Old Testament Survey I

"This is the last of the commentaries to be rendered into English. Cassuto's comments have a vivid quality seldom found in the exegetical writings of other Biblical expositors, who all too often prefer a jejune and lifeless approach to their subject. The author succeeds in injecting a sense of dramatic excitement into his interpretations. Without neglecting the scientific data provided by archaeological and philological research, he makes us conscious of the literary attributes of the Bible. Unlike the volumes dealing with the first two pericopes of "Genesis", the present work does not separate the annotations from the Biblical text, but forms a continuous, unified commentary in which the Scriptural citations are interlinked with the exposition."

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Approaches to Genesis -- Method for studying Genesis -- The nature of Genesis -- The composition of Genesis -- The creation of the universe by the Word of God -- The creation of man and woman in the garden -- The temptation and the fall -- The oracles of God at the fall -- The story of Cain and Abel -- The beginning of civilization -- The outworking of the curse in the human race -- God's grief over the wickedness of humankind -- The judgment of the flood -- The covenant of God through Noah -- The oracle of Noah : the curse of Canaan -- The table of nations -- The dispersion of the nations at Babel -- The genealogy of Shem -- The record of Terah and Abram's obedience -- The promised blessing jeopardized -- Faith's solution to strife -- The blessing of victory for God's people -- The trustworthiness of the Lord's promises -- Ishmael : the rebuke of weak faith -- The pledge of the promise and the sign of the covenant -- God's marvelous work for his covenant people -- The justice of the righteous judge -- The judgment of Sodom -- The preservation of the purity of the marriage -- The fulfillment of the promise and the removal of the threat -- The covenant at Beersheba -- The sacrifice of Isaac -- The descendants of Nahor -- The purchase of the cave of Machpelah -- The choosing of a bride for Isaac -- Abraham's death and Isaac's inheritance -- The record of Ishmael -- The creation and election of the seed -- The sale of the birthright -- The preservation of the faith -- The blessing of water in the wilderness -- The deception for the blessing -- Jacob's vision : the founding of Bethel -- Jacob's marriages and Laban's deception -- The mishandling of God's blessing -- The blessing of prosperity -- Jacob's flight from Laban and God's protection -- A gift from the camp : an unnecessary attempt at appeasement -- Jacob at the Jabbok, Israel at Peniel -- Reconciliation -- Defilement from the pagans -- The return to Bethel -- The extensive prosperity of the world -- The sovereign choice of the wise leader -- The selling of the chosen into bondage -- The triumph of a just cause in a corrupt family -- How the wise man resists temptation -- Joseph in prison : an unwavering faith -- How God controls nations to accomplish his program -- The awakening of conscience -- The testing for jealousy -- The testing for loyalty -- The reconciliation of brothers -- The moving of Israel to Egypt -- By wisdom kings reign -- Faith that has learned the ways of God -- The shaping of destiny -- Deaths and unfulfilled promises."

Part of Publications of the Perry Foundation for Biblical Research in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Sidrat sefarim le-ḥeḳer ha-Miḳra mi-yisudo shel S. Sh. Peri.

3rd impression of English edition, 1st published 1964; Hebrew edition 1st published 1949. Presented from Heslington Church parish library 2009.

"In a series of eight lectures delivered in Jerusalem in 1940, renowned Israeli scholar Umberto Moshe David Cassuto destroys Wellhausen's Documentary Hypothesis, the theory that the text of the Pentateuch was edited from four independent source-documents. This work remains a classic in the field of biblical studies. Summary in form and popular in presentation, it provides a masterful exposition of the documentary hypothesis and subjects its exegetical methods and conclusions to a critical review."

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Introduction : The traditional and higher critical views regarding the Pentateuch stated and contrasted -- The documentary hypothesis. The variations in the divine names -- The secondary variations in diction and style -- Conclusions regarding the diction of the Pentateuch -- Variations in viewpoint and subject matter -- The explanation of the alleged doublets -- The continuity and extent of the documents -- Conclusions as to variations in viewpoint and subject matter -- The development or Graf-Wellhausen hypothesis. The religion of Israel in the pre-prophetic period -- Prophetic religion and the reform of Josiah -- Priestly religion in the post-exilic period -- The present state of the problem. The Pentateuch and archaeology -- The Pentateuch and naturalistic evolution -- The fundamental and abiding issue in the problem of the Pentateuch -- The final question : What think ye of Christ? Appendices. Driver's analysis of the Pentateuch -- The antiquity of man (Gen. v and xi) -- Proper names and their meanings."

