Abraham In The Negev

In this discursive commentary Joseph Blenkinsopp explores the story of Abraham -- iconic ancestor of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam -- as told in Genesis 11-25. Presented in continuous discussion rather than in verse-by-verse form, Blenkinsopp s commentary focuses on the literary and theological artistry of the narrative as a whole. Blenkinsopp discussses a range of issues raised in the Abraham saga, including confirmation of God s promises, Isaac s sacrifice and the death of Jesus, and Abraham s other beloved son, Ishmael. Each chapter has a section called Filling in the Gaps, which probes some of the vast amount of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic commentary that the basic Genesis text has generated through the ages. In an epilogue Blenkinsopp looks at Abraham in early Christianity and expresses his own views, as a Christian, on Abraham. Readers of Blenkinsopp s Abraham: The Story of a Life will surely come away with a deeper, richer understanding of this seminal ancient figure.

The time was the Bronze to the Iron Age, the third to first millenniums B.C. Great leaders arose from Iraq to Eygpt-- Sargon of Akkad, Gudea of Lagash, Hammurapi of Babylon, and Akhenaten of Egypt--and from these lands of the Fertile Crescent came the underpinnings of Western civilization: law, science, arts, and the alphabet. But the human spirit wanted more. In a universe run by mercurial gods who kept humankind in bondage, there emerged the need for one all-powerful divinity, one omnipresent as mentor and protector. The book of Genesis, with its narratives of real people struggling to survive, provided that God, and thus the roots of monotheism. Genesis: World of Myths and Patriarchs is an in-depth look at the civilizations that formed the background of the first book of the Bible. Drawing on the great archaeological discoveries in the Middle East over the past century, everyday life of the people of Genesis is viewed through their politics, arts, nomadic migrations, commerce, religion, and moral values. With over 250 illustrations, including sixty-four color plates, this rich visual panorama describes what the authors of Genesis saw, and what events and ideas moved them to write the story of their people's origins. The book includes fourteen maps and charts, a selected chronology, and a list of gods of the Middle East. Cyrus Gordon and Nahum Sarna, two of the most renowned scholars of ancient Near Eastern history and Bible, provide the text. Genesis: World of Myths and Patriarchs acquaints us for the first time with the people we know from this familiar book of the Bible, and with the places they inhabited and the culture they developed. We trace what was borrowed, rejected, and transformed to create a new and unique ethic which has continued to shape the world.

The book of Genesis introduces three similar wife/sister narratives, commonly thought to be originating from different sources because of their repetitive entries. This research explores the wife/sister narratives in Genesis (Gen 12:10-13:1, 20:1-18, and 26:1-11), and it aims to provide an understanding of the three stories as a whole by uncovering its context by textlinguistic and literary type-scene analysis. Textlinguistic analysis helps us to see how each wife/sister narrative functions in its context, while type-scene analysis emphasizes how the three narratives develop and contribute to the patriarchal narratives through their similarities and variations. Although the traditional type-scene analysis studies recurrent fixed motives in texts, this study focuses much more on literary aspects such as characterization, theme, and plot. Through this study, the three wife/sister stories will elaborate that the patriarchal narratives are not results of different authors, but the well-developed products of a single author. The three wife/sister stories work together to highlight God's faithfulness to his promises (Gen 12:1-3).

