Product Description

The Biblical World is a comprehensive guide to the contents, historical settings and social context of the Bible.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3130718 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 2
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1152 pages

Review
'This should prove a most valuable addition to any library. The illustrations, of which there are many, are helpful. Because the entries are not over-long they make for easier reading, essential in a reference work.' - James Munson, Contemporary Review

From the Back Cover
The Biblical World is a comprehensive guide to the contents, historical settings and social context of the Bible. It presents the fruits of years of specialist study in accessible form, and is essential reading for anyone who reads the Bible and would like to know more about how and why it came to be.
Volume One begins with an overview of the full range of Biblical material (Old Testament, Apocrypha and New Testament), before going on to more detailed discussions of the major genres of Biblical literature - from myth and prophecy to poetry and proverbs. The contributors also consider the ways in the texts have been transmitted, the significance of parallel and related versions, and past interpretations of the Bible.
Explorations of the historical background are complemented by the findings of archaeology, and discussion of matters such as language, law, administration, social life and the arts offer a fuller understanding of the social and cultural settings of ancient Israel and the early Christian churches. Major figures of the Bible - including Abraham, Jesus and Paul - are studied in detail, as are the main religious concepts it contains, such as salvation and purity. Volume Two concludes with a survey of how the Bible is studied and seen today.
Written by an international collection of acknowledged experts, this monumental work will be an invaluable resource for students, academics and clergy and for all to whom the Bible is important as a religious or cultural document.

About the Author
John Barton is Oriel and Laing Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture, University of Oxford, and Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford. He is the author of numerous books and articles on biblical texts, and is also the editor of The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Interpretation (1998) and (with John Muddiman) of The Oxford Bible Commentary (2001).

Dr. Alistair Logan, University of Exeter; Dr Alison Salvenson, Oriental Institute, Oxford; Dr. Mark Edwards, New College, Oxford; Dr. Felicity Cobbing, The British Museum; Professor J. Maxwell Miller, Fernbank Museum of Natural History, USA; Professor Keith Whitelam, University of Sheffield; Professor J. Blenkinsopp, University of Notre Dame, USA; Professor L. L. Grabbe, University of Hull; Dr. C. H. Williams, University College of North Wales; Professor J. J. Collins, University of Chicago, USA; Professor G. Wenham, Cheltenham and Gloucester College; Dom Henry Wansbrough, St Benet's Hall, Oxford; Dr W.R. Telford, University of Newcastle; Professor Leonard J. Greenspoon, Creighton University, USA; The Revd Dr Rex Mason, Taunton; Professor Adele Reinhartz, McMaster University, Canada; Professor Christopher Tuckett, Oxford; Dr Stephanie Dalley, Oriental Institute, Oxford; Professor A.D.H. Mayes, Trinity College, Dublin; Professor I.G. Auld, Hawick; Dr K.J. Dell, Cambridge University; Professor C. Rowland, Queens College, Oxford; Professor L. M. Wills, Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge; The Revd Dr J. B. Muddiman, Mansfield College, Oxford; Professor Harry Y. Gamble, Universoty of Virginity, USA; Dr Caramel Mc Carthy, University College, Dublin; Dr David Parker, University of Birmingham; Professor George Brooke, University of Manchester; Dr G. I. Davies, Cambridge University; Dr Stefan Reif, Cambridge University Library; Professor Jarl Fossum, Norway; Dr Johnathan Megit, Jesus College, Cambridge; Professor G. W. Ramsey, Presbyterian College, Clinton, USA; Professor Gwilym Jones, Gwynedd, Wales; The Revd. R.C. Morgan, Oxford; Dr David Horrell, Exeter University; Dr D. Cohn-Sherbok, University of Wales; Dr Andrew Chester, Cambridge University; Dr Sarah Pearce, University of Southampton; Professor B. Oded, University of Haifa, Israel; Professor John Huehnergard, Harvard University, USA; Dr Thomas Bolin, St Mary's University, San Antonio, USA; Dr S.E. Gillingham, Worcester College, Oxford; Professor J.D.M. Derrett, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloustershire; Professor Dr. Rainier Albertz, Munster, Germany.