From the origins and exodus to the restoration and new hope, Kingdom of Priests offers a comprehensive introduction to the history of Old Testament Israel. Merrill explores the history of ancient Israel not only from Old Testament texts but also from the literary and archeological sources of the ancient Near East. This updated and revised second edition addresses and interacts with current debates in the history of ancient Israel, and offers an up-to-date articulation of a conservative evangelical position on historical matters. The text is accented with nearly twenty maps and charts.
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In Kingdom of Priests: A History of Old Testament Israel, Eugene Merrill follows a sound methodology that uses explicitly stated and well-reasoned principles in analyzing Old Testament events. He demonstrates how the 'facts' of Old Testament history emerge only after sound hermeneutics that give attention to issues of style, genre, and rhetorical strategies are applied to the biblical text. Merrill provides historical background for each biblical book and period of Israel's history and gives up-to-date information from extrabiblical sources regarding nations and rulers with whom Israel often found itself in conflict. This work is a crowning achievement of a distinguished career devoted to the study of Old Testament history and is destined to become the standard evangelical treatment of biblical history for decades to come.
—Mark F. Rooker, Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Eugene Merrill's Kingdom of Priests has served several generations of students and colleagues with distinction, so it is with delight that I welcome this second edition. Judiciously updated throughout, its most important improvement is the engagement of recent historiographical discussions, including a burgeoning literature among evangelicals. I am pleased to recommend it.
—David M. Howard, Dean, Center for Biblical and Theological Foundations; professor of Old Testament, Bethel Seminary