Crisis and Story : Introduction to the Old Testament

by Humphreys, W. Lee

• ISBN13: 9780874849349
• ISBN10: 0874849349
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1990-01-01
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

This relatively brief, nontechnical introduction to the Old Testament captures the dramatic development of the ancient Israelite and early Jewish religious traditions, emphasizing the importance of narrative and memory. By focusing on the Moses-Sinai and David-Zion stories and on three major crises in the history of Jerusalem—the capture of the city by David in the 10th century BCE, its destruction by Babylon in 587 BCE, and its destruction by Rome in 70 CE—Humphreys helps students appreciate the complex interplay between the religious traditions and the political, social, economic, military, and cultural factors that influenced these traditions.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Patterns of Memory

PART I. THE RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS OF ANCIENT ISRAEL

Section 1. The Empire of David and Solomon

1. The First Crisis

2. The Davidic and Zion Traditions

3. The Yahwist

4. Visions of the Ways of God with Mortals

Section 2. From Dissolution to Destruction

5. The Moses–Sinai Story in Northern Israel

6. Judah and the Assyrian Empire

7. The Second Crisis

PART II. THE RISE OF JUDAISM

Section 1. The Babylonian and Persian Periods

8. The Prophets and a New Nation

9. Theological Issues Confronting Early Judaism

10. Wilderness and Temple

11. Judaism Engaging a Gentile World

Section 2. The Challenge of Hellenism

12. Apocalyptic Vision and Emerging Nationalism

13. The Essenes of Qumran

14. Sadducees, Samaritans, Zealots, and Pharisees

15. The Third Crisis

Glossary

Index of Subjects

Index of Scriptural Passages