Jeffrey Geoghegan - The Bible For Dummies

by Jeffrey Geoghegan, PhD and Michael Homan, PhD

The Bible For Dummies

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Copyright 2003 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 00-112065

ISBN: 978-0-7645-5296-0

Manufactured in the United States of America

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About the Authors

Dr. Jeffrey Geoghegan is Assistant Professor of Biblical Theology at Boston College. He received his doctorate from the University of California, San Diego, where he also taught courses covering everything from Socrates to Shakespeare. A lover of history and literature, he has made the study of the Bible and the ancient Near East his professional preoccupation. Jeff has traveled throughout the land of the Bible and has authored or coauthored a number of books and articles on the Bible, including two recent collaborations with Michael Homan: The Nine Commandments: Uncovering the Hidden Pattern of CrimeandPunishment in the Hebrew Bible (also with David Noel Freedman) and a forthcoming Bible Atlas to be published by Eerdmans.

Dr. Michael Homan is Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana, where he teaches courses on the Bible, ancient religions, and archaeology. He earned his doctorate in ancient Near Eastern History from the University of California, San Diego, has over 12 years of archaeological experience, and is an expert on the material culture and geography of ancient Israel. He has traveled extensively in the Middle East, living in both Israel and Jordan for several years. In addition to his collaborations with Jeff Geoghegan, Mike has published widely on subjects relating to the Bible and the ancient Near East, and is currently working on a book about alcohol in the ancient world (which includes a chapter on how the ancients brewed a pretty mean beer complete with do-it-yourself recipes!).

Dedication

This book is lovingly dedicated to our families, and especially our wives, Jannetta and Therese, without whose help and support this book, and so much else in life, would not be possible or worthwhile.

Authors Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge our teachers at the University of California, San Diego, whose insights on the Bible, its history, and life in general fill the pages of this book. These include: David Noel Freedman, Richard Elliott Friedman, William Propp, Thomas Levy, and David Goodblatt.

Special thanks are also due to the people at Wiley Publishing who made this project possible, especially Alissa Schwipps, whose encouragement and feedback kept us on track and helped make this a better work, and Pam Mourouzis, whose capable leadership was instrumental at all stages of this project. We would also like to thank Kevin Thornton and Andrew Corbin for helping to get this project in motion.

The contributions of our colleagues and students at Boston College, Xavier University of Louisiana, the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, and the University of California, San Diego, are also much appreciated.

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Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development

Project Editor: Alissa D. Schwipps

Acquisitions Editor: Pam Mourouzis

Copy Editors: Elizabeth Netedu Kuball, Patricia Yuu Pan

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Editorial Assistant: Nvea C. Strickland

Cover Photo: CORBIS/Carl and Ann Purcell

Cartoons: Rich Tennant, www.the5thwave.com

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Nancee Reeves

Layout and Graphics: Amanda Carter, Sean Decker, Melanie DesJardins, Carrie Foster, Joyce Haughey, LeAndra Johnson, Tiffany Muth, Jackie Nicholas, Barry Offringa, Julie Trippetti

Special Art: British Museum Winged Lion image from the Antiquity Archives of Preserving Bible Times, Inc., P.O. Box 83357, Gaithersburg, MD, 20883-3357, www.preservingbibletimes.org.

Proofreaders: John Bitter, Andy Hollandbeck, Angel Perez, Aptara

Indexer: Aptara