Major Review: A History of Death in the Hebrew Bible by Matthew J. Suriano

2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 242-243
Author(s):  
Safwat Marzouk
Keyword(s):  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
History Of ◽  
Major Review

The History of the Judahite Bench Tomb

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Suriano
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Seventh Century ◽  
Mortuary Practices ◽  
Iron Age Ii ◽  
Gradual Development ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Dead ◽  
Insight Into

The history of the Judahite bench tomb provides important insight into the meaning of mortuary practices, and by extension, death in the Hebrew Bible. The bench tomb appeared in Judah during Iron Age II. Although it included certain burial features that appear earlier in the Middle and Late Bronze Ages, such as burial benches, and the use of caves for extramural burials, the Judahite bench tomb uniquely incorporated these features into a specific plan that emulated domestic structures and facilitated multigenerational burials. During the seventh century, and continuing into the sixth, the bench tombs become popular in Jerusalem. The history of this type of burial shows a gradual development of cultural practices that were meant to control death and contain the dead. It is possible to observe within these cultural practices the tomb as a means of constructing identity for both the dead and the living.

Studying the Writings as Postexilic Literature and Canon

2018 ◽  
pp. xx-16
Author(s):  
Donn F. Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Faith Communities ◽  
The Third ◽  
History Of ◽  
History Of Scholarship

This chapter argues for the import and value of studying the Writings, the third canonical division of the Hebrew Bible. Special attention is given to the postexilic background of the Writings and the history of scholarship devoted to this literature as canon in the last fifty years. The challenges of studying this division are named and discussed, including the following: diversity and difference within the corpus; the puzzle of its structure; the use of many methods to evaluate and articulate its characteristics and message; its relationship to Torah and Prophets; and the much debated history of canonization. The significance of studying the Writings for both scholars and the faith communities that use them as scripture is a constant theme.

The Chronological Development of Wisdom Literature

2021 ◽  
pp. 372-388
Author(s):  
Markus Saur
Keyword(s):  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Wisdom Literature ◽  
Short History ◽  
Ben Sira ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Individual

In this article, the historical localization of Hebrew Bible Wisdom Literature is discussed firstly with regard to the literary development of the books of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. By examining these books one can make several observations that help to reconstruct the history not only of the individual books, but also the history of Wisdom Literature as a whole. Wisdom Literature is understood in this context as the result of a process of discussion, interaction, and interdependence, and thus the documentation of a broader discourse surrounding Wisdom topics. This discourse is reflected in the whole of Wisdom Literature of the Hebrew Bible. From this point of view, the differentiation between the Wisdom books and some other Wisdom texts, such as the Wisdom Psalms or the book of Ben Sira, is finally placed within an era overview, and thus a short history of Wisdom Literature is presented.

scholarly journals “The Bearers of Unholy Potential”: Confessing Church Sermons on the Jews and Judaism

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
William Skiles
Keyword(s):  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
The Other ◽  
Nazi Regime ◽  
Confessing Church ◽  
Nazi Ideology ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
History Of ◽  
Mixed Messages ◽  
German People ◽  
The One

This article examines the nature and frequency of comments about Jews and Judaism in sermons delivered by Confessing Church pastors in the Nazi dictatorship.  The approach of most historians has focused on the history of antisemitism in the German Protestant tradition—in the works, pronouncements, and policies of the German churches and its leading figures.  Yet historians have left unexamined the most elemental task of the pastor—that is, preaching from the pulpit to the German people.  What would the average German congregant have heard from his pastor about the Jews and Judaism on any given Sunday?  I searched German archives, libraries, and used book stores, and analyzed 910 sermon manuscripts that were produced and disseminated in the Nazi regime.  I argue that these sermons provide mixed messages about Jews and Judaism.  While on the one hand, the sermons express admiration for Judaism as a foundation for Christianity, an insistence on the usage of the Hebrew Bible in the German churches, and the conviction that the Jews are spiritual cousins of Christians.  On the other hand, the sermons express religious prejudice in the form of anti-Judaic tropes that corroborated the Nazi ideology that portrayed Jews and Judaism as inferior: for instance, that Judaism is an antiquated religion of works rather than grace; that the Jews killed Christ and have been punished throughout history as a consequence.  Furthermore, I demonstrate that Confessing Church pastors commonly expressed anti-Judaic statements in the process of criticizing the Nazi regime, its leadership, and its policies.

Textual History of the Minor Prophets

2021 ◽  
pp. 39-55
Author(s):  
W. Edward Glenny
Keyword(s):  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
The Other ◽  
Medieval Period ◽  
Textual Tradition ◽  
Masoretic Text ◽  
Textual History ◽  
History Of ◽  
Complete Translation ◽  
Minor Prophets

This essay discusses the textual history of the Minor Prophets in the Hebrew manuscripts and the Versions, excluding Qumran. The most important textual tradition for the Minor Prophets is the Hebrew Masoretic Text tradition from the medieval period (MT), which continues the earlier proto-masoretic textual tradition that is represented in the Qumran scrolls and is the basis of the translations of the Targums and Peshitta. The Septuagint (LXX) is the most important ancient Version of the Hebrew Bible, because it was the first complete translation and because its Hebrew source differed considerably from the other textual witnesses. Other important Versions of the Hebrew Bible are the Targums, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Latin Vulgate.

Translation Technique

2021 ◽  
pp. 163-179
Author(s):  
Hans Ausloos
Keyword(s):  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
History Of Research ◽  
Translation Technique ◽  
Translation Techniques ◽  
History Of

The Septuagint translators did not make use of handbooks nor could they rely on editorial guidelines when translating the books of the Hebrew Bible. Yet every translator undoubtedly had his own typical methods and practices that diverged from those of others. These methods and practices constitute the translator’s ‘translation techniques’. The present chapter presents the difficulties and challenges in exploring and describing the translation techniques of the Septuagint translators. After a brief survey of the history of research, the question of the characterization of translation technique is dealt with, distinguishing particularly between quantitative and qualitative criteria.

scholarly journals Elements of a History of the Soul in North-West Semitic Texts

2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 156-176
Author(s):  
Joachim Schaper
Keyword(s):  
Present Article ◽  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
North West ◽  
Literature And Religion ◽  
History Of ◽  
Key Terms ◽  
The Human Condition

Abstract Amongst Hebrew Bible scholars the question of the understanding of biblical key terms and concepts pertaining to the human condition has attracted a fair amount of interest. And amongst those key terms and concepts it is the concept of nefeš that has proved to be particularly attractive and challenging. New light is thrown on the biblical concept by the recent discovery of the Katumuwa stele in Zincirli. The present article examines the evidence and draws conclusions with regard to the history of the concept of nefeš in the Hebrew Bible and in North-West Semitic literature and religion generally.

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