Benjamin D. Sommer

Christian Doctrine and the Old Testament

Theology

“In this deeply learned yet surprisingly accessible book, Anderson creates a dialogue between what many regard as incompatible pursuits: the close reading of biblical texts in their ancient settings and postbiblical theological discourse. He shows that biblical exegesis and the study of Christian doctrine, pursued with honesty and without preconceptions, can enlighten, enliven, and deepen each other. This book encourages dialogue in another important way: Anderson attends to doctrines of particular interest to Catholics, but he constantly draws on Protestant and Jewish thinkers. Anderson's catholicity of reading grounds and enhances his Catholicity in belief, even as both allow him to teach us Jews a good deal of torah.”

Handbook of Reading Theological German

“A wonderful book for students learning how to read scholarly articles and books in German. The pedagogy that Jones and Hirt employ is thoughtful, practical, and accessible. They provide a user-friendly approach for working through the often complex sentences found in German-language scholarship. They also provide helpful (and often quite interesting) background for the selections in the book. While geared especially to people studying religion and theology, this book will be useful for any scholar in the humanities who needs to develop a reading knowledge of German.”

Isaiah 40-66

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“A work of massive erudition deftly wed to literary sensitivity. . . . An outstanding contribution not only to our appreciation for one poet's work but to our understanding of prophecy and the state of Israelite religion in the late sixth century.”

Source Criticism

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Joel Baden has done it again! With great clarity and a surprisingly light touch, he reviews three centuries’ worth of scholarship on the composition of the Pentateuch, laying out not only the theses of the most significant biblical critics but the reasoning behind their work and, no less crucially, the cultural presumptions and religious values that motivate them. He provides an accessible roadmap to what at first seems a bewildering variety of theories, and he guides readers, I think quite fairly, to evaluating them. Scholars, students, and lay readers alike will benefit greatly from Baden’s expertise—and his expert pedagogy.”

That I May Dwell among Them

Theology

“This wonderful book will be revelatory for several types of readers, because it enhances one’s understanding of Hebrew scripture even as it contributes to Christian theology. Many of Anderson’s exegetical interventions (for example, as he exposes the overemphasis on atonement in Christian discussions of Old Testament religion) may have a substantial impact on Jewish-Christian dialogue. Especially noteworthy throughout the book is the way Anderson employs Jewish sources, both ancient and modern, to help understand core issues in Christian theology. His handling of these sources is deeply learned, intellectually rigorous, and scrupulously honest. Jews who study Anderson’s contributions to his own religious community’s discourse will find that he returns the favor: we Jews can learn a great deal about our own tradition from Anderson’s torah.”

The Pentateuch

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Thomas Dozeman does a great service to both beginning and advanced students (and their instructors) in this readable and comprehensive work. He attends to the major issues in modern study of the Pentateuch, giving his readers a sense of the variety and—even more importantly—the significance of modern theories about the Pentateuch's origins, meanings, and uses in Jewish and Christian tradition. He succeeds in showing how, and also why, the Pentateuch became Torah. This is an outstanding introduction to the Pentateuch as ancient literature and as Scripture.”