The Inclusive Hebrew Scriptures The Writings

As with the other volumes of The Inclusive Bible, The Inclusive Writings strives to ground its translation in tradition, while seeking to open the Scriptures to all contemporary readers. Following the division of the Hebrew Scriptures, The Inclusive Writings contain wisdom literature, poetry, histories, and prophecies. Together with Volume I: The Torah and Volume II: The Prophets, and this Volume III: The Writings completes the whole of the The Inclusive Hebrew Scriptures.

Following the ordering of the Palestinian canon, The Inclusive Prophets includes the twelve minor prophets along with the Isaiah, Jeremiah and the historical books of Samuel and Kings. This second volume of the Inclusive Hebrew Scriptures follows the same commitment to inclusiveness, justice and readability as the other volumes in the Inclusive Bible. Together with Volume I: The Torah, and Volume III: The Writings, this Volume I: The Torah completes the whole of the The Inclusive Hebrew Scriptures. Together with Volume I: The Torah and Volume III: The Writings, this completes the whole of the Inclusive Hebrew Scriptures.

The foundational books of the Torah-Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deutoronomy-form the basis of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Like the other volumes of The Inclusive Bible, the Inclusive Torah seeks to keep in creative tension the realities of the past and the concerns of present, all the while providing a text as readable and welcoming as possible. Together with Volume II: The Prophets, and Volume III: The Writings, this Volume I: The Torah completes the whole of the The Inclusive Hebrew Scriptures.

The Inclusive Bible is made up of three volumes: * The Inclusive Hebrew Scriptures: Volume I: Torah, * The Inclusive Hebrew Scriptures: Volume II: The Prophets * The Inclusive Hebrew Scriptures: Volume III: The Writings Click on any individual title to read more about that title. Or order the three-volume set at a special price by clicking on the Add to Cart button above.

The poetry of the Psalms echoes through the ages. The translators of The Inclusive Psalms had to reckon not only with the original Hebrew text of the Psalms, but the wide-ranging translations of these songs that have become so familiar. As with The Inclusive New Testament, their work allows the power of the ancient writings to be present to all contemporary readers. The Inclusive Psalms a wholly included in The Inclusive Hebrew Scriptures: Volume III: The Writings. They are also available together with The Inclusive New Testament.

Scribes and Schools is an examination of the processes which led to the canonization of the Hebrew Bible. Philip Davies sheds light on the social reasons for the development of the canon and in so doing presents a clear picture of how the Bible came into being. Volumes in the Library of Ancient Israel draw on multiple disciplines--such as archaeology, anthropology, sociology, linguistics, and literary criticism--to illuminate the everyday realities and social subtleties these ancient cultures experienced. This series employs sophisticated methods resulting in original contributions that depict the reality of the people behind the Hebrew Bible and interprets these insights for a wide variety of readers.

What part does the land of Canaan play in the biblical conception of “Israel”? To what extent does the religion promoted by the Hebrew Bible require that Israel live its communal life in the national homeland? And how does life in the land compare in importance with other elements presented as belonging to Israel’s ultimate destiny, such as, for example, adherence to the law? To what extent must the people of Israel take hold of and settle in the “entire land of Canaan” for them to fulfill their destiny? Might the land be shared with other peoples, or must non-Israelites be expelled and subjugated, or at least kept at a safe and isolated distance? Frankel asks these questions and others of the Hebrew Bible as a whole and of the biblical texts individually. He shows that all of these questions were addressed by various biblical authors and that diverse and even opposing answers were given to them. These issues are not completely new. Many of them have been addressed in recent times by various scholars and theologians who have taken a renewed interest in the “territorial dimension” of the Hebrew Bible. However, works of a predominantly theological or sociological orientation often suffer from a tendency to read the biblical texts holistically and to gloss over textual snags and inconsistencies. For Frankel, the snags and inconsistencies in the texts are of central importance. They allow him carefully to reconstruct the process of the growth of the texts in question and to reveal both their original forms and their final transformations at the hands of the editors. Frankel’s analysis shows that behind the present form of several biblical texts lie earlier versions that often displayed remarkably open and inclusive conceptions of the relationship between the people of Israel and the land of Canaan. Diachronic analysis of the biblical text is thus an essential component in this book’s attempt to retrieve something of the heated theological dynamic that animated the work of the authors and editors whose efforts were consummated in the formation of the Hebrew Bible. Frankel presents here many new and previously unrecognized biblical conceptions and traditions that have significant theological implications for the contemporary religious and political situation in the State of Israel. Once the biblical conceptions have been accurately identified, analyzed, and categorized, he opens a discussion of the possible relevance of these conceptions to the contemporary situation in which he lives.