Religious Diversity in Ancient Israel and Judah by Francesca Stavrakopoulou (Eng

Description: Religious Diversity in Ancient Israel and Judah by Francesca Stavrakopoulou, John Barton Our understanding of the religious beliefs and practices of the ancient Israelites has changed considerably. This title includes essays that draw together specialists in the field to explain, illustrate and analyze religious diversity in Ancient Israel. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Understanding of the religious beliefs and practices of the ancient Israelites has changed considerably in recent years. It is now increasingly accepted that the biblical presentation of Israelite religion is often at odds with the historical realities of ancient Israels religious climate. As such, the diversity inherent to ancient Israelite religion is often overlooked—particularly within university lecture halls and classrooms. This textbook draws together specialists in the field to explain, illustrate and analyze this religious diversity. Following an introductory essay guiding the reader through the book, the collection falls into three sections.The first focuses on conceptual diversities. It deconstructs common assumptions about Israelite religion and reconstructs Israelite perceptions of the nature of the religious world. The second section examines socio-religious diversities. It studies the varied social contexts of ancient Israelites, exploring the relationship between worshippers social locations and their perceptions and experiences of the divine. The third section deals with geographical diversities. It seeks to understand how geographical distinctions engender certain characteristics within Israelite religion and impact upon religious perceptions. Underpinning each essay in this volume is a shared concern to: (1) explore the ways in which worshippers socio-cultural contexts shape and colour their religious beliefs and practices; (2) assess the role, benefits and limitations of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament in reconstructing ancient Israelite religion. Author Biography Francesca Stavrakopoulou is Senior Lecturer in Hebrew Bible at the University of Exeter, UK. Her research focuses on ancient Israelite religion, Judahite kingship, and history and ideology in the Hebrew Bible. She is the author of King Manasseh and Child Sacrifice: Biblical Distortions of Historical Realities (De Gruyter, 2004). John Barton is Oriel and Laing Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture, University of Oxford. His previous publications include What is the Bible?, People of the Book?, Love Unknown, The Oxford Bible Commentary and The Biblical World. Table of Contents Introduction: Francesca Stavrakopoulou and John Barton Conceptual Diversities Experiencing the Divine: Heavenly visits, earthly encounters, and the land of the dead Susan Niditch, Amherst College, MA, USAIsraelite religion and Canaanite religion Herbert Niehr, Eberhard Karls University, Tubingen, GermanyOfficial religion and popular religion Francesca Stavrakopoulou, University of Exeter, UKSocio-Religious Diversities Royal religion in ancient Judah Nick Wyatt, University of Edinburgh, UKCultic sites and complexes beyond the Jerusalem Temple Diana Edelman, University of Sheffield, UKUrban religion and rural religion Philip Davies, University of Sheffield, UKHousehold religion Carol Meyers, Duke University, NC, USAPersonal piety Rainer Albertz. Wilhelms University, Munster, Germany Geographical Diversities Northern, Southern and Transjordanian perspectives Jeremy Hutton, Princeton Theological Seminary, USAWorship beyond Yehud Lester Grabbe, University of Hull, UKPost-Script: Reflecting on religious diversity John Barton, University of Oxford, UK Review The past generation of scholars saw the shift from unified notions of biblical theology to diverse developmental models based on the rise of monotheism towards the end of the biblical period. Now another, perhaps more relevant, shift is becoming apparent: a movement from ideas of unity to those of pluralism and diversity within the religion practiced by ancient Israelites and Judahites. Edited by two prominent scholars, this book brings together all the existing scholarly perspectives on such diversity, and adds some new ones. This remarkable volume represents the eye of the storm in current biblical scholarship. -- Bernhard Lang, University of Paderborn, Germany.Books about "the religion of ancient Israel" are not always clear as to whether their subject matter is what people in those times and places were actually doing and thinking (a further degree of difficulty) in the religious sphere of their lives, or rather what certain religious elites - priests, prophets, law scribes - thought they ought to be doing and thinking. As its title suggests, the present volume is quite clear on that point. Its contributors present a wide range of religious practices diversified geographically (north, south), topographically (household, village, city, temple, royal court), and sociologically (peasant culture, professional groups, cultic personnel), in the process illuminating many fascinating by-ways of scholarship. The editors and contributors are to be congratulated on putting together a composite image of religion in practice under the rubric of religious diversity. This is a book not to be missed. -- Joseph Blenkinsopp, University of Notre Dame, IN, USA.It has long been a commonplace to assume development within the religion of ancient Israel -- as is evidenced by the many chronologically-based histories of Israelite religion that were produced during the late nineteenth century and throughout the twentieth century. Development, moreover, could be taken to imply diversity, through the defining of differences between Israelite religious thought of the monarchical period, say, and of the postexilic era. But the authors of Religious Diversity in Ancient Israel and Judah bring a far more sophisticated and far more