Reading Hebrews in Context: The Sermon and Second Temple Judaism

by Ben C. Blackwell, John K. Goodrich (Editor), Jason Maston (Editor)

Study Hebrews in its Second Temple Context Following the proven model established in Reading Romans in Context , Reading Mark in Context , and Reading Revelation in Context , this book brings together a series of accessible essays that compare and contrast the theology and hermeneutical practices of the book of Hebrews with various early Jewish literature. Going beyond an introduction that merely surveys historical events and theological themes, this textbook examines individual passages in Second Temple Jewish literature in order to illuminate the ideas and emphases of Hebrews' varied discourses. Following the rhetorical progression of Hebrews, each chapter in this In addition to the focused comparison provided in the essays, Reading Hebrews in Context offers other student-friendly features that help them engage broader discussions, including an introductory chapter that familiarizes students with the world and texts of Second Temple Judaism and a glossary of important terms. The end of each chapter contains a list of other thematically-relevant Second Temple Jewish texts recommended for further study and a focused bibliography pointing students to critical editions and higher-level discussions in scholarly literature they might use to undertake their own comparative studies.

Genres: Theology

224 pages, Paperback

Published January 31, 2023

About the author

Ben C. Blackwell is Associate Professor of Early Christianity and Director of Houston Theological Seminary at Houston Baptist University as well as Tutor of New Testament at Westminster Theological Centre. After studying with John Barclay at the University of Durham (UK) and serving as the research assistant for N.T. Wright, Ben moved to Houston to teach New Testament and theology at HBU.

Reviews

[ireland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stoked to see this book was on goodreads! I read this for a class called Hebrews: Exegesis and Reception History. Well all but 2 chapters but I put in the time and the work… I’m counting it. Really really enjoyed this book as a content into the Book of Hebrews. Great for Jewish history that affected the writer of Hebrews and his (her?) theological mindset. Also really really loved that the point of this book was to show how other Jewish canonical (or what have you) and 1st century authors like Philo connected to/ and possibly influenced Hebrews and the author.
Great read for someone starting research on Hebrews and wanting to know the greater historical and Jewish historical significance of the book. Definitely not the book for a Bible study or something of the like (I mean unless you have a group of baby theologians/scholars, in which case congratulations! can I join?)