Scribes and Schools

by Davies, Philip R.

• ISBN13: 9780664220778
• ISBN10: 0664220770
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-07-01
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Pr

Summary

Philip R. Davies investigates the ways that the ancient world produced canons and textual collections, with special attention to the social practices embodied by scribes, schools, archives, and libraries. The result is a constructive proposal for how the Old Testament arose in its many parts and grew to status as an accepted document, even as a religious object. This book is a significant contribution to the understanding of scribal activity and its effect on Israel's texts, and it is sure to be as controversial as it is elucidating.

Author Biography

Philip R. Davies is Professor in the Department of Biblical Studies at the University of Sheffield, England.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface
Introduction	p. 1
The Dimensions of Canon	p. 4
Canons in the Ancient World	p. 15
Canon, Canonizing, and Canonical Criticism: Approaches to Jewish Canonizing	p. 37
A Sketch of Israelite and Judean History	p. 59
Judean Scribes, Schools, Archives, and Libraries	p. 74
The Mosaic Canon	p. 89
The Canonizing of Prophets	p. 107
Canons of David and Solomon	p. 126
Serious Entertainment	p. 142
Canons and the Dead Sea Scrolls	p. 152
Holy Books	p. 169
Abbreviations	p. 185
Notes	p. 186
Bibliography	p. 200
Index of Ancient Sources	p. 211
Index of Names and Subjects	p. 216
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