Fortunate the Eyes That See: Essays in Honor of David Noel Freedman in Celebration of His Seventieth Birthday

by Chris A. Franke (Editor), Astrid B. Beck, Paul R. Raabe (Editor)

The expertise and scope of this prodigious volume produced in honor of David Noel Freedman reflect the fond respect the scholarly world accords this superior scholar of the Hebrew Bible.
These forty essays by prominent biblical scholars comment on the wide range of themes in biblical studies that have received Freedman's consideration over the past fifty years.
This work, which also includes photographs and a comprehensive bibliography of Freedman's own writings, is not only a fitting tribute to the continuing vitality and influence of Freedman's career; it also serves as a comprehensive survey of the current state of scholarship in biblical studies - and charts its course for the future.

672 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1995

Reviews

[B.G. Brainard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of 40 essays in honor of the seventieth birthday of David Noel Freedman, covers a wide range of themes biblical studies. Chapter headings include Torah, Former Prophets, Latter Prophets, Writings, Hebrew Poetry, Ancient Near East, New Testament, Religion snd Art, Other Perspectives, and Bob;biography of the Works of David Noel Freedman. I found 2 essays especially interesting. Tangled Plots in Genesis by Ronal. S. Hendel offeres a whole new way to understand scripture. He reports, "In trying to read for the plots of Genesis, with an eye toward the 'old' sources--J, E, and P--I am attempting to attend to the literary and historical dimensions of the text as they imply each other." By working through these issues he enables readers to pay attention to and help unravel the tangled plots that human being experience. A second essay, Logos, Liturgy, and the evolution of Humanity by Roy A. Rapport was equally illuminating with regard to the words of the Hebrew Bible. His working thesis is that religion is as old as language. Whatever your interests are with regard to religion and biblical interpretation, I think you will find original ideas in this lively collection of essays by prominent biblical scholars.