William Arnal

A Clash of Ideologies

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“"By highlighting the fundamental and irresolvable incompatibility between Marxist materialism and its distinctive view of religion, and any emancipatory projects rooted in religion--whether ancient apocalypticism or modern liberation theology--Reed's important, timely, and persuasive book establishes the continued and even enhanced salience of Marxist insights into and critiques of biblical texts. An outstanding indictment of the too-common tendency in our field to advocate radical social transformation while maintaining the transcendent authority of privileged biblical texts.”

Galilee in the Late Second Temple and Mishnaic Periods, Volume 1

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“This impressive volume is a major step forward in bridging the gap between textual studies and excavation, so that historical and interpretive claims about early Roman Galilee can be better grounded in realistic appreciation of daily life. In addition to providing a wealth of information about the state of archaeological investigations and the conclusions therefrom, these essays show the range of opinions on important matters, the disagreements and open questions of ancient Galilean sociology and the archaeology it depends on. Different views are explored and no consensus is pretended where none exists. This is a volume of considerable use to both experts and nonexperts and belongs on the shelf of anyone trying to situate texts in their Galilean context.”

Parabolic Figures or Narrative Fictions?

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Charles Hedrick's brilliant new set of studies treats the parables of Jesus as stories with their own internal logic, rather than as symbolic statements, and represents the current cutting edge of parables scholarship. It offers detailed and systematic analysis of the parables, informed by both historical scholarship and literary theory. The book will be of immense interest to students of the gospels, the traditions behind the gospels, and the historical Jesus.”