The Lives Of Ordinary People In Ancient Israel

"In this book William Dever addresses the question that must guide every good historian of ancient Israel: What was life really like in those days? Writing as an expert archaeologist who is also a secular humanist, Dever relies on archaeological data, over and above the Hebrew Bible, for primary source material. He focuses on the lives of ordinary people in the eighth century B.C.E. - not kings, priests, or prophets - people who left behind rich troves of archaeological information but who are practically invisible in "typical" histories of ancient Israel."--Résumé de l'éditeur.

The concept of one God—monotheism—is a basic, fundamental part of our culture and beliefs today. However, it hasn’t always been that way. Even the early Israelite people went wayward and worshiped other gods. Yahweh was only a single God on the pantheon. A Crisis of Exile delves into the biblical, archaeological, and historical records to uncover what the religion of Ancient Israel was really like. Moreover, it reveals how the Babylonian Exile became the catalyst for propelling the Israelites into monotheism.

A synthetic reconstruction of women’s religious engagement and experiences in preexilic Israel “This monumental book examines a wealth of data from the Bible, archaeology, and ancient Near Eastern texts and iconography to provide a clear, comprehensive, and compelling analysis of women’s religious lives in preexilic times.”—Carol Meyers, Duke University Throughout the biblical narrative, ancient Israelite religious life is dominated by male actors. When women appear, they are often seen only on the periphery: as tangential, accidental, or passive participants. However, despite their absence from the written record, they were often deeply involved in religious practice and ritual observance. In this new volume, Susan Ackerman presents a comprehensive account of ancient Israelite women’s religious lives and experiences. She examines the various sites of their practice, including household shrines, regional sanctuaries, and national temples; the calendar of religious rituals that women observed on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis; and their special roles in religious settings. Drawing on texts, archaeology, and material culture, and documenting the distinctions between Israelite women’s experiences and those of their male counterparts, Ackerman reconstructs an essential picture of women’s lived religion in ancient Israelite culture.

This book examines the relationship between mobility, lived religiosities, and conceptions of divine personhood as they are preserved in textual corpora and material culture from Israel, Judah, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. By integrating evidence of the form and function of religiosities in contexts of mobility and migration, this volume reconstructs mobility-informed aspects of civic and household religiosities in Israel and its world. Readers will find a robust theoretical framework for studying cultures of mobility and religiosities in the ancient past, as well as a fresh understanding of the scope and texture of mobility-informed religious identities that composed broader Yahwistic religious heritage. Cultures of Mobility, Migration, and Religion in Ancient Israel and Its World will be of use to both specialists and informed readers interested in the history of mobilities and migrations in the ancient Near East, as well as those interested in the development of Yahwism in its biblical and extra-biblical forms.

This unique reference article, excerpted from the larger work (Dictionary of Daily Life in Biblical and Post-Biblical Antiquity), provides background cultural and technical information on the world of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament from 2000 BC to approximately AD 600. Written and edited by a world-class historian and a highly respected biblical scholar, each article addresses cultural, technical, and/or sociological issues of interest to the study of the Scriptures. Contains a high level of scholarship. Information and concepts are explained in detail and are accompanied by bibliographic material for further exploration. Useful for scholars, pastors, teachers, and students—for biblical study, exegesis, or sermon preparation. Possible areas covered include details of domestic life, technology, culture, laws, or religious practices. Each article ranges from 5 to 20 pages in length. For the complete contents of Dictionary of Daily Life in Biblical and Post-Biblical Antiquity, see ISBN 9781619708617 (4-volume set) or ISBN 9781619701458 (complete in one volume).

The Dictionary of Daily Life in Biblical & Post-Biblical Antiquity is a unique reference work that provides background cultural and technical information on the world of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament from 4000 BC to approximately AD 600. Also available as a 4-volume set (ISBN 9781619708617), this complete one-volume edition covers topics from A-Z. This dictionary casts light on the culture, technology, history, and politics of the periods of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. Written and edited by a world-class historian and a highly respected biblical scholar, with contributions by many others, this unique reference work explains details of domestic life, technology, culture, laws, and religious practices, with extensive bibliographic material for further exploration. There are 115 articles ranging from 5-20 pages long. Scholars, pastors, and students (and their teachers) will find this to be a useful resource for biblical study, exegesis, and sermon preparation. "This is not your standard Bible dictionary, but one that focuses on aspects of daily life in Bible times, addressing interesting and sometimes puzzling topics that are often overlooked in other encyclopedias. I highly recommend the Dictionary of Daily Life in Biblical and Post-Biblical Antiquity and will be giving it 'shout-outs' in my classes in the years to come." --James K. Hoffmeier, Professor of Old Testament and Near Eastern Archaeology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School "This wonderful resource is much more than a dictionary. It is a compendium of substantive essays on numerous facets of daily life in the ancient world. I am frequently asked by pastors and students for recommendations on books that illuminate the manners, customs, and cultural practices of the biblical world. Now I have the ideal set of books to recommend." --Clinton E. Arnold, Dean and Professor of New Testament, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University

Most Bible dictionaries on the market today completely miss a number of cultural and sociological issues of interest to the study of the Scriptures. The Dictionary of Biblical and Post-Biblical Antiquity aims to correct this. Written by a world-class historian and a highly respected biblical scholar, this unique reference work provides background information on the world of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament from 2000 BC to approximately AD 600. Articles on domestic life, technology, culture, laws, and religious practices are rarely found in available Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias, but here they are addressed in cogent summaries, accompanied by bibliographic material for further exploration. While the authors are well known, they have also recruited experts in the actual fields being discussed in numerous cases, and thus the book is further strengthened by the high level of scholarship applied to each of the articles. Scholars, pastors, and students (and their teachers) will find this to be a very useful resource for biblical study, exegesis, and sermon preparation. -- Amazon.

This volume examines new developments in the fields of premodern Jewish studies over the last thirty years. The essays in this volume, written by leading experts, are grouped into four overarching temporal areas: the First Temple, Second Temple, Rabbinic, and Medieval periods. These time periods are analyzed through four thematic methodological lenses: the social scientific (history and society), the textual (texts and literature), the material (art, architecture, and archaeology), and the philosophical (religion and thought). Some essays offer a comprehensive look at the state of the field, while others look at specific examples illustrative of their temporal and thematic areas of inquiry. The volume presents a snapshot of the state of the field, encompassing new perspectives, directions, and methodologies, as well as the questions that will animate the field as it develops further. It will be of interest to scholars and students in the field, as well as to educated readers looking to understand the changing face of Jewish studies as a discipline advancing human knowledge