The Bible As Literature

by Gabel, John B.; Wheeler, Charles B.; York, Anthony D.

• ISBN13: 9780195128536
• ISBN10: 0195128532
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-01-13
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The Bible as Literature applies the results of the last 200 years'biblical scholarship to understanding the historical formation of the Bible. Thebook does not attempt to expound or interpret the context of the Bibletheologically. The authors discuss such issues as the literary forms andstrategies of the biblical authors, the historical and physical setting in whichthe Bible stories were originally shaped, literatures from parallel,non-biblical cultures, the process of canon formation, the nature of biblicalliterary genres, and the problems of translation.

Author Biography

Anthony York is Estelle Hunt Associate Professor of Biblical Literature at the University of Cincinnati.

Table of Contents

To the Reader	ix
The Bible as Literature	1	(13)
Literary Forms and Strategies in the Bible	14	(26)
Ancient Near Eastern Literature and the Bible	40	(19)
The Bible and History	59	(11)
The Physical Setting of the Bible	70	(17)
The Formation of the Canon	87	(14)
The Composition of the Pentateuch	101	(15)
The Prophetic Writings	116	(13)
The Wisdom Literature	129	(17)
The Apocalyptic Literature	146	(16)
Judaism in the Intertestamental Period	162	(17)
The Hellenistic Background of the New Testament	179	(17)
Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha: The Outside Books	196	(17)
The Gospels	213	(20)
Acts and the Letters	233	(23)
The Text of the Bible	256	(13)
Translating the Bible	269	(23)
The Religious Use and Interpretation of the Bible	292	(41)
Appendix I: The Name of Israel's God	313	(4)
Appendix II: Writing in Biblical Times	317	(8)
Appendix III: Palestine in the Intertestamental Period	325	(8)
Review Questions	333	(12)
Glossary of Literary Terms	345	(6)
Index	351