'Origin Myths and Holy Places in the Old Testament' examines the biblical narratives which describe the origins of holy places. It argues for the Hellenistic origin or redaction of most of these narratives. Three central questions are addressed: are there common features in biblical accounts about the foundation of places of worship; are there elements in the aetiological stories that reveal the 'real' mythology/rituals of the sanctuary; what were the circumstances of the creation of such narratives?

The Old Testament, and biblical scholarship itself, distinguishes between mythical and historical. This book argues that only historical thing in the Bible is the Bible itself, a superb product of Jewish thought. What is narrated in the Bible is only myth. But this myth about Israel's past was still built with fragments of history, or rather with written traditions that were different from those expressed in the actual text, and obviously more ancient. These essays follow in the spirit of his controversial History and Ideology in Ancient Israel, which combine detailed philological reseaerch, a wide knowledge of ancient Near Eastern literature and Biblical Archaeology--and a radical way of understanding what the biblical text is really telling us. This is an erudite and thought-provoking book, which should not be ignored by anyone who finds the origin of the Bible a fascinating and still largely unknown phenomenon.

Southwestern Journal of Theology 2022 Book of the Year Award (Biblical Studies) Craig Bartholomew's The Old Testament and God is the first volume in his ambitious four-volume project, which seeks to explore the question of God and what happens to Old Testament studies if we take God and his action in the world seriously. Toward this end, he proposes a post-critical paradigm shift that recenters study around God. The intent is to do for Old Testament studies what N. T. Wright's Christian Origins and the Question of God series has done for New Testament studies. Bartholomew proposes a much-needed holistic, narrative approach, showing how the Old Testament functions as Christian Scripture. In so doing, he integrates historical, literary, and theological methods as well as a critical realist framework. Following a rigorous analysis of how we should read the Old Testament, he goes on to examine and explain the various tools available to the interpreter. He then applies worldview analysis to both Israel and the surrounding nations of the ancient Near East. The volume concludes with a fresh exegetical exploration of YHWH, the living and active God of the Old Testament. Subsequent volumes will include Moses and the Victory of Yahweh, The Old Testament and the People of God, and The Death and Return of the Son.

Explore biblical theology with monographs from a diversity of experts. The Studies in Biblical Theology series includes a wealth of resources to help you understand the development of various doctrines, concepts, and terminology across the Old and New Testaments. Investigate the characteristics of worship in the early church with studies on its liturgy and sacraments. Fine-tune your understanding of Jesus' ministry by exploring his wilderness experience and the nature of his mission. Delve into detailed word studies, investigate Christological titles used by Paul, and come to a new appreciation of the Ten Commandments. These in-depth treatments will give you a better grip on key theological themes found throughout the Bible.

Myth as a category is often explicitly denied as being present in the Bible. Studies of Israelite religion take a largely historical approach. 'The Archaeology of Myth' highlights the importance of mythological categories in discussing any religion, and especially Israelite religion. The essays explore key biblical narratives and themes - Jacob's dream, the story of Dinah and Shechem, the seventy sons of Athirat, the old men of Deuteronomy - tracing their development from primitive forms to biblical text. The book offers a theoretical analysis of the biblical treatment of myth and its role in the shaping of memories and values.