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The study of Leviticus -- pt. 1. Laws of the sacrifices (Lev. 1-7) -- Introduction to the laws of the sacrifices -- Accepted by God : the burnt offering (1) -- Dedicated to God : the meal offering (2) -- At peace with God : the peace offering (3) -- Purified by blood : the purification offering (4) -- Things left undone : the need for the purification offering (5:1-13) -- Evidence of repentance : the reparation offering (5:14- 6:7 [MT 5:14-26]) -- Providing access to God : the ritual of the burnt offering (6:8-13 [MT 6:1-6]) -- Assuring people of God's acceptance : the ritual of the meal offering (6:14-23 [MT 6:7-16]) -- Communicating God's forgiveness : the ritual of the purification offering (6:24-30 [MT 6:17-23]) -- The ministry of reconciliation : the ritual of the reparation offering (7:1-10) -- Leading the celebration of peace : the ritual of the peace offering (7:11-21) -- God's claim to the best of life : the law of the fat and the blood (7:22-27) -- Provisions for ministers : the wave offering and the contribution (7:28-38) -- pt. 2. Laws of the priesthood (Lev. 8-10) -- Introduction to the laws of the priesthood -- Consecration to ministry : the ordination of priests (8) -- the beginning of ministry : the first public sacrificial ritual at the tent of meeting (9) -- Violation of ministry : judgment on Nadab and Abihu (10) -- pt. 3. Laws of purification (Lev. 11-16) -- Introduction to the laws of purification -- Holiness and daily food : the dietary laws of Israel (11) -- Holiness and the physical life : childbirth and purification (12) -- Holiness and disease : contamination with skin diseases (13:1-46) -- Restoration after disease : the sanctifying ritual after skin diseases (14:1-32) -- Holiness and contamination : contamination with mildew and mold (13:47-59) -- Restoration after contamination : the sanctifying ritual after mildew and mold (14:33-57) -- Holiness and the body : the ritual of sanctification after discharges (15) -- The removal of all sin : the ritual of the day of atonement (16).

pt. 4. Instructions for holiness (Lev. 17-26) -- Introduction to the instructions for holiness -- The sanctity of the blood : laws for sacrifice and blood (17) -- The sanctity of intimacy : rules for avoiding abominations of the pagans (18) -- Holiness through love : reiteration of the law (19) -- Divine order in a corrupt world : laws about false religion and sinful practices (20) -- Holy orders : instructions for the priestly life (21:1-22:16) -- Pleasing God in worship : sacrifices acceptable to God (22:17-33) -- Entering God's rest : the instruction for the Sabbath (23:1-3) -- Keeping the feast : the instruction for Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (23:4-8) -- Promise of things to come : the instruction for the Feast of Firstfruits (23:9-14) -- Acknowledging what God has provided : the instruction for the Feast of Weeks (23:15-22) -- The great ingathering : the instruction for the Feast of Trumpets (23:23-25) -- The removal of all iniquity : the instruction for the Day of Atonement (23:26-32) -- The celebration at the ingathering : the instruction for the Feast of Booths (23:33-44) -- Participating in ministry : instructions for the oil and the bread (24:1-9) -- Sanctifying His name : the case of the blasphemer (24:10-23) -- Sharing in common : the law of the Sabbath Year (25:1-7) -- The hope of rest and release : the law of the Jubilee Year (25:8-55) -- The blessings of God : rewards for obedience to the covenant (26:1-13) -- The disciplines of God : punishments for disobedience to the covenant (26:14-46) -- pt. 5. Redemption of vows (Lev. 27) -- Introduction to the redemption of vows -- Fulfilling vows and promises : rules for the redemption of vows (27)."

