Old Testament Times

Old Testament Times deals in a non-technical manner with the broad social and cultural context in which the events recorded in the Bible took place. Particular attention is given to recent archaeological discoveries and the light they shed on the Old Testament. Certain of the more problematic issues of Old Testament history are also examined in outline.The world of the Old Testament was geographically and politically interdependent and coexisted with the world of the ancient Near East. The people and times of the Old Testament cannot and must not be studied in isolation from the larger Near Eastern background. Any information that can be discovered about the history, religion, languages, literatures and cultures of ancient Oriental peoples have an important bearing upon our understanding of the people of God.Old Testament Times is more than a survey of the Old Testament; it is an examination of the background in which the Old Testament was written. Dr. Harrison explores the relevance of the historical, political, social, and economic framework relating to the beginning and growth of the Israelite people and the development of Judaism.Designed to complement Merrill C. Tenney's well-known New Testament Times, this present volume contains more than one hundred photos as well as indexes and a list of books for further reading.

Recent years have seen a renewed interest in the study of background materials relating to Scripture. More and more Christians are seeking out resources that will help them understand the culture of the times when the Bible was written. Indeed, to fully understand the Old Testament, one must first understand the social, historical, and political forces that affected its writers. Old Testament Times explores and explains the characters and events of the Old Testament in historical perspective. Being released for the first time in a full-color edition, this guide includes - thirty-two maps - seventy photos - eight charts - five illustrations Pastors, small groups, and anyone wishing for a better understanding of biblical times will find an excellent tool in this comprehensive handbook written by one of America's foremost biblical scholars.

Detailed historical and archaeological essays give insight into the many people groups who interacted with and influenced ancient Israel.

This volumes includes almost one hundred ancient documents from the ancient Near East that have relevance for the study ancient Israel and the Hebrew Bible. It includes more than twenty photos of these documents, a newly updated bibliography, and a new foreword. The aim throughout the volume has been to relate each document as closely as possible to the Old Testament, and to bring out relevant points of interest touching history, chronology, archaeology, religion, literature, geography, and so on, in illustration of the Old Testament. Not all Israel's story is told in the Old Testament. It has to be supplemented by the evidence of ancient documents discovered by archaeologists--inscriptions on clay, stone, seals and coins, and writings on potsherds, papyrus and leather. Some part of this story it is the purpose of this volume to tell. . . . While Israel is not without her testimony to herself, it is for the most part the witness of her neighbours which is met with in the pages of this volume. --from the Preface

Hailed as "the most radical repackaging of the Bible since Gutenberg", these Pocket Canons give an up-close look at each book of the Bible.

A literary history of our most influential book of all time, by an Oxford scholar and Anglican priest In our culture, the Bible is monolithic: It is a collection of books that has been unchanged and unchallenged since the earliest days of the Christian church. The idea of the Bible as "Holy Scripture," a non-negotiable authority straight from God, has prevailed in Western society for some time. And while it provides a firm foundation for centuries of Christian teaching, it denies the depth, variety, and richness of this fascinating text. In A History of the Bible, John Barton argues that the Bible is not a prescription to a complete, fixed religious system, but rather a product of a long and intriguing process, which has inspired Judaism and Christianity, but still does not describe the whole of either religion. Barton shows how the Bible is indeed an important source of religious insight for Jews and Christians alike, yet argues that it must be read in its historical context--from its beginnings in myth and folklore to its many interpretations throughout the centuries. It is a book full of narratives, laws, proverbs, prophecies, poems, and letters, each with their own character and origin stories. Barton explains how and by whom these disparate pieces were written, how they were canonized (and which ones weren't), and how they were assembled, disseminated, and interpreted around the world--and, importantly, to what effect. Ultimately, A History of the Bible argues that a thorough understanding of the history and context of its writing encourages religious communities to move away from the Bible's literal wording--which is impossible to determine--and focus instead on the broader meanings of scripture.

The final book of the Bible, Revelation prophesies the ultimate judgement of mankind in a series of allegorical visions, grisly images and numerological predictions. According to these, empires will fall, the "Beast" will be destroyed and Christ will rule a new Jerusalem. With an introduction by Will Self.

Alfred Edersheim (1825 – 1889) was a Jewish convert to Christianity, a Presbyterian and Anglican minister, and a Biblical scholar. He is remembered for his works The Temple: its Ministry and Services as they were in the Time of Jesus Christ, Sketches of Jewish Social Life in the days of Christ, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, and his history of the Old Testament.