No other piece of ancient Near Eastern literature that has survived the ravages of time compares favorably with the book of Genesis. Its theological perspectives and historical profiles of early man are unique. It is important not because it is old­other collections antedate it by many years-but because it completely transcends the primitive mythology of the ancient world. Reading and studying Genesis are not burdensome tasks. Its themes are varied and its personal portraits unparalleled. It immediately tackles on of man's most basic questions: What is the origin of all things? Its answer is as credible as it is captivating. From the origin of man the writer shifts attention to the fall of man and the human dilemma. The problem of evil is rarely discussed in such a manner by other ancient writers. From this point the writer concentrates on the spiritual, moral, and practical consequences of sin. Great catastrophes, such as the flood and the confusion of tongues at Babel, demonstrate God's response to human rebellion. Where in the annals of history can we find more imaginative and frank portraits than those of Abraham and his descendants? Abraham's moments of great triumph and ecstasy are not reported to the exclusion of his hours of humility and disgrace; this balanced description is quite distinct from the idealism of ancient Near Eastern historiography. The detailed descriptions of Abraham's failures, therefore, constitute a remarkable proof for the inspiration of this book. The sensitive reader cannot help but be struck by this book's great contrasting emphases: on one hand majestic, cosmological truth; on the other hand personal, intimate, and individualistic narratives of a man, a wife, and their family. While theological abstractions are common, they do not exclude personal warmth and historical objectivity. There are also great contrasts between personalities; the most significant is between God and Satan, and based on this contrast is the one between good and evil and their practical effects. The book of Genesis, therefore, is of utmost value to the scientist, the historian, and the theologian: to the scientist for its cosmology, to the historian for its early history of Israel, and to the theologian for its basic philosophical implications. But one must approach the book properly; only then can one hope to understand it, not to mention the rest of the Bible and Jesus Himself . Jesus told his hostile contemporaries that "had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" (John 5:46,47)

``Gandhi saw progress in very much the same way that Rabindranath Tagore explained it to Westerners. The West sees progress mainly in material terms-something visual and concrete: once one travelled in horse drawn carriages, now one can fly in planes. But, as Tagore pointed out, the true Eastern mind doesn't see the outward signs. A tree which stands in one place for years also progresses-it is constantly revewing itself but the changes are taking place inside it, unseen. So also it is with man: he truly progresses only when he makes the necessary adjustments within himself-the `know thyself' of Socrates''. This is how the author explains what happened to him. His early life was highly influenced by the western style education he received in Christian boarding schools in India and later in England. He became part of the western concept of progress going for the outer gloss. But Jew-baiting at school and racial discrimination in England forced him back to his Jewish and Indian roots. He made the correction in his inner life while living in a tent in the Negev desert where he wrote this book. From being an admirer of Churchill, be become a follower of Gandhi. He argues in this book that non-violence is the only solution to the crisis in the Middle East.

Ethnomathematics of Negev Bedouins’ Existence in Forms, Symbols, and Geometric Patterns provokes a journey into the world of Negev Bedouins and attests to the beauty and sophistication of mathematics that occurs naturally in their craftwork, structures, games, and throughout Bedouin life. The major focus is Bedouin women’s traditional craftwork by which they reflect social and cultural activities in their weaving, embroidery, and similar pursuits. Their creations reveal mathematical ideas incorporated in embroidery compositions in repeated patterns of flowers and geometric figures in varying scales. The women use ground staked looms, stabilized by block-stones, to make multi-color, repeating pattern strip-rugs in a process practiced for generations. An image of this appears in the book’s cover photo collage. Bedouin men construct dwellings, tents, desert wells, and such. They and their children play games attuned to sand and other specific desert conditions. These activities of Bedouin women, men, and children require mathematical thinking and strategic reasoning to achieve desired outcomes. The book opens with a narrative of Bedouin history, followed by a brief overview of ethnomathematics, and concludes with discussion about bridging the gap between school mathematics experiences and those outside school. It considers mathematically problematic situations embedded in Bedouin sociocultural heritage likely to appeal to teachers for use with school students. The book is intended for a diverse audience from Bedouin communities in different countries to the general public and professionals, including ethnomathematicians and mathematics educators. Numerous photographs document the examples of Bedouin ethnomathematics. They are the subject of considerable analysis and appear throughout the book.

This unique commentary provides historical, social and cultural background for each passage of the Old Testament. From Genesis through Malachi, this single volume gathers and condenses an abundance of specialized knowledge, and includes a glossary, maps and charts, and expanded explanations of significant background issues.