exciting paradigm of difference to bear in their work, both by moving beyond scholars traditional focus on developments in the religious thought of Israels theological elites in order to concentrate instead on Israelite religion as it was actually lived and practiced among the population at large, and also by taking seriously differences in the ancient Israelites religious life and practice that were manifest concurrently during any given time within ancient Israelite history - due, say, to differences in geographical location or due to differences in social context within the same geographical region (so that, for example, Israelite religion as it was practiced in urban venues is contrasted profitably to the religious expressions that characterized rural settlements, and religion as it was practiced in the Judahite royal palace is equally profitably contrasted to the religion of the commoners household). The result is a richly textured description of Israels "micro-religions" that represents, moreover, the state of the art, as older narratives of theological evolution are left behind in favor of a multivalent and carefully nuanced account of the manifold variations that characterized Israelite and Judahite religious life at every moment during these two polities existence. -- Susan Ackerman, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USAThe editors of this volume have brought together an international team of scholars who have already published landmark contributions to the issue of diversies of relegion in ancient Israel. Here they give pedagogical presentations of their specialist insights into matters of importance to all students of the Hebrew Bible. -- Tryggve Mettinger, Lund University, SwedenIn this timely volume, leading Old Testament/Hebrew Bible scholars from various countries and traditions address key aspects of the religious pluriformity of ancient Israel and Judah. They present a wide readership with fine essays on the highly diverse religious culture(s) of the land of the Bible, based on methodologically sound, critical explorations of the relevant biblical texts and ancient artefacts. This collection is an excellent contribution to the current lively debate on the religious history of Israel and Judah, providing its readers with significant, provocative insights and much food for thought. -- Joachim Schaper, Chair in Hebrew, Old Testament and Early Jewish Studies, Divinity and Religious Studies, University of Aberdeen, UK.This is a splendid collection of essays whose publication is greatly to be welcomed. Its contributors are scholars who are well qualified to tackle aspects of the religious life of ancient Israel and Judah. The volume reveals something of the extent to which the Hebrew Bibles presentation of religion has been influenced by the Deuteronomists and what they wanted to portray, and demonstrates not only that there was diversity but that such diversity cannot simply be summed up as the difference between official and popular, or urban and rural. A feature of the volume as a whole is that it offers a constructive balance between (biblical) textual and archaeological evidence, acknowledging that both have their contributions to make while both have their interpretational problems. Perhaps understandably the emphasis is on religious practices rather than beliefs but, in a telling phrase in the books postscript, Barton reminds us that the authors of the Hebrew Bible "...were already in the business of thinking about Yahweh as well as worshipping him" (p.373). -- Adrian Curtis, The University of Manchester, UK.The essayists who contributed to this volume tell lively tales in an engaging style. * The Good Book Stall, September 2010 *Reviewed in SAPIENS- Revista de Historia, Patrimonio e Arqueologia, no. 5Mentioned in the Church Times Promotional This volume of essays draws together specialists in the field to explain, illustrate and analyze this religious diversity in Ancient Israel. Review Quote This is a splendid collection of essays whose publication is greatly to be welcomed. Its contributors are scholars who are well qualified to tackle aspects of the religious life of ancient Israel and Judah. The volume reveals something of the extent to which the Hebrew Bibles presentation of religion has been influenced by the Deuteronomists and what they wanted to portray, and demonstrates not only that there was diversity but that such diversity cannot simply be summed up as the difference between official and popular, or urban and rural. A feature of the volume as a whole is that it offers a constructive balance between (biblical) textual and archaeological evidence, acknowledging that both have their contributions to make while both have their interpretational problems. Perhaps understandably the emphasis is on religious practices rather than beliefs but, in a telling phrase in the books postscript, Barton reminds us that the authors of the Hebrew Bible "...were already in the business of thinking about Yahweh as well as worshipping him" (p.373). - Adrian Curtis, The University of Manchester, UK. Promotional "Headline" This volume of essays draws together specialists in the field to explain, illustrate and analyze this religious diversity in Ancient Israel. Details ISBN0567032167 Short Title RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY IN ANCIENT Language English ISBN-10 0567032167 ISBN-13 9780567032164 Media Book Format Paperback Imprint T.& T.Clark Ltd Country of Publication United Kingdom Edited by Francesca Stavrakopoulou Birth 1948 DEWEY 200.933 Place of Publication Edinburgh Author John Barton Illustrations black & white illustrations UK Release Date 2010-02-11 NZ Release Date 2010-02-11 Translated from English Pages 224 Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Year 2010 Publication Date 2010-02-11 Audience Undergraduate AU Release Date 2010-02-10 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:23183204;

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