The Theme of the Pentateuch by David J A Clines

The Theme of the Pentateuch by David J A Clines

This popular textbook regards the Pentateuch as a literary whole, with a single theme that binds it together. The overarching theme is the partial fulfilment of the promises to the patriarchs. Though the method of the book is holistic, the origin and growth of the theme is also explored using the methods of traditional source analysis. An important chapter explores the theological function of the Pentateuch both in the community for which the Pentateuch was first composed and in our own time. For this second, enlarged edition, the author has written an Epilogue reassessing the theme of the Pentateuch from a more current postmodern perspective.

David J.A. Clines is Professor of Biblical Studies in the University of Sheffield (England), Joint Editor of the Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, and Editor of The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew. He holds the B.A. degree from the University of Sydney (Australia) and the M.A. from Cambridge University. Selected publications by Professor Clines include I, He, We and They: A Literary Approach to Isaiah 53, The Theme of the Pentateuch, The Esther Scroll: The Story of the Story, and the commentary on Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther in the New Century Bible.