Old Testament: Text and Context

by Victor H. Matthews, James C. Moyer

A substantial revision to a classroom favorite
Explore the literature, history, and social context of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible and their relevance for making sense of this ancient collection. This significant revision of a classroom standard pays particular attention to the original Mediterranean context--how it differs from modern Western culture--and its importance for interpretation. The significance of critical scholarly methods as well as the value of archaeology are likewise explored. Designed with the realities of the classroom in mind, it includes helpful illustrations, insets, and maps; study questions; a glossary; and indexes of subjects, personal and place names, and Scripture citations.

Genres: History, Old Testament, Nonfiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1994

About the author

Victor Harold Matthews (PhD, Brandeis University) is dean of the College of Humanities and Public Affairs and professor of religious studies at Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. He is the author of numerous books, including Manners and Customs in the Bible, Studying the Ancient Israelites, Old Testament Turning Points, and The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Genesis–Deuteronomy.

Reviews

[cam_omile]

for class

[Mickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I worked through this during Lent and was happily surprised at the amount of detail. I am an archaeologist, have specialised in the early archaeology of the Middle East, and do a lot of Bible study. However, this book enlightened so many things for me. Knowing the context of the prophets and a lot of historical and archaeological “fact-checking” is so important to understand the Bible. This book is brilliant for any student, whether religious (Christian, Jewish, Muslim) or not. I definitely recommend!