Social World of Ancient Israel, 1250-587 BCE by Victor Harold Matthews

Social World of Ancient Israel, 1250-587 BCE by Victor Harold Matthews

Getting a fix on the social context of the Hebrew Bible is imperative for anyone reconstructing either the story of the text or the history behind the text. Resources in this area often prove overspecialized and arcane, and can require highly sophisticated skills in cultural anthropology or Semitic languages just to read the table of contents. Social World of Ancient Israel, 1250-587 BCE offers those interested in learning about the biblical world a more user-friendly framework for viewing the broader picture; at the same time it relies upon the latest methodologies of cultural anthropology and biblical analysis in its presentation. Painting a picture in broad but precise strokes, the authors portray the landscape of ancient Israel in new and exciting colors that expert and student alike will appreciate.

Social World of Ancient Israel takes a unique look at the most prominent social institutions of the world of early Israel and the period of the monarchy, and then shows how properly understanding these social institutions is essential for sound biblical interpretation. Immersing the reader into five major areas of daily life in antiquity--politics, economics, diplomacy, law, and education--Matthews and Benjamin explore the ways in which knowing how players function in these institutions, such as father/mother, prophet/wise one, host/stranger, can shape our understanding of earliest Israel. Perhaps most significantly, the book gently exposes the inefficiency of past anthropological models for interpreting the relationships, attitudes and social conventions of earliest Israel. Its corrective insights will enable scholar and student alike to plot new approaches for studying the Hebrew Bible and the ancient people of Israel.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780913573891
ISBN 10	0913573892
Title	Social World of Ancient Israel, 1250-587 BCE
Author	Victor Harold Matthews
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Hendrickson Publishers Inc
Year published	1993-01-01
Number of pages	352
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.