Contents PART ONE: THE TORAH/PENTATEUCH PART TWO: THE DEUTERONOMISTIC HISTORY

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1 Contents Maps... vii Illustrations...viii Preface... xi Preface to the Second Edition... xii Preface to the Third Edition...xiii Abbreviations...xv Introduction... 1 PART ONE: THE TORAH/PENTATEUCH 1 The Near Eastern Context The Nature of the Pentateuchal Narrative The Primeval History The Patriarchs The Exodus from Egypt The Revelation at Sinai The Priestly Theology: Exodus 25 40, Leviticus, and Numbers Deuteronomy PART TWO: THE DEUTERONOMISTIC HISTORY 9 Joshua Judges Samuel Samuel Kings 1 16: Solomon and the Divided Monarchy Kings 17 2 Kings 25: Tales of Prophets and the End of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah v

2 PART THREE: PROPHECY 15 Amos and Hosea Isaiah The Babylonian Era: Jeremiah and Lamentations Ezekiel The Additions to the Book of Isaiah Postexilic Prophecy: Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Joel, Jonah PART FOUR: THE WRITINGS 21 Ezra and Nehemiah The Books of Chronicles The Psalms and Song of Songs Proverbs Job and Qoheleth The Hebrew Short Story: Ruth, Esther Daniel, 1 2 Maccabees The Deuterocanonical Wisdom Books: Ben Sira, Wisdom of Solomon From Tradition to Canon Glossary Index Picture acknowledgments vi A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO THE HEBREW BIBLE

3 Maps The Fertile Crescent...21 The World of the Patriarchs...55 The Landscape of the Book of Exodus...68 Israel Settlement before the Monarchy Canaanite Sites in the Late 13th/Early 12th Century b.c.e Tribes of Israel Tribes of Israel before the Monarchy Saul s Kingdom Minimum Extent of David s Kingdom Maximum Extent of David s Kingdom Minimum Extent of Solomon s Kingdom Jerusalem in the Time of Solomon Approximate Boundaries of the Divided Kingdoms of Judah and Israel Elijah and Elisha Narratives Assyrian Empire Neo-Babylonian Empire The Chaldean Empire and the Saite Dynasty of Egypt The Persian Empire at its Zenith Judah as a Province of the Persian Empire b.c.e Maccabean-Hasmonean Palestine b.c.e The Ancient Near East c. 60 b.c.e vii

4 Illustrations Remains of the community settlement at Qumran... xvii Isaiah Scroll, part of the Dead Sea Scrolls from Qumran... 3 The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in caves in these cliffs, Israel...10 Amulet...17 The Rosetta Stone...22 Tablet XI of the Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh...26 Babylonian relief of a winged and eagle-footed goddess...27 Bronze figurine of Baal, the Canaanite warrior god...28 Bronze female figurine (Anat)...29 Gold mask of Tutankhamun...30 Sculpture of Moses by Michelangelo...34 Noah builds the ark with his sons...37 Fragment of a tablet inscribed with the Myth of Atrahasis...47 Ziggurat of Ur...54 Horned altar from Beersheba...57 Cutaway illustration of an estate at Amarna, Egypt...63 Traditional site of Mount Sinai...70 Statue of Ramesses II...71 Akhenaten, Nefertiti and their children...83 Hammurabi receives the law from the god Marduk...86 Depiction of the tabernacle as described in Exodus...92 Silver amulet found in the Hinnom Valley, Jerusalem King Esarhaddon of Assyria and his mother Naqi a-zakutu The Tel Dan altar and high place, Israel King Jehu prostrates himself before Shalmaneser III of Assyria Canaanite cultic place in Stone Age Megiddo, Israel viii A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO THE HEBREW BIBLE

5 The Merneptah Stele The goddess Astarte Samson killing a lion: relief from Milan Cathedral, Italy The Tel Dan inscription Stepped structure in Jerusalem Statue of King David, Jerusalem, Israel Remains at Megiddo Plans of the gateways at Megiddo, Hazor, and Gezer Ground plans of three temples Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser The Siloam inscription Lamassu, or human-headed winged bull Clay models of livers, for training in divination Tiglath-pileser III Intricate ivory decoration from Samaria Ruins of Ancient Samaria Bronze relief depicting a mother and her children The so-called Sennacherib Prism Sennacherib sitting on the throne of judgment Sennacherib sits on his throne before the city of Lachish Black basalt monument of Sennacherib s son, Esarhaddon Conjectural reconstructed image of ancient Babylon Auroch glazed brick tile from the Ishtar Gate, Babylon Reconstruction of the Ishtar Gate, Babylon The goddess Astarte; terracotta figurine decorated with gold and inset rubies The so-called Cyrus Cylinder Darius I receives a foreign delegation ILLUSTRATIONS ix

6 Persian warriors; painted relief from Susa Assyrian relief from Babylon The Palace of Darius the Great, Persepolis The tomb of Cyrus at Pasargadae Shallow drinking vessel, known as a phiale Assyrian scribes; relief from Nineveh Temple Mount, Jerusalem Inside Hezekiah s Tunnel Lyre players depicted on the Lachish relief Statue of Amenemhet III Coffin fragment of Isis mourning; Egypt Statuette of Job, showing ulcers Remains of Persepolis, Iran Babylonian clay brick with cuneiform inscription Coin of Antiochus IV Epiphanes Coin of John Hyrcanus Bronze coin issued under Antigonus II Aerial view of Masada Creation of Man by Michelangelo x A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO THE HEBREW BIBLE