Books in the BibleWorld series

Bible and Justice: Ancient Texts, Modern Challenges explores the various ways in which the Bible might effectively confront an array of human rights, poverty and environmental concerns, while considering the difficulties that arise when ancient concepts of justice are applied to modern socio-political ideals.

Contemporary Gospel studies have recently taken increasing interest in the Jewish context of Jesus and the gospels. 'Judaism, Jewish Identities and the Gospel Tradition' offers an overview of the ways in which Judaism is used in the canonical gospels and how this relates to the idea of a 'Jewish Jesus'.

A collection of essays focused on a major issue in contemporary gospel studies. The essays in this book are in honour of Maurice Casey who has made major contributions to the understanding of the Jewish context of Jesus and the gospels.

By bringing the key people in the history of biblical studies to life in a series of short stories, this book provides an alternative introduction to and engagement with Hebrew Bible studies. It seeks to explain, contextualise and critique key moments in the history of these studies.

Offers a survey of scholarship on the origins of biblical sources, passages and books, with particular reference to the linguistic evidence. A detailed synthesis of the topics in the first volume is provided, with in-depth case studies and extensive tables of grammatical and lexical features.

'History, Literature and Theology in the Book of Chronicles' presents a new way of approaching this key biblical text, arguing that the Book employs both multiple viewpoints and the knowledge of the past held by its intended readership to reshape social memory and reinforce the authority of God.

Transforming Literature into Scripture examines how the early textual traditions of ancient Israel - stories, laws, and rituals - were transformed into sacred writings. By comparing evidence from two key collections from antiquity the book traces the stabilisation of textual traditions in the ancient Near East towards fixed literary prototypes.

Were David and Jonathan "gay" lovers? The scholarly battle has been fought using scripture, historical criticism, and queer theory and politics. The book argues that the power and ambiguity of the text has been determined by both the richness of the biblical story as a work of narrative art and the influence of reception history on critical agendas

'Jesus in an Age of Neoliberalism' analyses the ideology underpinning contemporary scholarly and popular quests for the historical Jesus. Focusing on cultural and political issues, the book examines postmodernism, multiculturalism and the liberal masking of power.

The support of a Jewish nation state in the Land of Israel is central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This book considers the role the Bible has had to play in justifying oppression and colonialism in Palestine.

This first volume in a six volume series within the BibleWorld series forms an introduction, setting out the background information about the contents, creation, dating and audience of the Pentateuch.

This book argues that perspectives drawn from literary-critical theories of the fantastic and fantasy are apt to explore Hebrew Bible religious narratives. The book focuses on the narratives' marvels, monsters, and magic, rather than whether or not the stories depict historical events.

Using queer theory and building on feminist biblical scholarship, Queer Theory and the Prophetic Marriage Metaphor in the Hebrew Bible critiques the heteronormativity of the marriage metaphor in the Hebrew Bible, with particular reference to Jeremiah 2-3, Hosea 1-3 and Ezekiel 16 and 23.

A central tenet of the book is that Kierkegaard's most original thought arises from his struggle with biblical passages that he found puzzling or offensive. The seminal psychology of belief and doubt in his work is born out of his attempt to comprehend the exceptional experiences of biblical characters.

'Three Versions of Judas' examines the role of Judas in Christian myth-making. The book draws on Jorge Luis Borges' "Three Versions of Judas" to present three Judases in the Gospels: a Judas necessary to the divine plan; a Judas who is a determined outsider, denying himself for God's glory; and a Judas who is demonic.

This study examines developments in Persian-period Phoenician city-states on the three levels: that of the individual household, the city-state, and the administrative unit of the Persian empire.

Features a collection of essays that look at the cultural and ideological beginnings of historical Jesus studies in the nineteenth century and expose the underlying presuppositions of hegemony in contemporary presentations of Jesus, viewed from the perspective of 'cultural complexity'.

What is secular biblical criticism? 'Secularism and Biblical Studies' presents a selection of essays that examine the nature of secular biblical studies and its hermeneutical principles.

John Sturdy's unfinished book was conceived as a reply to John Robinson's "Redating the New Testament", published in 1975. The liberal Bishop of Woolwich took a much conservative stand towards the end of his life, Sturdy believed, when it came to dating the New Testament literature. This book talks about the date of early Christian literature.

Sets out the background world for the story of Jonah. Accepting the biblical book as a fictitious short story based on "real world" locations, this volume uses social science approaches to describe the imaginative world in which the action takes place.

Covers several issues in the formation of early Judaism. This work explores the identity of those who canonized the "Hebrew Bible" and shaped its interpretation, examines the significance of "Second Isaiah", and the books of "Ezra" and "Nehemiah", traces the root of Jewish apocalyptic literature, and the possible origins of the exodus story.

Introduces the question of linguistic dating by giving students hands-on experience with both biblical and non-biblical texts. This book details both the consensus views on linguistic dating as well as the views of those who challenge the consensus. It presents the arguments of both sides of the debate.

Uruk: the First City is the first fully historical analysis of the origins of the city and of the state in southern Mesopotamia,the region providing the earliest evidence in world history related to these seminal developments. Contrasting his approach -- which has been influenced by V. Gordan Childe and by Marxist theory-with the neo-evolutionist ideas of (especially) American anthropological theory, the author argues that the innovations that took place during the 'Uruk' period (most of the fourth millennium B.C.) were a 'true' revolution that fundamentally changed all aspects of society and culture. This book is unique in its historical approach and its combination of archaeological and textual sources. It develops an argument that weaves together a vast amount of information and places it within a context of contemporary scholarly debates on such questions as the ancient economy and world systems.It explains the roots of these debates briefly without talking down to the reader. The book is accessible to a wider audience, while it also provides a cogent argument about the processes involved to the specialist in the field.

Applies the work of Noam Chomsky, Edward Herman, Edward Said and several others on international politics and the supportive role of the media, intellectuals and academics to contemporary Christian origins and New Testament scholarship.

'The Production of Prophecy' brings together a range of influential biblical scholars to examine the construction of prophecy and prophetic books during the Persian period.

This study offers a new perspective on biblical texts relative to farming (Naboth's vineyard, Ruth, the Shunamite, Job, Nehemiah 5 and others) that challenges some exegetical shibboleths: private property, latifundia, absentee landlord, foreclosure, landless farmers, parasitic cities, usury, and the presentation of farmers as helpless victims.