Biblical Literacy

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ISBN: 9780688142971 | 0688142974
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Encyclopedic in scope, but arranged by people, events, laws and ideas, this reference makes available in one volume all the Bible's timeless stories of love, greed, and the human condition; stories that form the basis for our sense of morality. It not only provides a complete education in all the books of the Hebrew Bible but it conveys their psychological and emotional truths as well.

Introduction

xxi

PART ONE: PEOPLE AND EVENTS

(396)

The Torah

(152)

I. GENESIS

(86)

1. In the Beginning

(2)

2. Adam, Eve, and the Garden of Eden; The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

(4)

3. Cain and Abel; "Am I My Brother's Keeper?"

(3)

4. Noah's Ark

(3)

5. Ham's Sin and the Evil Caused by Drunkenness

(1)

6. The Tower of Babel

(2)

7. The Patriarchs and Matriarchs

(2)

8. God Chooses Abraham

(2)

9. When Abraham Lies to Save His Life

(2)

10. The Covenant Between God and Abraham

(1)

11. Ishmael, Abraham's Firstborn

(3)

12. Abraham Argues with God

(2)

13. The Sinful Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah

(3)

14. The Akedah: The Near Sacrifice of Isaac

(5)

15. The Cave of the Matriarchs and Patriarchs

(1)

16. Isaac: The Man to Whom Things Happen

(3)

17. Jacob and Esau; Jacob Deceives His Father

(9)

18. The Bible's First Dream: Jacob's Vision of a Ladder

(2)

19. Jacob, Rachel, and Leah: The Unhappy Triangle

(3)

20. Jacob Becomes Israel

(4)

21. The Rape of Dinah

(3)

22. The Young Joseph: Beloved Son, Hated Brother

(3)

23. Tamar (and Judah): The Woman Who Disguised Herself as a Prostitute

(4)

24. Joseph and Mrs. Potiphar

(4)

25. The Dreamer Becomes the Interpreter of Other Men's Dreams

(4)

26. Joseph Tests His Brothers

(6)

27. The Twelve Tribes

(3)

II. EXODUS

(34)

28. Pharaoh: History's First Antisemite

(1)

29. The Two Midwives and the World's First Recorded Act of Civil Disobedience

(3)

30. Moses: The Birth of the Bible's Greatest Hero

(1)

31. A Portrait of the Hero as a Young Man

(4)

32. Moses: The Reluctant Leader; The Burning Bush; "I Shall Be What I Shall Be"

100

(4)

33. "Let My People Go!"

104

(2)

34. The Ten Plagues; The Tenth Plague: The Killing of the Firstborn

106

(2)

35. The Exodus; The Splitting of the "Red [Reed] Sea"

108

(2)

36. Moses' and Miriam's Songs at the Sea

110

(1)

37. Manna: God's Heavenly Food

111

(2)

38. Amalek: Israel's Eternal Enemy

113

(2)

39. Jethro: A Most Helpful Father-in-law

115

(1)

40. The Covenant at Mount Sinai and the Giving of the Ten Commandments

116

(2)

41. The Building of the Tabernacle

118

(1)

42. Urim and Tummim

119

(2)

43. The Golden Calf; "Whoever Is for God, Follow Me!"

121

(4)

III. LEVITICUS

125

(4)

44. Priests and Levites

125

(2)

45. Nadav and Avihu's Sin and Punishment

127

(2)

IV. NUMBERS

129

(20)

46. Miriam and Aaron Sin Against Moses

129

(2)

47. The Twelve Spies and the Generation of "Grasshoppers"; A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey

131

(3)

48. Korah's Revolt Against Moses

134

(3)

49. Moses Strikes the Rock and Is Punished by God

137

(2)

50. Balaam's Talking Donkey; "How Goodly Are Your Tents, O Jacob, Your Dwellings, O Israel"

139

(3)

51. Pinchas's Zealousness

142

(1)

52. Zelophehad's Daughters: When Do Women Inherit?

143

(2)

53. Joshua Is Chosen to Succeed Moses

145

(1)

54. Occupying Canaan and Dispossessing the Canaanites

146

(3)

V. DEUTERONOMY

149

(8)

55. Moses' Final Speeches

149

(3)

