If you instinctively shy away from commentaries "Aramaic Light on Exodus through Deuteronomy" will surprise you! No dull theological seminary text, it carries you back almost 4000 years, providing an unusual perspective on the Torah books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. This inimitable commentary acts as a Near Eastern guide, revealing to the Western mind a more intimate picture of the socio-religious and psychological environment of the period. Its approach is simple, informative, and scholarly, without using specialized theological terminology. The comments are written in narrative form, opening a doorway into the ancient Near Eastern culture of the times. Dr. Errico and Dr. Lamsa unlock and clarify many misunderstood passages of the Torah Moses symbolic dreams and visions, his leadership, the war between the Hebrews and Egyptians, the crossing of the Red Sea, the Divine tabernacle in the wilderness, how water came from a rock, fire from heaven, many Levitical laws, the miracles and adventures in the desert, the laws of Deuteronomy, and more. They also address the most important questions of all: Does God participate in the murder of men, women and children so that the Divine Will might be fulfilled? Did God tell Moses to commit any atrocities that are found in these biblical books? This volume is not just a revision of Dr. Lamsa s Old Testament Light commentary, 1964. Dr. Errico has edited, expanded, and annotated the previous comments. In addition, this book contains unpublished material that the two of them had only drafted prior to Dr. Lamsa s death in 1975. Dr. Errico completed these comments, adding information derived from his continual research in Aramaic word meanings and Near Eastern Semitic Studies.

Dr. George M. Lamsa, translator of The Bible from Aramaic texts, authored a "Book of Wisdom" in the eastern style of writing like that of Kahlil Gibran. Set in what is believed to be the Ancient "Garden of Eden" referred to in the Bible, Dr. Lamsa writes beautifully and metaphorically about an ancient shrine called Korra-Jenney and the people who visited the shrine bringing their hopes and sorrows to God. He speaks about "Life" things; Love, sorrow and happiness, religion, prayer, and afterlife, to name a few. Written in the sixties, Dr. Lamsa shares great wisdom even for us today.

Aramaic Light on the Gospel of John, like its predecessors Aramaic Light on the Gospel of Matthew and Aramaic Light on the Gospels of Mark and Luke, carries you back into the Near Eastern, Semitic times of Jesus of Nazareth. It is unique in that it provides insight into the Aramaic language and Semitic customs of almost two thousand years ago. If you instinctively shy away from "commentaries"-This one will surprise you. No dull theological seminary textbook, the approach is simple, informative, and scholarly, without using specialized theological terminology. This inimitable commentary acts a Near Eastern guide, revealing to the Western mind a more intimate picture of the socio-religious and psychological environment of the period. It offers an understanding of the character and behavior of Near Eastern Semites. This is the field of Dr. Errico's and Dr. Lamsa's research and expertise. They bring clarification to many misunderstood passages and sayings of Jesus. Learn the Semitic meanings behind such terms as "the Word," "Light," "Life," "Christ." Understand what Jesus meant when he said "No man comes to the Father except through me" and many other sayings that appear to be sectarian and exclusive. This volume is more than a revision of Dr. Lamsa's commentaries, Gospel Light, 1936, and More Light on the Gospel, 1968. Dr. Errico has edited, expanded and annotated these previous works in the new format that Dr. Lamsa desired. In addition, this book contains unpublished material that the two of them outlined just before Dr. Lamsa died in 1975. Dr. Errico completed these comments and has added information derived from his continual research in Near Eastern Semitic studies.

A Near Eastern guide into the heart of the gospel, illuminating difficult and puzzling passages and offering unparalleled insight into the character and behavior of Near Eastern Semites.

For many years, the historical-critical quest for a reconstruction of the origin(s) and development of the Pentateuch or Hexateuch has been dominated by the documentary hypothesis, the heuristic power of which has produced a consensus so strong that an interpreter who did not operate within its framework was hardly regarded as a scholar. However, the relentless march of research on this topic has continued to yield new and refined analyses, data, methodological tools, and criticism. In this spirit, the contributions to this volume investigate new ideas about the composition of the Pentateuch arising from careful analysis of the biblical text against its ancient Near Eastern background. Covering a wide spectrum of topics and diverging perspectives, the chapters in this book are grouped into two parts. The first is primarily concerned with the history of scholarship and alternative approaches to the development of the Pentateuch. The second focuses on the exegesis of particular texts relevant to the composition of the Torah. The aim of the project is to foster investigation and collegial dialogue in a spirit of humility and frankness, without imposing uniformity. In addition to the editors, the contributors include Tiago Arrais, Richard E. Averbeck, John S. Bergsma, Joshua A. Berman, Daniel I. Block, Richard Davidson, Roy E. Gane, Duane A. Garrett, Richard S. Hess, Benjamin Kilchör, Michael LeFebvre, Jiří Moskala, and Christian Vogel.

Ritual in Deuteronomy explores the symbolic world of Deuteronomy’s ritual covenant and curses through a lens of religious studies and anthropology, drawing on previously unexamined Mesopotamian material. This book focuses on the ritual material in Deuteronomy including commands regarding sacrifice, prayer objects, and especially the dramatic ritual enactment of the covenant including curses. The book’s most unique feature is an entirely new comparative study of Deut 27–30 with two ritual texts from Mesopotamia. No studies to date have undertaken a comparison of Deut 27–30 with ancient Near Eastern ritual texts outside of the treaty oath tradition. This fresh comparison illuminates how the ritual life of ancient Israel shaped the literary form of Deuteronomy and concludes that the performance of oaths was a social strategy, addressing contemporary anxieties and reinforcing systems of cultural power. This book offers a fascinating comparative study which will be of interest to undergraduate and graduate students in biblical studies, classical Hebrew, theology, and ancient Near Eastern studies. The book’s more technical aspects will also appeal to scholars of the Pentateuch, Deuteronomy, Biblical Law, Ancient Near Eastern History, Mesopotamian Studies, and Classics.

Deuteronomy in the New Testament brings together a set of specially commissioned studies by authors who are experts in the field. After an introductory chapter on the use of Deuteronomy in the second temple literature, each of the New Testament books that contain quotations from Deuteronomy are discussed: Matthew, Mark, Luke-Acts, John, Romans & Galatians, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Hebrews, the Pastoral Epistles and Revelation. The book provides an overview of the status, role and function of Deuteronomy in the first century. It considers the Greek and Hebrew manuscript traditions and offers insights into the various hermeneutical stances of the New Testament authors and the development of New Testament theology.

The Chronological Study Bible is the only study Bible that presents the text of the New King James Version in chronological order-the order in which the events actually happened-with notes, articles, and full-color graphics that connect the reader to the history and culture of Bible times and gives the reader a dramatic, "you are there" experience. Features include translators' notes, full-color illustrations of places, artifacts and cultural phenomena, contextual articles that connect Biblical times and world history and culture, daily life notes, time panels and charts that show the flow of Biblical history and in-text and full-color maps.

"A modern classic....Thrilling and constantly illuminating."—Michael Dirda, Washington Post Book World Through a distinguished career of critical scholarship and translation, Robert Alter has equipped us to read the Hebrew Bible as a powerful, cohesive work of literature. In this landmark work, Alter's masterly translation and probing commentary combine to give contemporary readers the definitive edition of The Five Books. Winner of the PEN Center USA Literary Award for Translation and the Koret Jewish Book Award for Translation, a Newsweek Top 15 Book, Los Angeles Times Favorite Book, and San Francisco Chronicle Best Book.