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The electronic Logos Bible Software version of The Old Testament Story is an excellent value, but we're taking the value quotient up another notch. For the first time ever we will be shipping the paperback version of The Old Testament Story along with the electronic CD-ROM version! You are paying for the Libronix CD-ROM version of the book and getting the paperback version as a free bonus. This is an amazing deal that you can't afford to pass up!
Product Details
The Old Testament Story: An Introduction is a solid and exciting guide for lower division courses in religious or public universities, and for adult learners anywhere. It is not an exhaustive commentary, but samples the unforgettable and timeless traditions of the Bible. It translates biblical scholarship for anyone who wants to know what the Bible meant then, and what it means now.
What kings were ruling? What wars were raging? What did prophets and midwives do in ancient Israel? Why did Hebrews tell creation stories like Adam and Eve and parables like Jonah? What dramatic roles do heroes like Samson, widows like Ruth, prophets like Elijah and teachers like the Wise Woman in Proverbs play in tradition? Where is the voice of the women in the male world of the Bible?
The Old Testament Story: An Introduction engages the Bible, not as a textbook in the theology of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam — or even in the American way of life, — but as an exquisite expression of the questions with which, eventually, every human being must struggle.
496 pages, 2003
Click here to read a review of The Old Testament Story in the Journal of Hebrew Scriptures
Praise for the Print Edition
''John Collins's introduction is a timely and welcome contribution, one based on his own extensive research and on his many years of teaching the subject. The reader will find not only a careful presentation of the biblical material but also a judicious assessment of scholarship on it. This book will be a valuable tool for classroom use, and the bibliographies appended to each chapter will help the student who wishes to pursue a topic in greater detail.''
— James C. VanderKam, John A. O'Brien Professor of Hebrew Scriptures, University of Notre Dame
''Drawing on years of teaching in seminary and university, and of addressing Christian and Jewish popular audiences, Collins has produced a clear, concise, and up-to-date introduction to the Old Testament including the Deuterocanonical books. Wisely following the canonical order of books (slightly adapted), he describes each book's contents, critical issues, and religious meaning. Collins situates each biblical book squarely in its historical setting, and deals honestly with the problems as well as well as the bounty of the Bible. A special bonus is his masterful coverage of the often-slighted Second Temple literature. Its seriousness, detail, and sophistication set this textbook apart and make it an excellent resource for college and seminary courses, and for pastors and educated laity.''
— Richard J. Clifford, S.J., Professor of Biblical Studies, Weston Jesuit School of Theology, Cambridge, MA
''At last! This is the Introduction to the Hebrew Bible I have been looking for: a balanced and richly informative introduction that covers essential critical and comparative perspectives and sets up pertinent interpretive issues, leaving the instructor free to work with the class in any number of directions. Using Collins' textbook is like team-teaching with a master teacher. His tone is welcoming but often wry, accessible yet authoritative. This is a textbook written by someone who not only knows his students but who genuinely likes them–and likes to challenge them. Collins does not take refuge in an antiquarian approach to the Hebrew Bible but repeatedly identifies the complex ethical issues raised by the text and by the responsibilities involved in interpreting the text.''
— Carol Newsom, Professor of Old Testament, Candler School of Theology
''Collins' volume meets a long-standing need for an up-to-date and well-informed critical introduction to the Hebrew Bible. His lucid presentation of the socio-historical background of the world of ancient Israel and Judah and the compositional history of the biblical books provides a fitting context by which to read the Bible’s perspectives on the people of Israel/Judah, their interrelationships with surrounding cultures, and their understandings of the divine. A particularly important contribution of this volume is its treatment of the deutero-canonical or apocryphal books. Collins' work stands as a most welcome and highly recommended textbook for both undergraduates and seminarians.''
— Marvin A. Sweeney, Professor of Hebrew Bible, Claremont School of Theology, Professor of Religion, Claremont Graduate University
About the Author
Don C. Benjamin teaches Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies in the Department of Religious Studies at Arizona State University in Tempe AZ. Among the courses he offers are: Introducing the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), Archaeology and the Bible, Women and the Bible.
Professor Benjamin holds a Ph.D. in Religion from the Claremont Graduate University, an M.A. in Semitic Languages from the Catholic University of America, and a B.A. from St. Bonaventure University.
He is the author of The Old Testament Story: An Introduction with CD-ROM (Fortress Press), and Deuteronomy and City Life. He is the co-author, with Victor H. Matthews (Southwest Missouri State University), of Old Testament Parallels, Laws and Stories from the Ancient Near East and Social World of Ancient Israel 1250-587 B.C.E.
Don C. Benjamin is an active member of the Society of Biblical Literature, the Catholic Biblical Association, the American Schools of Oriental Research and the American Academy of Religion.
Don C. Benjamin was born in Louisiana. He and his wife, Patrice A. Welsh-Benjamin, now live in Arizona. They enjoy both the grandeur of nature in the southwest and the cultural amenities of city life. Likewise, they travel and restore old homes.
Click here to learn more about Don C. Benjamin
Augsburg Fortress Collection (18 Titles)
This volume is also part of the Augsburg Fortress Collection (18 Titles). Other titles included are