International Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament | IECOT (4 vols.)

by Helmut Utzschneider; Wolfgang Oswald; Walter Dietrich; Paul L. Redditt

and

1 more

Publisher:

Kohlhammer

, 2012–2016

Overview

The International Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament (IECOT) offers a multi-perspectival interpretation of the books of the Old Testament to a broad, international audience of scholars, laypeople and pastors. Biblical commentaries too often reflect the fragmented character of contemporary biblical scholarship, where different geographical or methodological sub-groups of scholars pursue specific methodologies and theories with little engagement of alternative approaches. This series, published in English and German editions, brings together editors and authors from North America, Europe, and Israel with multiple exegetical perspectives.

From the outset the goal has been to publish a series that was “international, ecumenical and contemporary.” The international character is reflected in the composition of an editorial board with members from six countries and commentators representing a even broader diversity of scholarly contexts. The ecumenical dimension is reflected in at least two ways. First, both the editorial board and the list of authors includes scholars with a variety of religious perspectives, both Christian and Jewish. Second, the commentary series not only includes volumes on books in the Jewish Tanakh/Protestant Old Testament, but also other books recognized as canonical parts of the Old Testament by diverse Christian confessions (thus including the Deuterocanonical Old Testament books).

When it comes to “contemporary,” one central distinguishing feature of this series is its attempt to bring together two broad families of perspectives in analysis of biblical books, perspectives often described as “synchronic” and “diachronic” and all too often understood as incompatible with each other. Historically, diachronic studies arose in Europe, while some of the better known early synchronic studies originated in North America and Israel. Nevertheless, historical studies have continued to be pursued around the world, and focused synchronic work has been done in an ever greater variety of settings. Building on these developments, the International Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament aims to bring synchronic and diachronic methods into closer alignment, allowing these approaches to work in a complementary and mutually-informative rather than antagonistic manner.

Key Features

• Integrates synchronic and diachronic research on the Old Testament in a way that is complementary informative
• Brings together a wide group of interpretive communities for Old Testament research and scholarship
• Provides thoughtful exegesis from a variety of perspectives for a broad audience of students, pastors, laypeople, and scholars
• German edition available as Internationaler Exegetischer Kommentar zum Alten Testament (4 Bde.)

Product Details

• Title: International Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament (4 vols.)
• Publisher: Kohlhammer
• Volumes: 4
• Pages: 714
• Resource Type: Commentaries
• Topic: Old Testament