Carol A. Newsom

A Handbook to Old Testament Exegesis

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“So many introductions to exegesis are earnest, thorough, excellent, and, . . . well, boring. In a delightful change of pace, Brown’s has all those virtues, but it has the wonderful distinction of being fresh, engaging, and even fun. Brown beautifully integrates the classic concern for the discovery of the otherness of the text with exercises that help readers to discover their own situatedness in history and society. Then he guides the reader to see how reading oneself as well as reading the text can shed new light on how both can respectfully converge to illumine topics of mutual concern. This is the exegetical and hermeneutical handbook I’ve been waiting for. I look forward to teaching it in my courses.”

An Introduction to the Old Testament, Third Edition

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Most introductions to the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible are concerned to give their audiences information. This one is more daring: It attempts to teach its audience how to read. This introduction shows students how to discover and attune themselves to the distinctive ways the Bible thinks. It is hermeneutically focused, critically attuned, and pastorally sensitive.”

Consider Leviathan

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Some things can be so ubiquitous that few people see them—until they are pointed out. In this insightful book, Brian Doak brings into focus what few have noted: how pervasive the imagery of nature throughout the book of Job is and the central role it plays in facilitating and complicating what the speakers attempt to say about theology and anthropology. Doak’s book will provoke further discussion of the ways in which the natural world is 'good to think with' in Job and in our own discourse.”

Dust and Ashes

Arts & Literature

“Like photographs or glimpses through a window that capture a moment and reveal an unsuspected truth, these poems by James Crenshaw are encounters with the pain and joy of nature, biblical characters, and human relationships. Through these poems Crenshaw wrestles with that enigmatic God from whom he seeks a costly blessing.”

Faith, Feminism, and the Forum of Scripture

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Long recognized as a pioneer in feminist biblical hermeneutics who demonstrated the essential role of historical critical scholarship in that enterprise, Bird now brings these two commitments to bear on the field of biblical theology. These essays--wise, perceptive, and rigorous--should be on the bookshelf and in the classroom of any scholar engaged in this aspect of theological studies.”

Introduction to the Hebrew Bible: Stand-alone CD-ROM

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“''At last! This is the Introduction to the Hebrew Bible I have been looking for: a balanced and richly informative introduction that covers essential critical and comparative perspectives and sets up pertinent interpretive issues, leaving the instructor free to work with the class in any number of directions. Using Collins' textbook is like team-teaching with a master teacher. His tone is welcoming but often wry, accessible yet authoritative. This is a textbook written by someone who not only knows his students but who genuinely likes them–and likes to challenge them. Collins does not take refuge in an antiquarian approach to the Hebrew Bible but repeatedly identifies the complex ethical issues raised by the text and by the responsibilities involved in interpreting the text.''”

Mother Roots

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Insightful and provocative, these studies of Jesus' foremothers take the reader into the lives of five remarkable women. Pearson helps us see how these women who had little social power nevertheless made decisive contributions to the life of the Israelite people at critical junctures, even as they found ways to secure lives of dignity and justice for themselves. Mother Roots helps us understand why these unconventional and controversial women are lifted up for special notice in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus.”

Poor Banished Children of Eve

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“A tour de force. . . . Gale Yee takes feminist scholarship on the Hebrew Bible to new levels. Combining traditional feminist critique with analyses of ethnicity, class, and colonial status, Yee discloses the complex forces that invisibly shape the symbolic representation of women. . . . This book is essential reading for all who are interested in the future of feminist study of the Hebrew Bible.”

Psalms

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“This volume is the perfect companion to the practice of praying the psalms. With fresh insights, the authors engage individual psalms and psalm sequences, exploring their rich emotional landscapes. Particularly insightful are their suggestions on how to read difficult, angry psalms on behalf of the innocent who suffer unjustly. The authors’ attentiveness to lectionary contexts and musical settings, as well as their extended reflections, add depths that one does not often find in commentaries on the Psalms.”

Scriptures and Sectarianism

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“In these sharp and no-nonsense essays, as always, John Collins manages to cut through the hype, the shaky theses, and even the complacent consensus opinions in the field of Qumran studies. That's not to say that he is always correct in his conclusions, but if one disagrees, Collins is the one worth arguing with. That's why his work forms the core of our bibliography for training doctoral students in the field of Dead Sea Scrolls.”

The Book of Daniel, Chapters 1–6

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“There is much to praise in this superb new commentary. It is impressively rich in linguistic, cultural, and historical detail. What sets it apart, however, is the way in which it employs a sophisticated attention to cultural memory in the service of its perceptive hermeneutical analysis. Recommended both for the scholar and the classroom.”

The Book of Daniel, Chapters 7–12

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“There is much to praise in this superb new commentary. It is impressively rich in linguistic, cultural, and historical detail. What sets it apart, however, is the way in which it employs a sophisticated attention to cultural memory in the service of its perceptive hermeneutical analysis. Recommended both for the scholar and the classroom.”

The Satan

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Ryan Stokes provides an exceptionally careful, thorough, and exegetically perceptive reconsideration of all the significant texts that refer to the śātān and related figures in biblical and Second Temple literature. This is an essential item for the bookshelf of any serious student of the symbolism of evil in biblical and early Jewish literature. I will be studying it carefully and consulting it often.”

Uncovering Violence

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“In this thought-provoking book Amy Cottrill guides the reader into an encounter with the complex, multi-dimensional nature of violence as it is represented in biblical narrative. Stories one assumed were simple tales are seen afresh as complex meditations on how characters—and readers—negotiate their entanglement in violence of many types. A superb book for use in the classroom or in serious adult education.”

Wisdom from the Witch of Endor

Christian Living

“I am so delighted that this last manuscript of Tikva’s is now available. She was an amazing scholar and a trail-blazer.”