Introduction to the Hebrew Bible

by John J. Collins

Publisher:

Fortress Press

, 2004

Overview

This accessible introduction to the Hebrew Bible, including the Apocrypha, offers extensive additional materials, including discussion questions, maps, illustrations, and Web resources.

Contents

Top Highlights

“The Protestant Old Testament has the same content as the Hebrew Bible, but arranges the books differently.” (Page 2)

“The Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament are not quite the same thing. The Hebrew Bible is a collection of twenty-four books in three divisions: the Law (Tōrāh), the Prophets (Nebîʾîm), and the Writings (Ketûbîm), sometimes referred to by the acronym Tanak.” (Page 2)

“The word myth is derived from the Greek mythos, or story, but is used especially for sacred stories, or traditional stories deemed to have religious import. In modern English usage, myth is often opposed to factual truth, but this is unfortunate, as it makes it difficult to take myths seriously. The ancient myths are serious but imaginative attempts to explain life in this world. There are several minor creation stories preserved in Akkadian, many of them in the introductions to ritual texts. Two myths stand out, however, because of their length and wide distribution. These are the myth of Atrahasis and Enuma Elish.” (Page 30)

“Sûp. Exodus 15:1–18* is a hymn, which is generally believed to contain some of the oldest poetry in the Bible, and to be older than the J and E sources. (The argument is based on the use of archaic expressions, and similarity to Ugaritic poetry.) A summary form of the hymn is attributed to Moses’ sister Miriam in 15:21*. The hymn was evidently known in more than one form.” (Page 116)

“In the modern world there is often a tendency to equate truth with historical fact. This tendency may be naive and unsophisticated, but it is widespread and we cannot ignore it. If we are to arrive at a more sophisticated conception of biblical truth, we must first clarify the complex ways in which these books relate to history.” (Page 10)

Product Details

• Title: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible
• Author: John J. Collins
• Publisher: Fortress Press
• Print Publication Date: 2004
• Logos Release Date: 2004
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Bible as literature; Bible. O.T. › Introductions
• ISBNs: 9780800629915, 0800629914
• Resource ID: LLS:38.0.11
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-10-05T15:17:59Z

About John J. Collins

John J. Collins is Holmes Professor of Old Testament Criticism and Interpretation at Yale Divinity School. His books include Jewish Wisdom in the Hellenistic Age; Apocalypse, Prophecy, and Pseudepigraphy: On Jewish Apocalyptic Literature; The Invention of Judaism: Torah and Jewish Identity from Deuteronomy to Paul; and, most recently, What Are Biblical Values? What the Bible Says on Key Ethical Issues. Collins serves as general editor of the Anchor Yale Bible and Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library. He is on the editorial board of the Journal for the Study of Judaism and Dead Sea Discoveries. Previously, he has served as President of the Society of Biblical Literature and the Catholic Biblical Association.