"In his pathbreaking Israel in Egypt James K. Hoffmeier sought to refute the claims of scholars who doubt the historical accuracy of the biblical account of the Israelite sojourn in Egypt. Analyzing a wealth of textual, archaeological, and geographical evidence, he put forth a thorough defense of the biblical tradition. Hoffmeier now turns his attention to the Wilderness narratives of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. As director of the North Sinai Archaeological Project, Hoffmeier has led several excavations that have uncovered important new evidence supporting the Wilderness narratives, including a major New Kingdom fort at Tell el-Borg that was occupied during the Israelite exodus. Hoffmeier employs these archaeological findings to shed new light on the route of the exodus from Egypt. He also investigates the location of Mount Sinai, and offers a rebuttal to those who have sought to locate it in northern Arabia and not in the Sinai peninsula as traditionally thought. Hoffmeier addresses how and when the Israelites could have lived in Sinai, as well as whether it would have been possible for Moses to write down the law received at Mount Sinai. Building on the new evidence for the Israelite sojourn in Egypt, Hoffmeier explores the Egyptian influence on the Wilderness tradition. For example, he finds Egyptian elements in Israelite religious practices, including the use of the tabernacle, and points to a significant number of Egyptian personal names among the generation of the exodus. The origin of Israel is a subject of much debate and the wilderness tradition has been marginalized by those who challenge its credibility. In Ancient Israel in Sinai, Hoffmeier brings the Wilderness tradition to the forefront and makes a case for its authenticity based on solid evidence and intelligent analysis."

"The historical and literary criticism of the Old Testament / R.K. Harrison -- The textual criticism of the Old Testament / Bruce K. Waltke -- The historical and literary criticism of the New Testament / Donald Guthrie -- The textual criticism of the New Testament / Gordon D. Fee."

"In the academic community, the confirmed results of scientific investigation are considered the touchstone of intellectual inquiry. Indeed, society at large has come to respect all claims offered under the rubric of “science.” As a “scientific theology,” the historical-critical method has come to dominate the field of biblical criticism in Germany and is championed in seminaries and universities around the world. In this first English language edition, author Eta Linnemann challenges the root assumption of this theology, its claim to be “scientific.” To the contrary, she finds that “what goes unnoticed is that many of these ‘results’ are nothing more than unproven hypotheses that are trumpeted to be facts” (from the Preface).

The book examines and refutes a variety of claims and questions including: Was there a source or “Q” document from which the Synoptic Gospels were copied? Did Paul actually write all the Epistles attributed to him? How much credibility should Christian give to “proofs” that numerous New Testament books were written long after the apostles died? Why is there so much difference in New Testament vocabulary and grammatical structure?

"Christianity and the modern university. The anti-Christian roots of the university; Pertinent questions concerning the university; Ancient Israel and the modern West; Christian education at the university level; The Bible and modern man -- God's word and historical-critical theology. The study of historical-critical theology; The faith of theology and the theology of faith; The mentality of historical-critical theology; Historical-critical theology and evangelical theology; The word of God."

"Scholars of the Hebrew Bible have in the last decade begun to question the historical accuracy of the Israelite sojourn in Egypt, as described in the book of Exodus. The reason for the rejection of the exodus tradition is said to be the lack of historical and archaeological evidence in Egypt. Those advancing these claims, however, are not specialists in the study of Egyptian history, culture, and archaeology. In this pioneering book, author James Hoffmeier examines the most current Egyptological evidence and argues that it supports the biblical record concerning Israel in Egypt."

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A dilemma and a deliverer -- The call of Moses -- River of blood -- The finger of God -- When the Gods were silent -- An oridinance forever -- Birth of a nation -- Pilgrimage to Sinai -- Thunder, clouds and smoke -- The book of the covenant -- God's dwelling place -- The Aaronic priesthood -- The Golden calf."

"Most scholars studying the first five books of the Bible either attempt to dissect it into various pre-pentateuchal documents or, at the very least, analyze Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy as separate, self-contained documents. The Pentateuch As Narrative focuses on the narrative and literary continuity of the Pentateuch as a whole. It seeks to disclose how the original Jewish readers may have viewed this multivolume work of Moses. Its central thesis is that the Pentateuch was written from the perspective of one who had lived under the Law of the Covenant established at Mount Sinai and had seen its failure to produce genuine trust in the Lord God of Israel. In this context, the Pentateuch pointed the reader forward to the hope of the New Covenant, based on divine faithfulness. Throughout the commentary Dr. Sailhamer pays close attention to and interacts with a wide range of classical and contemporary literature on the Pentateuch, written by Jews, Catholics, and Protestants."

"In this introduction to Scripture, Leland Ryken organizes biblical passages into literary genres including narratives, poetry, proverbs, and drama, demonstrating that knowledge of a genre's characteristics enriches one's understanding of individual passages. Ryken offers a volume brimming over with wonderful insights into Old and New Testament books and passages--insights that have escaped most traditional commentators."