Behind the Scenes of the Old Testament - (Behind the Scenes of the Bible) by Jonathan S Greer & John W Hilber & John H Walton (Hardcover)

About the Book

A team of world-class scholars covers the full range of Old Testament backgrounds studies in a concise, authoritative, and comprehensive manner.

Book Synopsis

This authoritative volume brings together a team of world-class scholars to cover the full range of Old Testament backgrounds studies in a concise, up-to-date, and comprehensive manner. With expertise in various subdisciplines of Old Testament backgrounds, the authors illuminate the cultural, social, and historical contexts of the world behind the Old Testament. They introduce readers to a wide range of background materials, covering history, geography, archaeology, and ancient Near Eastern textual and iconographic studies.

Meant to be used alongside traditional literature-based canonical surveys, this one-stop introduction to Old Testament backgrounds fills a gap in typical introduction to the Bible courses. It contains over 100 illustrations, including photographs, line drawings, maps, charts, and tables, which will facilitate its use in the classroom.

From the Back Cover

"Authoritative but eminently readable"

"No sound interpretation of the Old Testament can afford to ignore the world from which the text came. Physical, historical, archaeological, cultural, social, and religious features all need to be taken into account. Available information, however, is usually scattered through many publications and difficult for students to access. In this volume the editors have done sterling work in gathering a galaxy of leading specialists to collect and present all such relevant information in modest-length chapters that present the data in an authoritative but eminently readable manner. Coursework and personal study stand to be hugely enriched by this valuable compendium."
--H. G. M. Williamson, University of Oxford

"Featuring an outstanding range of international contributors, Behind the Scenes of the Old Testament is an up-to-date introduction to the theological, social, and historical contexts of the Hebrew Scriptures. The attention paid to neglected topics, such as climate, economy, foodways, historical geography, iconography, music/dance, social stratification, trade, and women--in addition to the substantial attention given to archaeology, history, kingship, literature, prophecy/divination, and worship--is most welcome."
--Gary Knoppers, University of Notre Dame

"As the editors of Behind the Scenes of the Old Testament remind us, the Old Testament, while written for us, was not written to us. We must understand the world in which the Old Testament was written to interpret it for our world today. For this reason, I highly recommend this book as a reference or textbook for all serious readers of the Old Testament. Each chapter provides background to and comparative analysis of the biblical text and is written by foremost experts in the field."
--Tremper Longman III, Westmont College

"The publishers and editors are to be commended for making this compendium of up-to-date essays available to students of the Old Testament. It is an ideal text for courses in Old Testament backgrounds and an excellent supplement for survey courses. Specialists needing a summary of the latest thinking regarding background issues will also find it a handy tool."
--Robert B. Chisholm Jr., Dallas Theological Seminary

"A unique opportunity to learn from leading scholars of the world in which the Old Testament events took place and the Old Testament texts were written. Accessible, accurate, and engaging, Behind the Scenes of the Old Testament will serve as a key resource for interpreting biblical texts."
--Mark J. Boda, McMaster Divinity College

About the Author

Jonathan S. Greer (PhD, Pennsylvania State University) is associate professor of Old Testament and director of the Hesse Memorial Archaeological Laboratory at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

John W. Hilber (PhD, University of Cambridge) is professor of Old Testament at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario, and is the author of several books.

John H. Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. He speaks extensively on reading the Old Testament in its ancient context and has authored or edited numerous books.