People of the Covenant An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible

by Flanders, Henry Jackson; Crapps, Robert W.; Smith, David A.

• ISBN13: 9780195093704
• ISBN10: 0195093704
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1996-02-22
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Using contemporary literary approaches and the most recent historicalscholarship, this fully revised and updated introduction to the HebrewScriptures provides a thorough and coherent approach to the basic human issuesof the Scriptures. It emphasizes the meanings that the Hebrews gave to personsand events in their attempts to manage life's struggles, and provides textualaids that help students understand these ideas and apply them to contemporaryissues. After an initial presentation on the nature of biblical literature, theBook of Genesis is treated as a theological prelude to Israel's story.Subsequent chapters are organized around epochs in Hebrew life. Throughout thebook the authors stress the human issues at stake in Israel's memory and thepreservation of its history, and how circumstances and thoghyt influenced theHebrew perceptions and undersatnding of God.Accessible and stimulating to students with a wide range of academic andreligious backgrounds, People of the Covenant is grounded in the best scholarlymethodologies, respect for the rich literary values of the Old Testament, andconcern for its enduring religious relevance.

Table of Contents

1. STRUCTURE AND INTERPRETATION OF THE HEBREW BIBLE	3	(45)
The Story of Israel in the Hebrew Bible	4	(6)
The Israelite Understanding of History	4	(1)
The Crucial Moment	5	(1)
Survey of the History of Israel	5	(2)
Narrative Traditions of Israel's History	7	(2)
Other Hebrew Scripture Materials	9	(1)
Origin and Development of Hebrew Biblical Literature	10	(3)
Canon and Canons	13	(4)
Jamria	15	(1)
The Alexandria Collection and the Apocrypha	16	(1)
The Pseudoepigrapha	17	(1)
Texts and Versions of the Hebrew Bible	17	(7)
The Hebrew Text	17	(4)
Ancient Versions	21	(2)
English Versions	23	(1)
Methods Used in the Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible	24	(22)
Textual Criticism	24	(3)
Interpretative Criticism	27	(14)
Structuralist and Reader Response Criticisms	41	(1)
Feminine Hermeneutics	42	(2)
Canonical Criticism	44	(2)
Suggestions for Further Study	46	(2)
2. SETTING THE STAGE	48	(37)
Geography of the Ancient Near East	50	(17)
The Fertile Crescent	52	(1)
Egypt	52	(3)
Mesopotamia	55	(1)
Asia Minor-Armenia	56	(1)
Palestine-Syria	56	(1)
Syria-Phoenicia	57	(1)
Palestine	57	(10)
Archeology of the Biblical World	67	(11)
The Ancient Near East Prior to the Time of Abraham	78	(6)
Suggestions for Further Study	84	(1)
3. ISRAEL'S THEOLOGY OF BEGINNINGS	85	(48)
The Structure of Torah	85	(9)
The Yahwistic Tradition	88	(1)
The Elohistic Tradition	88	(1)
The Deuteronomic Tradition	89	(1)
The Priestly Tradition	90	(4)
The Structure of Genesis	94	(2)
The Traditions of the Creation of the World	96	(19)
Israel's Creation Faith	96	(1)
The Priestly Creation Liturgy	97	(5)
The Yahwistic Creation Story	102	(4)
Relationship of the Yahwistic and Priestly Stories	106	(1)
Israel's Creation Stories and Other Views of Creation	107	(8)
The Tradition of the Fall: Rebellion and Violence	115	(6)
Rebellion	116	(2)
Violence	118	(2)
The Israelite Understanding of Persons as Sinners	120	(1)
The Tradition of Judgment	121	(10)
From Adam to Noah	122	(1)
The Flood	123	(6)
The Nations and Abraham	129	(1)
The Tower of Babel	129	(2)
Suggestions for Further Study	131	(2)
4. ISRAEL'S PATRIARCHS AND MATRIARCHS	133	(36)
The Sociohistorical Context of Preexodus Traditions	133	(10)
From Stories to Story	143	(2)
Literary Analysis of the Patriarchal Stories	145	(20)
The Theme of the Patriarchal Story	145	(1)
Theme and Plot Structures	145	(12)
Symbolism	157	(5)
Characterization	162	(3)
The Society and Religion of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs	165	(3)
Patriarchal and Matriarchal Society	165	(1)
Patriarchal and Matriarchal Religion	166	(2)
Suggestions for Further Study	168	(1)
5. THE EXODUS AND THE SINAI COVENANT	169	(53)
The Period of the Sojourn	169	(5)
The Hyksos Occupation of Egypt and Canaan	170	(2)
Egyptian Revival Under the Eighteenth Dynasty	172	(1)
The Age of Akhnaton	172	(1)
Restoration of Order	173	(1)
The Book of Exodus	174	(1)
The Exodus: Yahweh's Mighty Act	175	(23)
The Historical Setting	175	(7)
The Exodus and Covenant Event in Story	182	(16)
Covenant at Sinai: Israel's Appropriate Response	198	(17)
The Sinai Covenant in Near Eastern Context	198	(2)
The Meaning of the Covenant	200	(3)
Common Law	203	(2)
Cultic Legislation	205	(6)
Mediations of the Sacred	211	(3)
Significance of the Cultus	214	(1)