56. The Death of Moses; "And No One Knows His Burial Place"

152

(5)

The Early Prophets

157

(126)

VI. JOSHUA

157

(10)

57. Joshua Sends Spies to Jericho; Rahab: The Righteous Prostitute

157

(2)

58. "And the Walls Came Tumbling Down": Joshua and the Battle of Jericho

159

(1)

59. Achan's Theft

160

(2)

60. The Gibeonite Surrender; The Sun Stands Still

162

(2)

61. Joshua and the Conquest of Canaan

164

(3)

VII. JUDGES

167

(22)

62. Deborah: Judge, Leader, and Prophet

167

(3)

63. Gideon: The Man Who Would Not Be King

170

(4)

64. Jotham: Author of the Bible's First Parable

174

(2)

65. Jephtah's Murderous Sacrifice

176

(2)

66. Samson and Delilah

178

(6)

67. "Each Man Did What Was Right in His Eyes": When Anarchy Prevailed in Israel

184

(5)

VIII. I AND II SAMUEL

189

(56)

68. Hannah: The Woman Who Knew How to Pray

189

(3)

69. The Fall of the House of Eli

192

(2)

70. Samuel: The Last of the Judges

194

(2)

71. "We Must Have a King over Us That We May Be Like All Other Nations"

196

(1)

72. King Saul: Tragic Hero or Fool?

197

(4)

73. David and Goliath

201

(3)

74. Saul's Longest Battle: His Maniacal War Against David

204

(5)

75. David and Jonathan: The Biblical Model of Friendship

209

(3)

76. Michal: The Woman Who Loved Too Much

212

(3)

77. Abigail: How David Meets His Wisest Wife

215

(2)

78. Saul Consults a Medium: The Necromancer of Endor

217

(2)

79. The Death of Saul: Is Suicide Ever Justified?

219

(1)

80. David Rules over Judah, Then All of Israel

220

(2)

81. Jerusalem Becomes Israel's Capital

222

(2)

82. David, Bathsheba, and Uriah: The Tragic Triangle

224

(4)

83. Nathan Confronts David: "That Man Is You"

228

(4)

84. One Rape, Two Rebellions: The Unhappy Relationship Between David and His Sons; Amnon and Tamar; David and Absalom; The Revolt of Adonijah

232

(8)

85. Sheva's Revolt Against David

240

(2)

86. Joab: David's Ruthless General

242

(3)

IX. I AND II KINGS

245

(38)

87. Solomon Becomes King

245

(1)

88. The Wisdom of Solomon

246

(2)

89. The "Unwisdom" of Solomon

248

(1)

90. The Building of the Temple (Beit ha-Mikdash) by King Solomon

249

(3)

91. The Two Jewish States: The Secession of the Northern Kingdom

252

(2)

92. Elijah's War Against Idolatry: The Killing of the Priests of Baal

254

(4)

93. King Ahab and Navot's Vineyard; "Have You Murdered and Also Inherited?"

258

(3)

94. Elijah Ascends to Heaven in a Chariot of Fire

261

(1)

95. Elisha Cures Syrian General Na'aman, a Non-Israelite

262

(2)

96. Jehu: From Righteous Assassin to Mass Killer

264

(2)

97. How the Ten Lost Tribes Become Lost: The End of the Kingdom of Israel (722 B.C.E.)

266

(2)

98. King Hezekiah's Illness

268

(2)

99. King Manasseh of Judah: An Evil Man

270

(1)

100. Josiah of Judah: The Reformer King

271

(4)

101. Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Siege of Jerusalem; The Temple Is Destroyed

275

(2)

102. The Babylonian Exile (587 B.C.E.)

277

(1)

103. Gedaliah: The Last Jewish Governor of Judah

278

(5)

The Later Prophets

283

(48)

X. ISAIAH

283

(10)

104. Isaiah: A Profile; "The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb"

283

(2)

105. "Nation Shall Not Life Up Sword Against Nation": Isaiah's Dream of World Peace

285

(2)

106. "A Light unto the Nations"

287

(1)

107. On "Virgin Births" and "The Suffering Servant of God": The Different Ways in Which Jews and Fundamentalist Christians Read Isaiah

288

(1)

