Exploring the Bible

Preface v

Part One An Introduction to the Bible and the Biblical World

Chapter 1 The Bible: An Overview

Chapter 2 How the Bible Was Created: Transmission, Canonization, and Translation

Chapter 3 The Ancient Near East: The Environment That Produced the Bible

Part Two The Torah (Divine Instruction)

Chapter 4 The Five Books of Torah (the Pentateuch): Themes and Theories

Chapter 5 In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis

Chapter 6 Freedom and Responsibility: The Book of Exodus

Chapter 7 Law, Holiness, and Rebellion: The Books of Leviticus and Numbers

Chapter 8 A New Vision of Moses’ Teaching: The Book of Deuteronomy

Part Three The Prophets I

Chapter 9 The Story of Ancient Israel: How the Promised Land Was Gained and Lost

Chapter 10 Faith and War: The Book of Joshua

Chapter 11 Yahweh’s Warriors: The Book of Judges

Chapter 12 The Rise of David and the Birth of a Kingdom: The Books of 1 and 2 Samuel

Chapter 13 From the Glory of Solomon to Exile in Babylon: The Books of 1 and 2 Kings

Part Four The Prophets II

Chapter 14 Israel’s Spokespersons for God

Chapter 15 Prophets to the Northern Kingdom: The Oracles of Amos and Hosea

Chapter 16 Prophets of the Assyrian Threat: The Oracles of Isaiah, Micah, Zephaniah, and Nahum

Chapter 17 Prophets of the Babylonian Crisis: The Oracles of Jeremiah, Habakkuk, and Obadiah

Chapter 18 Prophets in Exile: The Oracles of Ezekiel and Second Isaiah

Chapter 19 After the Exile—Israel’s Last Prophets: The Oracles of Haggai, Zechariah, Third Isaiah, Joel, Malachi, and Jonah

Part Five The Writings

Chapter 20 After the Exile: Israel’s Changing Life with God

Chapter 21 The Postexilic Readjustment: The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah

Chapter 22 Worshiping at the Second Temple: Hebrew Poetry and the Book of Psalms

Chapter 23 Israel’s Wisdom Writers: The Books of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes

Chapter 24 Festival Scrolls: The Books of Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, and Esther

Chapter 25 Reinterpreting Israel’s History: The Books of 1 and 2 Chronicles

Chapter 26 Keeping God’s Law in a Hostile World: Revolt of the Maccabees and the Book of Daniel

Chapter 27 The Second Canon: Books of the ApocryphaPart Six The New Testament

Chapter 28 The World in Which Christianity Originated: Roman Power, Greek Culture, and the Cult of Deified Rulers

Chapter 29 First-Century Judaism: Diversity, Messianic Expectations, and the Birth of Christianity

Chapter 30 Telling Jesus’ Story: The Gospel of Mark

Chapter 31 The Synoptic Problem: The Gospel of Matthew and Its Relationship to the Gospels of Mark and Luke

Chapter 32 Jesus as a Savior for “All Nations”: The Gospel of Luke

Chapter 33 Another Way of Telling Jesus’ Story: The Gospel of John

Chapter 34 An Account of Early Christianity: The Book of Acts

Chapter 35 Paul and the Gentile Mission: Letters to Churches at Thessalonica, Corinth, Galatia, Rome, Philippi, and Colossae

Chapter 36 Continuing the Pauline Tradition: Second Thessalonians, Colossians, Ephesians, and the Pastoral Epistles

Chapter 37 General Letters on Faith and Behavior: Hebrews and the Catholic Epistles

Chapter 38 Continuing the Apocalyptic Hope: The Book of Revelation

Chapter 39 Our Biblical Legacy: Evolving Concepts of God

Glossary

Index

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.