Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Manners and Customs

by Howard F. Vos

Publisher:

Thomas Nelson

, 1999

Overview

The most comprehensive, up-to-date, accurate information on life in Bible times available in one volume for the general reader.Accurate: Takes each of 20 historical epochs seriously—avoids a "one size fits all" approach to ancient cultures.Comprehensive: Considers ten distinct topics such as food, clothing, as well as religion, within each period.Visually Appealing: Thoroughly illustrated with two 16-page color inserts and hundreds of black and white photographs.Thorough: Sidebars provide even more interesting detail about aspects of ancient cultures that illuminate the Bible.Accessible: Written for lay persons rather than professional scholars; designed to be a companion for Bible study.Howard F. Vos is Emeritus Professor of History and Archaeology at The King's College, Tuxedo, NY. He has his Th.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary and the Ph.D. from Northwestern University and has authored more than 20 books.

Contents

Top Highlights

“Ur was at the forefront of developments. If we have our chronology straight (see later discussion) Ur controlled a powerful empire and was perhaps the greatest city-state in the world at the time.” (Page 6)

“Any discussion of Persian religion during the period of the Jewish restoration to Palestine must center on the development of Zoroastrianism. The evolution of Zoroas-trianism, the degree to which Persian kings or others in Persian society subscribed to its beliefs in the days of Zerubbabel or Ezra or Nehemiah, and the possible influence of Zoroastrianism on Judaism are very controversial and involved subjects.⁶ Certainly we should not base our conclusions about this religion on its later fully developed stage or on current practices. Some popular books simply assert that the Persian kings of the Restoration period were Zoroastrians and then proceed to discuss some of the beliefs of that faith. But the matter is not so simple as that.” (Page 333)

“The special purpose of marriage was to secure sons to perpetuate the male line. In the event that the wife was barren, she could supply a slave girl to her husband to be a substitute for her and bear her children. This action is clearly reflected in Genesis 16:1–4, where barren Sarai gives a slave girl (Hagar) to Abraham to bear him a son. Interestingly, this practice seems to have been common in Mesopotamia, and it is provided for specifically in the later Code of Hammurabi (see sidebar on following page). Polygamy seems to have been uncommon during the Ur III period; but as noted, a wife might provide a concubine for her husband if she were barren. And sometimes he himself owned slave girls.” (Page 17)

Product Details

• Title: Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Manners and Customs
• Author: Howard F. Vos
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Print Publication Date: 1999
• Logos Release Date: 2001
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Bible › Social scientific criticism; Bible › History of Biblical events
• ISBNs: 9781418502355, 1418502359
• Resource ID: LLS:52.0.2
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2023-04-24T22:15:42Z

About Howard F. Vos

Howard F. Vos is Emeritus Professor of History and Archaeology at The King's College, Tuxedo, New York, and Adjunct Professor at the King's campus in the Empire State Building, New York.