Far From Minimal Celebrating the Work and Influence of Philip R. Davies

Marking the 60th birthday of Professor Philip R. Davies, Dr. Duncan Burns and John W. Rogerson, his former student and colleague, respectively, aim to do him justice. They have comprised articles from their peers to reflect on the impact Professor Davies has made in three particular areas of study: Hebrew Bible, Qumran, and Paleastinian Archaeology; New Testament and Early Judaism; and Biblical Interpretation. The breadth of this volume aims to reflect the scope, interest, and influence of Professor Davies from the last 30 years.

Duncan Burns is a former doctoral student of Professor Davies and is a freelance copy-editor.

Professor John Rogerson is a former head of the department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Sheffield and Canon Emeritus of Sheffield Cathedral.

Abbreviations
List of Contributors
Foreword
WRITING TIME AND ETERNITY IN SAMUEL AND KINGS - Graeme Auld
WHEN YHWH TESTS PEOPLE: GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS AND PARTICULAR OBSERVATIONS REGARDING THE BOOKS OF CHRONICLES AND JOB -Ehud Ben Zvi
FORMLESS BUT NOT VOID: SOME REFLECTIONS ON THE PSALMIST-SUBJECT FROM CLAY-LEVEL -Fiona C. Black
THE SERVANT OF THE LORD, THE TEACHER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND THE EXALTED ONE OF 4Q491C -Joseph Blenkinsopp
A FLESHLY READING: MASOCHISM, ECOCRITICISM AND THE SONG OF SONGS -Roland Boer
RULES FOR MARTYRS: THE SACRIFICE OF THE BELOVED SON IN RABBINIC JUDAISM, PATRISTIC CHRISTIANITY, SUNNI ISLAM - Bruce Chilton
IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN: WHOSE BIBLICAL STUDIES IS IT ANYWAY? - Edgar Conrad
1 WERE ZERUBBABEL AND NEHEMIAH THE SAME PERSON? -Diana Edelman
FOUR NOTES ON CONSERVATIVE BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY: REHOV, MEGIDDO, JERUSALEM AND ROSH ZAYIT - Israel Finkelstein
PROPHECY AS INSPIRED BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION: THE TEACHER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND DAVID KORESH - Lester L. Grabbe
PRUDENT ABIGAIL, SUBMISSION, AND THE FORCE OF BEAUTY: VOLTAIRE'S VERSION OF THE BIBLE IN HIS SAÜL, 1763 - David M. Gunn
WHY WAS THE SECOND TEMPLE BUILT? - John M Halligan
DIVINE KNOWLEDGE IN JOB AND 4QINSTRUCTIONS - James E. Harding
TURNING A SOW'S EAR INTO A SILK PURSE: THE ARGUMENT AGAINST SILENCE IN THE QUEST FOR "EARLY ISRAEL" - David Henige
ONLY FOOLS AND CHILDREN: BELIEF IN GOD AS A PROBLEM FOR THE PSALMIST IN PSALMS 8-14 - Alastair Hunter
1 THE STINGS IN THE TALES OF THE KINGS OF JUDAH - John Jarick
THE POWER OF PARENTHESIS: 2 SAMUEL 4:4 IN ITS LITERARY CONTEXT - David Jobling
Meroz (Judges 5.23) - Axel Knauf
ISAIAH 2: TORAH AND TERROR - Francis Landy
JOSHUA AND WESTERN VIOLENCE - Niels Peter Lemche
A STUDY IN METHODOLOGICAL (IN)CONSISTENCY, OR HOW I STOPPED WORRYING AND LEARNED TO LOVE THE WORK OF THE JESUS SEMINAR - William John Lyons
'JEWS BY NATURE': PAUL, ETHNICITY AND GALATIANS - R. Barry Matlock
THE SECOND TEMPLE ORIGINS OF THE HALAKHAH OF BESAH - Jacob Neusner
THE DECONSTRUCTION OF DEUTERONOMISM IN THE FORMER PROPHETS: MICAIAH BEN IMLAH AS EXAMPLE - K.L. Noll
1 PRODUCTIVE PRESUPPOSITIONS, EXUBERANT COMMENTARIES? THE NEW TESTAMENT DISCIPLINE READ THROUGH THE LENS OF FOUCAULT'S 'L'ORDRE DU DISCOURS' - Jorunn Økland
THE GREEK OF THE JEWS AND EARLY CHRISTIANS: THE LANGUAGE OF THE PEOPLE FROM A HISTORICAL SOCIOLINGUISTIC PERSPECTIVE - Stanley E. Porter
THE BOOK OF DANIEL, THE CANON AND THE GRAND NARRATIVE OF CHRISTIANITY - I.J.J. Spangenberg
THE VERB(S) lgr IN CLASSICAL HEBREW AND THE TASK OF THE LEXICOGRAPHER - David M. Stec
WITHOUT EVIDENCE OR METHOD - Thomas L. Thompson
COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY AS IMPETUS FOR A MULTILEVEL HEBREW-ENGLISH INTERLINEAR TRANSLATION - Christo H J van der Merwe
THE RHETORIC OF 2 PETER: AN APOLOGIA FOR EARLY CHRISTIAN ETHICS (AND NOT 'PRIMITIVE CHRISTIAN ESCHATOLOGY') - Robert L. Webb
SOME RECENT DISCUSSION ON THE HEREM - K. Lawson Younger, Jr.
Index