The Cultural World of the Bible: An Illustrated Guide to Manners and Customs

New: New with remainder mark.
Publisher: Baker Academic
ISBN: 9780801049736
Type: Paperback

In this new edition of a successful book (over 120,000 copies sold), now updated throughout, a leading expert on the social world of the Bible offers students a reliable guide to the manners and customs of the ancient world. From what people wore, ate, and built to how they exercised justice, mourned, and viewed family and legal customs, this illustrated introduction helps readers gain valuable cultural background on the biblical world. The attractive, full-color, user-friendly design will appeal to students, while numerous pedagogical features--including fifty photos, sidebars, callouts, maps, charts, a glossary of key terms, chapter outlines, and discussion questions--increase classroom utility. Previously published as Manners and Customs in the Bible.

Contents

Introduction
Reconstructing Israel's Social World from Context
Development of Biblical Literature
Historical Geography of Bible Lands
Approach of This Book
Discussing Aspects of Everyday Life in Ancient Israel
1. Ancestral Period
Historical Introduction
Physical Appearance and Fashion
Cultural Issues Faced by Immigrants
Herding Practices
Food Preparation and Diet
Marriage Customs
Religious Practices
Legal Customs
Weapons and Warfare
2. Exodus-Settlement Period
Historical Introduction
Village Life
Agricultural Methods and Tools
Weapons and Warfare
Social Organization and Administration of Law
Family Life
Religious Practices
3. Monarchic Period
Historical Introduction
The Israelite City
Social Life
Health Issues
Law
Religious Practices
Weapons and Warfare
4. Exile and Return
Historical Introduction
Life in the Diaspora
Life after the Return from Exile
Religious Life in the Diaspora, Yehud, and Samaria
5. Intertestamental and New Testament Periods
Historical Introduction
Background to Hellenism: The Persian Period
The Rise of Hellenism: Alexander and the Diadochoi
Temporary Independence: The Hasmonean Kingdom
Last Glimpses of Power: The Herods
Roman Rule and Jewish Protest: The First Jewish Revolt
A Final Chapter: Bar Kochba and Diasporic Judaism
Social Life
Economic Life
Religious Life
Glossary
Indexes

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Endorsements

"With impeccable skill, detailed research, and a thoroughly engaging style, Victor Matthews has produced a text that captures the complexity, beauty, and magnificence of the ancient biblical world. The study provides a window into the richness of an ancient people's historical, cultural, social, and religious life, beginning with the ancestral period and continuing through the intertestamental and New Testament periods. This work is perfect for undergraduate and beginning graduate courses in Bible."

Carol J. Dempsey, professor of theology (biblical studies), University of Portland

"Matthews provides a reliable guide to the world of the Bible. Readers will be enlightened by the many details that he pulls together from a wide range of sources. His broad knowledge of the ancient world and its texts will serve well the reader who desires to dig deeper into the Bible and understand it in its cultural context."

John Walton, professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College

"This classic work is packed full of fresh information from archaeology and from texts outside the Bible that provide a multitude of insights into the Bible's social and religious practices. With its accessible style, the book contextualizes Israelite ways of life within the broad sweep of the ancient periods that the biblical books purport to represent. Highly recommended as a companion to reading the Bible."

Mark S. Smith, Skirball Professor of Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, New York University

"This fourth edition will be of great use in the classroom. Maintaining the historical summaries and discussion of everyday life of earlier editions--including everything from fashion to child rearing to sewage systems--and with an expanded text, discussion questions, annotated bibliography, and glossary, this is an unparalleled resource for university instructors and students. As in his other work, Matthews takes a balanced view of the historical accuracy of the Bible, presenting the centrist position in current debates about the patriarchs, settlement period, and united monarchy. This book will greatly assist students to read the Bible with ancient social worlds in mind."

Robert D. Miller II, The Catholic University of America

"The Cultural World of the Bible provides a comprehensive, sophisticated, and stimulating overview of the world standing behind the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament and the impression it left on their varied contents. Matthews navigates a remarkable spectrum of history, geography, and civilizations with masterful skill. Both seasoned scholars and newcomers to the study of the Bible will find this to be a valuable and eminently readable resource."

Mark Leuchter, director of Jewish studies, Temple University