Other Theological Concerns in the Exodus and Covenant Narratives	215	(3)
Yahweh, the God of the Oppressed	215	(2)
Election to Service	217	(1)
In the Wilderness	218	(2)
Suggestions for Further Study	220	(2)
6. POSSESSING THE LAND	222	(35)
The Development of Israel's Deuteronomic Traditions	223	(5)
The Deuteronomic History	223	(2)
The Book of Deuteronomy	225	(3)
Taking the Land: Conquest and Infiltration	228	(15)
Canaan in the Last Quarter of the Second Millennium	228	(2)
The Book of Joshua	230	(1)
The Joshua Account of Conquest	231	(5)
The Judges Account of Israel's Settlement in Canaan	236	(1)
The Archeology of the Conquest/Settlement	236	(5)
Holy War and Cherem: A Moral Critique	241	(1)
Holy Land and Covenant People	242	(1)
The Tribal Confederacy	243	(12)
Affirming Sinai Covenant: Shechem	243	(2)
Life in the Confederacy	245	(1)
Religion in the Confederacy	246	(4)
Shophets and the Book of Judges	250	(5)
Suggestions for Further Study	255	(2)
7. UNITED MONARCHY: RISE OF THE DAVIDIC COVENANT	257	(37)
Background of the Monarchy	257	(7)
The Book of Samuel	257	(4)
The Coming of the Philistines	261	(1)
Breakdown of the Confederacy	262	(2)
Samuel and Saul	264	(9)
Selection and Anointing of Saul	264	(2)
Saul as King	266	(1)
Saul's Early Successes	267	(1)
Saul Without Samuel	268	(1)
Saul and David	269	(4)
The Reign of David	273	(11)
King of Judah	274	(2)
King of All Israel	276	(4)
Court History of David's Reign	280	(2)
David's Significance for Israel	282	(2)
Solomon	284	(8)
Solomon's Accession	285	(1)
Accomplishments of Solomon's Reign	286	(3)
Weaknesses	289	(3)
Suggestions for Further Study	292	(2)
8. DIVIDED MONARCHY: ZION VS. SINAI	294	(28)
The Schism	296	(7)
Reopening Old Conflicts	296	(3)
The Revolt	299	(2)
Davidic/Zion Theology vs. Sinai Covenant	301	(2)
Two Centuries of Coexistence	303	(17)
Jeroboam I of Israel/Rehoboam of Judah	305	(2)
The Omrids of Israel/Jehoshaphat of Judah	307	(7)
The Jehu Dynasty	314	(5)
Israel's Covenant with Death	319	(1)
Suggestions for Further Study	320	(2)
9. THE PROPHETIC WORD	322	(17)
Prophet, Priest, King	324	(1)
The Function of Israel's Prophets	325	(5)
Prophetic Terminology	326	(1)
Prophetic Consciousness	327	(3)
Development of Prophecy in Israel	330	(5)
Prophecy in the Ancient Near East	330	(2)
Beginnings of the Prophetic Movement in Israel	332	(3)
The Sociological Study of Biblical Prophecy	335	(2)
Suggestions for Further Study	337	(2)
10. ISRAEL'S EIGHTH CENTURY PROPHETS	339	(16)
The First of the Classical Prophets	340	(14)
Amos	341	(6)
Hosea	347	(7)
Suggestions for Further Study	354	(1)
11. JUDAH'S STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL	355	(25)
Under the Assyrian Shadow	355	(8)
Ahaz and Appeasement	357	(3)
Reforms of Hezekiah	360	(3)
Judah's Eighth-Century Prophets	363	(16)
Isaiah of Jerusalem	363	(3)
The Book of Isaiah	366	(10)
Micah	376	(3)
Suggestions for Further Study	379	(1)
12. JUDAH'S LAST DAYS: FROM HEIGHTS TO DEPTHS	380	(26)
Josiah's Reforms	380	(3)
Changing Political Scenery and Judah's Fall	383	(3)
The Prophets of Judah's Decline	386	(18)
Zephaniah	388	(1)
Nahum	389	(1)
Habakkuk	390	(2)
Jeremiah	392	(12)
Suggestions for Further Study	404	(2)
13. THE EXILE: COVENANT COMMUNITY REDISCOVERED	406	(24)
Life in Judah	407	(4)
The Book of Lamentations	408	(1)
Obadiah	409	(1)
Selected Psalms	410	(1)
Life in Babylon	411	(17)
Ezekiel	414	(1)
The Book of Ezekiel	415	(6)
Second Isaiah: The Exile's Great Unknown	421	(7)
Suggestions for Further Study	428	(2)
14. COVENANT COMMUNITY RESTORED	430	(31)
Return and Restoration	430	(20)
The Edict of Cyrus	430	(2)
The Chronicler of the Return and Restoration	432	(3)
Phase One: Restoration of the Community of Faith and Worship	435	(2)
Phase Two: Rebuilding the Temple	437	(4)
Phase Three: Preparing Jerusalem and the Covenant Community for the Future	441	(3)
Ezra's Reform	444	(3)
Nehemiah's Governorship	447	(3)
The Psalter in the Postexilic Community	450	(9)
The Collection of the Psalter	450	(1)
Origin of the Psalms	451	(2)
The Psalms as Poetry	453	(1)
The Use of Psalms in Worship	454	(4)
Theology of the Psalter	458	(1)
Suggestions for Further Study	459	(2)
15. THE EMERGENCE OF JUDAISM	461	(46)
The Changing Political Scene	462	(8)
The Close of the Persian Period	462	(3)
Greek Dominance	465	(5)
Jewish Independence	470	(4)
The Revolt	470	(3)
Maccabean Decline and the Coming of Rome	473	(1)
Religious Trends in Emerging Judaism	474	(31)
Particularism	474	(5)
The Wisdom Tradition	479	(13)
The Community of Torah	492	(7)
Apocalyptic Interpretation of History	499	(6)
Conclusion	505	(1)
Suggestions for Further Study	506	(1)
Chronology of the Hebrew Biblical Period	507	(5)
Glossary	512	(11)
General Bibliography	523	(19)
Author Index	542	(6)
Subject Index	548