretations of the identity and role of Jesus

Catrin H.Williams

45 Death and afterlife

John J.Collins

46 Purity

Gordon Wenham

PART VIII: THE BIBLE TODAY

47 Jewish Bible translation

Leonard J.Greenspoon

48 Christian Bible translation

Henry Wansbrough

49 Modern biblical interpretation

William R.Telford

Index of biblical references

Index of modern authors

Subject index

27.1 The Semitic language family

27.2 The Northwest Semitic languages

27.3 An Amarna tablet from Jerusalem

27.4 An eighth-century BCE ostracon from Samaria

27.5 A page of the Leningrad Codex of the Hebrew Bible

27.6 A fragment of a text from Qumran

27.7 Examples of early alphabetic photographs

27.8 A Ugaritic abecedary

29.1 Stone tower, Jericho, ca 7000 BCE

29.2 Iron Age wall, Jerusalem, eighth century BCE

29.3 City gate, Megiddo, ninth century BCE

29.4 Assyrian siege ramp, Lachish, 701 BCE

29.5 Roman siege ramp, Masada, 73 CE

30.1 The king and the sacred tree

30.2 Cherub and palmette on ivory from Samaria

30.3 Golden embossed bowl showing the king of Ugarit hunting

30.4 Front view of decorated cultic stand

30.5 The Ark of the Law

30.6 Wall painting

30.7 An Assyrian military band with tambourines, lyres and cymbals

30.8 The solemn processions of my God

30.9 The forms of the Psalter

35.1 Seat from the theatre at Miletus

35.2 The entrance of the synagogue at Sardis

36.1 The Nash Papyrus

37.1 Rembrandt, Abraham and Isaac

37.2 Tintoretto, Joseph and Potiphars Wife

41.1 Map showing places and areas mentioned

41.2 Jewish eschatology

41.3 Pauline eschatology

41.4 One of many Roman coins naming Octavian as CAESAR DIVI F[ilius]

46.1 Tolerated and prohibited moral uncleanness

46.2 The tabernacle, or sanctuary

46.3 Holycleanunclean sequence

46.4 Spectrum of conditions from holy to unclean

46.5 Cleanness rules relating to humans, animals and birds

49.1 Methods and approaches in the biblical field

49.2 A taxonomy of methods and approaches in the biblical field

Rainer Albertz is Professor of the Old Testament at the Westflische Wilhelms-Universitt in Mnster, Germany. He has written on various topics in biblical studies, especially in the fields of biblical theology and of ancient Near Eastern history of religion. His books include Weltschpfung und Menschenschpfung bei Hiob, Deuterojesaja und in den Psalmen (1974), Persnliche Frmmigkeit und Offizielle Religion (1978),