Main Description
Exploring the Bible provides students with a clear, concise, and accessible introduction to the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. The book combines current scholarship with a fresh, readable analysis of the biblical literature, placing each document in its socio-historical context. Student-friendly, it facilitates learning with helpful pedagogical features, ranging from "Key Topics/Themes" summarizing crucial information at the head of each chapter to an extensive glossary of essential terms at the end of the book. At the close of each chapter, "Questions for Discussion and Review" contribute to stimulating class discussions. "Recommended Readings" emphasize the most current--and easily accessible--references for further study.
Part I: 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 II: The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Chapter 4 - A Survey of the Torah (Divine Teaching): 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
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
Chapter 14 - The Prophets: Proclaiming the Word of Yahweh
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
Chapter 20 - The Writings: 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 Apocrypha
Part III: 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 in Thessalonica, Corinth, Galatia, Rome, Philippi, and Colossae
Chapter 36 - Continuing the Pauline Tradition: 2 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 Judeo-Christian Heritage: The Biblical Concept of God
Glossary
