Ehud Ben Zvi

I & II Chronicles

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“An excellent commentary on Chronicles written by one of the top experts on the topic.”

Judaism, the First Phase

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Blenkinsopp has written a major contribution to the study of the history of the Second Temple period. Recent years have seen much work and discussion on Ezra and Nehemiah. One of the many strengths of this particular volume is its wide historical perspective. Blenkinsopp roots Ezra and Nehemiah (and their group and ideas) within a general historical construction of the Second Temple period. He looks backward into roots such as Ezekiel and Babylonian settings and forward into later sectarianism and Maccabean ideas and policies. Blenkinsopp's profound knowledge of biblical (and related) texts and their potential interrelationships is displayed prominently throughout the volume. The combination of thoughtful detailed analysis and an approach in which the 'big historical picture' is always at the center ensures that this book will be widely read and cited both by historians of the period and by scholars researching particular texts relevant to the period. The fact that the book is also an enjoyable read will facilitate its use by students and laypersons.”

Living in Different Worlds Simultaneously

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“This insightful and inspiring collection of essays is an excellent tribute to Louis Jonker and to his remarkable scholarship. . . . The individual contributions to the volume deal with a great variety of topics—from Chronicles to contemporary African biblical hermeneutics—but what makes the volume more important than its separate chapters is that it underscores Jonker’s point of ‘living in different worlds simultaneously’ and the insights that emerge from living that way.”

Numbers

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“This commentary by Rolf Knierim and George Coats is important in two different but related ways. As a commentary on Numbers it is undoubtedly a substantial contribution to the study of the book. The discussions of the different units, including an extensive treatment of the book as a whole, are insightful and thought-provoking. Students of Numbers are well advised to read this volume. This commentary is also a clear demonstration of the concrete implications of foundational differences between past and present form-critical studies. The commentary is proof positive of the vitality of form criticism and its ability to adapt and develop into a family of multi-faceted approaches. The authors' approach combines some elements of traditional form-criticism with a strong awareness of the book's literary character and of its world, a focus on the shape of the final redaction of Numbers in its Masoretic form, and an understanding that individual and generic text structures represent semantic systems that cannot be understood without taking account of the concepts that generated them. Scholars interested in form-critical approaches as practiced today are also well advised to read this commentary by Knierim and Coats, whether their main interest lies in Numbers, the Pentateuch, or other books in the Hebrew Bible.”

Portrait of the Kings

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“This highly readable volume is written within the parameters of Cross’s well-known approach to the Deuteronomistic History (i.e., Dtr1 and Dtr2). Instructors who teach top-undergraduate courses that emphasize this approach will find this book particularly useful, and the same holds true for the educated reader who would like to know more about this approach to the Deuteronomistic History.”

The Ten Commandments through the Ages

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“This timely contribution addresses a hot topic in American public discourse. The volume encourages its readers to think with a wide selection of Christian and Jewish interpreters from different centuries about each one of the Ten Commandments. Doing so enables readers to engage with the chain of interpreters and participate in the conversation. The book shows that the wide variety of possible interpretations, many of which are related to the times and social groups of the interpreters, is not a hindrance to understanding but rather an essential part of an ongoing process of reading and applying the commandments in various contexts. This volume will be particularly helpful for learning groups, for individuals seeking to deepen their understanding of the Ten Commandments, and as a textbook or key resource for undergraduate courses on the reception history of the commandments.”