Introduction to the Hebrew Bible and Deutero-Canonical Books

by John J. Collins

Publisher:

Fortress Press

, 2014

Overview

John J. Collins’ Introduction to the Hebrew Bible is one of the most reliable and widely adopted critical textbooks at undergraduate and graduate levels alike, and for good reason. Enriched by decades of classroom teaching, it is aimed explicitly at motivated students regardless of their previous exposure to the Bible or faith commitments.

Contents

Top Highlights

“In the nineteenth century, ‘literary criticism’ of the Bible was understood primarily as the separation of sources (source criticism), especially in the case of the Pentateuch.” (Page 16)

“This is not to say that the wording of the Bible is unreliable. The Dead Sea Scrolls have shown that there is, on the whole, an amazing degree of continuity in the way the text has been copied over thousands of years.” (Page 10)

“ But there is no suggestion in the biblical text that guilt is transmitted genetically.” (Page 76)

“It is possible to explain this passage as the close intersplicing of J and E narratives, but we must assume that the editor took half a verse from one source and the other half from the other. In light of this situation, it is understandable that some scholars prefer to speak of JE, without attempting to separate the sources cleanly. The distinction between J and E becomes even more elusive in the book of Exodus, after the revelation of the name YHWH to Moses. Some scholars now dispute whether E ever existed as a distinct, coherent source.” (Page 61)

“In the Ugaritic pantheon, El was king and father of the gods. His decree is wise and his wisdom eternal. The word El is familiar from Hebrew, where it is both the common noun for ‘god’ and a designation for the God of Israel (YHWH). El is said to live in a tent on a mountain that is the source of two rivers. He presides over assemblies of ‘the sons of El,’ the council of the gods.” (Page 40)

Product Details

• Title: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible and Deutero-Canonical Books
• Author: John J. Collins
• Edition: Second Edition
• Publisher: Fortress Press
• Print Publication Date: 2014
• Logos Release Date: 2015
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Bible. O.T. › Introductions; Bible. O.T
• ISBNs: 9781451469233, 9781451484366, 9781506445984, 9781506446059, 9781506446424, 9781506446448, 9781506446462, 9781506446486, 1451469233, 1451484364, 1506445985, 1506446051, 1506446426, 1506446442, 1506446469, 1506446485
• Resource ID: LLS:NTRDCTNHBRWSDTN
• Resource Type: text.monograph.introduction.old-testament
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T20:30:02Z

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.