108. Does the Book of Isaiah Contain the Words of More Than One Prophet?

289

(4)

XI. JEREMIAH

293

(10)

109. The Loneliest Man of Faith

293

(3)

110. Was Jeremiah a Traitor?

296

(3)

111. Prophet of Hope and an Early Zionist

299

(2)

112. Ethics as God's Central Demand

301

(2)

XII. EZEKIEL

303

(2)

113. The Valley of the Dry Bones

303

(2)

XIII. THE TWELVE MINOR PROPHETS

305

(26)

114. Why "Minor" Does Not Mean "Insignificant"

305

(5)

115. Hosea: The Prophet Betrayed by His Wife

310

(2)

116. Amos: "Let Justice Well Up Like Water"

312

(7)

117. Amos: "You Alone Have I Singled Out of All the Families of the Earth"; Amos and the Meaning of Jewish Chosenness

319

(2)

118. Jonah and the Whale

321

(4)

119. Micah: The Three Things God Requires of People

325

(6)

The Writings

331

(66)

XIV. PSALMS

331

(12)

120. An Introduction

331

(1)

121. Psalm 1: "Happy Is the Man Who Has Not Followed the Advice of the Wicked"

332

(2)

122. Psalm 15: "Lord, Who May Sojourn in Your Tent, Who May Dwell on Your Holy Mountain?"

334

(3)

123. Psalm 23: "The Lord Is My Shepherd"

337

(1)

124. Psalm 44: "Why Do You Hide Your Face, Ignoring Our Affliction and Distress?"

338

(2)

125. Psalm 137: "If I Forget You, O Jerusalem, Let My Right Hand Wither"

340

(3)

XV. PROVERBS

343

(4)

126. "A Woman of Valor Who Shall Find?"

343

(4)

XVI. JOB

347

(8)

127. When God Gives Power to Satan: The Unhappy Test of Job

347

(3)

128. "With Friends Like This"--The Friends of Job

350

(2)

129. "Out of the Whirlwind": God Answers Job

352

(3)

XVII. THE FIVE SCROLLS

355

(24)

130. The Three Peculiar Heroines of the Five Scrolls: Esther, Ruth, and the Shepherdess

355

(2)

131. Song of Songs: The Bible's Love Poem

357

(1)

132. Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz: The Bible's Happiest Triangle; "Your People Shall Be My People, Your God Shall Be My God"

358

(4)

133. Lamentations: A Lament over Jerusalem's Destruction

362

(3)

134. Ecclesiastes: "Vanity of Vanities, All Is Vanity"; "A Time for War and a Time for Peace"

365

(2)

135. Vashti: An Early Feminist

367

(2)

136. Haman, the Antisemite

369

(5)

137. Esther: The Beauty Queen Who Saves the Jewish People

374

(2)

138. Mordechai: The Model of a Diaspora Jewish Leader

376

(3)

XVIII. DANIEL

379

(6)

139. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego Are Thrown into Nebuchadnezzar's Furnace

379

(2)

140. Daniel Reads the Handwriting on the Wall

381

(1)

141. Daniel in the Lions' Den

382

(3)

XIX. EZRA AND NEHEMIAH

385

(8)

142. Cyrus the Great, King of Persia

385

(1)

143. Ezra and the Jewish Restoration to the Land of Israel

386

(2)

144. Ezra's War on Intermarriage

388

(2)

145. Nehemiah and the Jewish Restoration to Israel

390

(3)

XX. I AND II CHRONICLES: The Bible's Final Books

393

(4)

PART TWO: LAWS AND IDEAS

397

(114)

XXI. GENESIS

399

(16)

146. What Does It Mean That Human Beings Were Created "in God's Image"?

399

(1)

147. "Be Fruitful and Multiply"

400

(1)

148. Human Nature: "The Tendency of Man's Heart Is Towards Evil from His Youth"

401

(2)

149. The Noahide Laws

403

(2)

150. "Whoever Sheds the Blood of Man"; On Murderers and the Death Sentence

405

(3)

151. Circumcision

408

(2)

152. Multiple Wives: The Conflicting Views of Biblical Law and Biblical Narrative

410

(5)

XXII. EXODUS

415

(36)

153. Fear of God

415

(2)

