Ezra & Nehemiah (Berit Olam | BO)
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
Ezra-Nehemiah has been neglected in biblical studies, but it is important as one of the few windows into the Persian period of Israel’s history, the setting for so much of the final shape of the Hebrew Bible. To know this period is to know what influenced these redactors. In Ezra and Nehemiah, Gordon Davies provides that knowledge using rhetorical criticism, a methodology that reveals the full range and progress of the book’s ideas without hiding its rough seams and untidy edges.
The purpose of rhetorical criticism is to explain not the source but the power of the text as a unitary message. This approach does not look at plot development, characterization, or other elements whose roughness makes Ezra-Nehemiah frustrating to read. Instead, it examines the three parts of the relationship—the strategies, the situations, and the effects—between the speaker and the audience. Rhetorical criticism’s scrutiny of the audience in context favors the search for the ideas and structures that are indigenous to the culture of the text.
Rhetorical criticism is interested in figures of speech as means of persuasion. Therefore, to apply it to Ezra-Nehemiah, Davies concentrates on the public discourse—the orations, letters, and prayers—throughout its text. In each chapter he follows a procedure that: (1) where it is unclear, identifies the rhetorical unit in which the discourse is set; (2) identifies the audiences of the discourse and the rhetorical situation; (3) studies the arrangement of the material; (4) studies the effect on the various audiences; (5) reviews the passage as a whole and judges its success. In the conclusion, Davies explains that Ezra-Nehemiah makes theological sense on its own terms, by forming a single work in which a range of ideas is argued.
Biblical scholars as well as those interested in literary criticism, communication studies, rhetorical studies, ecclesiology, and homiletics will find Ezra and Nehemiah enlightening.
In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.
Save more when you purchase this book as part of Berit Olam: Studies in Hebrew Narrative and Poetry collection.
- Explores the rhetorical criticism of Ezra and Nehemiah
- Concentrates on the public discourse throughout the text
- Includes diverse theological and theoretical perspectives
- Title: Ezra and Nehemiah
- Author: Gordon F. Davies
- Series: Berit Olam Studies in Hebrew Narrative and Poetry
- Publisher: Liturgical Press
- Print Publication Date: 1999
- Logos Release Date: 2014
- Pages: 176
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Bible. O.T. Ezra › Commentaries; Bible. O.T. Nehemiah › Commentaries
- ISBN: 081465049
- Resource ID: LLS:BOEZNEH
- Resource Type: Bible Commentary
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-08-30T23:10:22Z