Psalm 23, the most beloved of the Psalms, contains a perplexing riddle. What can it possibly mean that God prepares a table in the presence of the psalmist’s enemies? Matthew Umbarger proposes that Psalm 23:5 makes the most sense when read according to its cultural context of prebattle covenant banquets. Beginning with ancient Mesopotamian mythology, Umbarger traces a conceptual trajectory of the prebattle banquet motif that reaches its zenith in the apocalyptic banquets of Second Temple Period literature and the eucharistic theology of the early church.

The names 'Gog' and 'Magog' are found in the Old Testament, in the Pseud-Epigrapha and the Qumran-writings, in the Targums and in other Jewish texts, in the New Testament, in the wirtings of the Church Fathers, and even in the Koran. In most aof these texts Gog and Magog are persons or nations opposing God's people in the endtime-tribulations.Sverre Boe focuses on John's use of various Gog and Magog traditions in Revelation 19,17-20,10. He assembles all these traditions and also refers to several hundreds of scholarly works on these many texts. He further contributes to the ongoing discussions about the inter-textual relationship between Revelation and the Old Testament. He argues that John used Ezekiel 38-39 extensively, and that there are structural analogies beween Rev. 19,11-22,5 and Ezek. 36-48. Although Sverre Boe does not raise the fundamental questions about the co-called millennium in Rev. 20 as such, he givesmany implications for that issue also. Finally he concludes that Revelation does not see Gog and Magog as Israel's enemies in an ethnic sense, since John seems to universalize his pre-texts to fit the New Testament notion of God's people as comprising Christians of all nations.

In plain language and with ample illustration, Paul D. Wegner presents an overview of the history and methods, aims and results of textual criticism of the whole Bible--the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament. You will gain an appreciation for the vast work that has been accomplished in preserving the text of Scripture and find a renewed confidence in its reliability.

In honor of eminent archaeologist and historian of ancient Jewish art, Rachel Hachlili, friends and colleagues offer contributions in this festschrift which span the world of ancient Judaism both in Palestine and the Diaspora. Hachlili's distinctive research interests: synagogues, burial sites, and Jewish iconography receive particular attention in the volume. Archaeologists and historians present new material evidence from Galilee, Jerusalem, and Transjordan, contributing to the honoree’s fields of scholarly study. Fresh analyses of ancient Jewish art, essays on architecture, historical geography, and research history complete the volume and make it an enticing kaleidoscope of the vibrant field of scholarship that owes so much to Rachel.

Where was Golgotha? Was Peter's house in Capernaum? Was Mary from the town of Magdala? Where was Bethsaida? We've all heard the arguments, but what do the archaeological finds tell us? This book pulls together archaeological information, scattered in journals and final reports, relating to the Gospel of Luke with appealing photography, instructive illustrations, and fascinating recent finds. It uses archaeology to reconstruct the social, religious, historical, geographical, and pathological context for the story of Jesus and the Jesus-movement. The book not only features the "shiny objects" from the excavations (the beautiful pottery, buildings, and entertainment facilities) but also items that are not usually handled in glossy magazines, namely, the human, skeletal remains. Yet, these bones are an important window into the biblical world indicating lifespan, morbidity, socioeconomic standing, violence, and stature. The work will employ four areas of archaeological finds and investigations, including inscriptions, large finds (of buildings), small finds (jewelry, pottery, coins), and human remains, to help interpret and illustrate the Gospel of Luke. Along the way, it assesses several archaeological controversies, giving care to be fair to all sides but leaving the reader with the information to make up his or her own mind.

Includes entries for maps and atlases.