154. God Hardens Pharaoh's Heart: Does the Bible Believe in Free Will?

417

(1)

155. The Ten Commandments: An Introduction

418

(3)

156. The First Commandment: Monotheism

421

(3)

157. The Second Commandment: Against Idolatry

424

(2)

158. The Third Commandment: "You Shall Not Carry the Name of the Lord Your God in Vain"

426

(1)

159. The Fourth Commandment: "Remember the Sabbath Day to Make It Holy"

427

(3)

160. The Fifth Commandment: "Honor Your Father and Your Mother"

430

(3)

161. The Sixth Commandment: "You Shall Not Murder"

433

(1)

162. The Seventh Commandment: "You Shall Not Commit Adultery"

434

(1)

163. The Eighth Commandment: "You Shall Not Steal"

435

(1)

164. The Ninth Commandment: "You Shall Not Bear False Witness Against Your Neighbor"

436

(2)

165. The Tenth Commandment: "You Shall Not Covet"

438

(1)

166. Slavery in the Bible

439

(3)

167. A Husband's Obligations to His Wife

442

(1)

168. The Bible on Kidnapping

443

(1)

169. "An Eye for an Eye": Vengeance or Justice?

444

(3)

170. Penalties for Stealing

447

(1)

171. "You Shall Not III-treat Any Widow or Orphan"

448

(3)

XXIII. LEVITICUS

451

(24)

172. Sacrifices

451

(2)

173. The Dietary Laws

453

(1)

174. Sexual Offenses in the Bible

454

(2)

175. "You Shall Be Holy"

456

(2)

176. To Pay the Wages of a Laborer Promptly

458

(1)

177. "You Shall Not Curse the Deaf or Place a Stumbling Block Before the Blind"

459

(1)

178. "Do Not Go About as a Talebearer Among Your People"

460

(1)

179. "Do Not Stand By While Your Neighbor's Blood Is Shed"

461

(1)

180. "Do Not Hate Your Brother in Your Heart"

462

(1)

181. "Reprove Your Kinsman and Incur No Guilt Because of Him"

463

(1)

182. "Do Not Take Revenge or Bear a Grudge"

464

(1)

183. "Love Your Neighbor as Yourself, I Am God"

465

(2)

184. "You Shall Love [the Stranger] as Yourself"

467

(1)

185. Sanctifying, and Not Desecrating, God's Name

468

(2)

186. Holy Days

470

(1)

187. Jubilee and Sabbatical Years

471

(2)

188. Charity

473

(2)

XXIV. NUMBERS

475

(12)

189. Sotah: The Ordeal of a Suspected Adulteress

475

(1)

190. The Nazirite

476

(2)

191. The Priestly Benediction

478

(1)

192. Tzitzit--The Law of Fringes

479

(2)

193. The Red Heifer

481

(2)

194. Fulfilling a Vow

483

(1)

195. Cities of Refuge

484

(3)

XXV. DEUTERONOMY

487

(24)

196. Sh'ma Yisra'el: The Jewish Credo; The Commandment to Love God; The Commandment to Teach Torch to One's Children; Tefillin; Mezuzah

487

(3)

197. To Neither Add nor Detract from the Torah's Laws

490

(2)

198. "Justice, Justice, You Shall Pursue"

492

(1)

199. The Biblical View of Kingship

493

(2)

200. "Ba'al Tashchit": The Biblical Law That Forbids Gratuitous Destruction

495

(2)

201. Firstborn Sons: The Conflict Between Biblical Law and Biblical Narrative

497

(2)

202. Biblical Laws Concerning the Humane Treatment of Animals

499

(2)

203. On Building a Safe Roof

501

(1)

204. Shatnez

502

(1)

205. Problematic Laws: Regarding Bastards and Rape

503

(3)

206. The Prohibition of Charging Interest

506

(2)

207. Divorce

508

(1)

208. To Walk in God's Ways

509

(2)

PART THREE: THE 613 LAWS OF THE TORAH IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE

511

(84)

Appendices

595

(6)

I. The Book of the Hebrew Bible in Order of Appearance

595

(2)

II. Dates of Major Biblical Events and Characters

597

(4)

Bibliography

601

(6)

Index

607

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Biblical Literacy

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

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Biblical Literacy

Summary

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