Explores the influence of the sea myth at the structural and conceptual foundations of the Hebrew Bible.

The Babylonian exile in 587-539 BCE is frequently presented as the main explanatory factor for the religious and literary developments found in the Hebrew Bible. The sheer number of both ‘historical’ and narrative exiles confirms that the theme of exile is of great importance in the Hebrew Bible. However, one does not do justice to the topic by restricting it to the exile in Babylon after 587 BCE. In recent years, it has become clear that there are several discrepancies between biblical and extra-biblical sources on invasion and deportation in Palestine in the 1st millennium BCE. Such discrepancy confirms that the theme of exile in the Hebrew Bible should not be viewed as an echo of a single traumatic historical event, but rather as a literary motif that is repeatedly reworked by biblical authors. Myths of Exile challenges the traditional understanding of 'the Exile' as a monolithic historical reality and instead provides a critical and comparative assessment of motifs of estrangement and belonging in the Hebrew Bible and related literature. Using selected texts as case studies, this book demonstrates how tales of exile and return can be described as a common formative narrative in the literature of the ancient Near East, a narrative that has been interpreted and used in various ways depending on the needs and cultural contexts of the interpreting community. Myths of Exile is a critical study which forms the basis for a fresh understanding of these exile myths as identity-building literary phenomena.

Very few Christians realize that it is a requirement for every believer to grow in the knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom. There has been too much emphasis on the carnal things of this world, which will be left behind by those entering the Kingdom. The knowledge of the Kingdom is something that we will take with us. Do you realize that it will actually determine our status in the next life? The correct understanding of the parable of the talents, as given by Jesus, shows how important our knowledge of the Kingdom is to our eternal life. Yet many of today's churches have embraced a doctrine that applies more worth to the blessings and carnal possession and have put the teachings of the Kingdom on the back burner. This book is an excerpt from the powerful book "Hidden In The Garden." This is the first two chapters of the book. These chapters teach believers how to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom. You will be learning what the Talent Jesus spoke about really is, and how to attain these talents during your Christian walk. This excerpt is going to take you through a step-by-step understanding of how to unravel parables, Biblical metaphors, and dark sayings. If you truly want to learn the deeper things of God, then this book is a must read and a treasure to keep in your Christian library. Everyone reading this book is going to leave with more than they came with, this I promise. Let's get started!

"An emerging field of study that explores the Hispanic minority in the United States, Latino Studies is enriched by an interdisciplinary perspective. Historians, sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists, demographers, linguists, as well as religion, ethnicity, and culture scholars, among others, bring a varied, multifaceted approach to the understanding of a people whose roots are all over the Americas and whose permanent home is north of the Rio Grande. Oxford Bibliographies in Latino Studies offers an authoritative, trustworthy, and up-to-date intellectual map to this ever-changing discipline."--Editorial page.

The Babylonian exile in 587-539 BCE is frequently presented as the main explanatory factor for the religious and literary developments found in the Hebrew Bible. The sheer number of both 'historical' and narrative exiles confirms that the theme of exile is of great importance in the Hebrew Bible. However, one does not do justice to the topic by restricting it to the exile in Babylon after 587 BCE. In recent years, it has become clear that there are several discrepancies between biblical and extra-biblical sources on invasion and deportation in Palestine in the 1st millennium BCE. Such discrepancy confirms that the theme of exile in the Hebrew Bible should not be viewed as an echo of a single traumatic historical event, but rather as a literary motif that is repeatedly reworked by biblical authors. Myths of Exile challenges the traditional understanding of 'the Exile' as a monolithic historical reality and instead provides a critical and comparative assessment of motifs of estrangement and belonging in the Hebrew Bible and related literature. Using selected texts as case studies, this book demonstrates how tales of exile and return can be described as a common formative narrative in the literature of the ancient Near East, a narrative that has been interpreted and used in various ways depending on the needs and cultural contexts of the interpreting community. Myths of Exile is a critical study which forms the basis for a fresh understanding of these exile myths as identity-building literary phenomena.

This volume of essays introduces Korean and Korean American biblical interpretation to scholars and students. The contributions reflect a range in readings, including historical, textual, feminist, sociological, theological, and postcolonial. The volume creates new inroads by bridging Korean and Korean American biblical scholarship. It seeks to be a pathfinder by establishing new grounds for fostering critical and contextual biblical scholarship by Koreans and Korean Americans.

Tehom, the Hebrew Bible’s primeval deep, is a powerful concept often overlooked outside of creation and conflict contexts. Primeval waters mark the boundary between life and death in the Hebrew Bible and the ancient Near East, representing the duality of both deliverance and judgment. This book examines all contexts of Tehom to explain its conceptual forms and use as a proper noun. Comparative methodology combined with affect and spatial theories provide new ways to understand how religious communities repurposed Tehom. These interpretations of Tehom empower resilience in times of suffering and oppression.

An ever-growing number of Christians are becoming more and more uncomfortable with the tenets of the church, the stories of the Bible, and the church’s worldview. Statistics show that these feelings easily escalate into a crisis of faith, and for now their predicament is being resolved by leaving the church. This book will certainly help dealing with the crisis by showing that the language of faith is built by a web of metaphors taken from the Ancient Near East. We do not need to take biblical language literally, but as parables for human values in need to be assessed critically.

Cliffe Knechtle offers clear, reasoned and compassionate responses to the tough questions skeptics ask.