Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, 4th ed.

by John J. Collins

Publisher:

Fortress Press

, 2025

Overview

John J. Collins’s 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. The approach is ecumenical, in the sense that it seeks not to impose any particular theological perspective but to provide information and raise questions that should be relevant to any student. Collins proceeds through the canon of the Old Testament and the Apocrypha, judiciously presenting the current state of historical, archaeological, and literary understanding of the biblical text, and engaging the student in questions of significance and interpretation for the contemporary world.

The fourth edition is supplemented in areas that go beyond historical criticism and answer questions crucial for students today. John J. Collins discusses the issues that arise when studying the Hebrew Bible that aren’t always addressed in introductory textbooks. The issues discussed include gender, patriarchy, social justice, violence, race and ethnicity, environment, salvation and death, the messiah, and colonialism. In addition to the new essays, John J. Collins has updated bibliographies to include the most recent scholarship that students and professors need to know.

Key Features

• Presents the current state of historical and archeological understanding of the biblical text.
• Goes beyond historical criticism and answer questions crucial for students.
• Discusses the issues that arise when studying the Hebrew Bible.

Product Details

• Title: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible and Deutero-Canonical Books (Fourth Edition)
• Author: John J. Collins
• Edition: Fourth Edition
• Publisher: Fortress Press
• Print Publication Date: 2025
• Logos Release Date: 2025
• Pages: 681
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Bible as literature; Bible. O.T. › Introductions
• ISBNs: 9798889834632, 9798889834649
• Resource ID: LLS:NTDNTHHWBBL
• Resource Type: text.monograph.introduction.old-testament
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-01T20:03:54Z

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.