Recent years have seen a renewed interest in the study of background materials relating to Scripture. More and more Christians are seeking out resources that will help them understand the culture of the times when the Bible was written. Indeed, to fully understand the Old Testament, one must first understand the social, historical, and political forces that affected its writers. Old Testament Times explores and explains the characters and events of the Old Testament in historical perspective. Being released for the first time in a full-color edition, this guide includes - thirty-two maps - seventy photos - eight charts - five illustrations Pastors, small groups, and anyone wishing for a better understanding of biblical times will find an excellent tool in this comprehensive handbook written by one of America's foremost biblical scholars.

Detailed historical and archaeological essays give insight into the many people groups who interacted with and influenced ancient Israel.

The Old Testament both tells the story of Israel and points to the coming Messiah. Kaiser distinguishes between Old Testament passages that describe national Israel's glorious future and those that point to Christ and his kingdom. Kaiser's chronological approach traces Israel's developing concept of Messiah through different time periods.

In this provocative book, evolutionist and evangelical Christian Denis O. Lamoureux proposes an approach to origins that moves beyond the "evolution-versus-creation" debate. Arguing for an intimate relationship between the Book of God's Words and the Book of God's Works, he presents evolutionary creation--a position that asserts that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit created the universe and life through an ordained and sustained evolutionary process. This view of origins affirms intelligent design and the belief that beauty, complexity, and functionality in nature reflect the mind of God. Lamoureux also challenges the popular Christian assumption that the Holy Spirit revealed scientific and historical facts in the opening chapters of the Bible. He contends that Scripture features an ancient understanding of origins that functions as a vessel to deliver inerrant and infallible messages of faith. Lamoureux shares his personal story and his struggle in coming to terms with evolution and Christianity. Like many, he lost his boyhood faith at university in classes on evolutionary biology. After graduation, he experienced a born-again conversion and then embraced belief in a literal six-day creation. Graduate school training at the doctoral level in both theology and biology led him to the conclusion that God created the world through evolution. Lamoureux closes with the two most important issues in the origins controversy--the pastoral and pedagogical implications. How should churches approach this volatile topic? And what should Christians teach their children about origins?

From the origins and exodus to the restoration and new hope, Kingdom of Priests offers a comprehensive introduction to the history of Old Testament Israel. Merrill explores the history of ancient Israel not only from Old Testament texts but also from the literary and archeological sources of the ancient Near East. After selling more than 30,000 copies, the book has now been updated and revised. The second edition addresses and interacts with current debates in the history of ancient Israel, offering an up-to-date articulation of a conservative evangelical position on historical matters. The text is accented with nearly twenty maps and charts.

Hailed as "the most radical repackaging of the Bible since Gutenberg", these Pocket Canons give an up-close look at each book of the Bible.

Old Testament women were often as tough-minded and strong-willed as their male counterparts, and many were able to work the religious and secular law to their advantage. Baker unravels the labyrinth of Aramean, Assyrian, Babylonian, Canaanite, Egyptian, Hittite, Sumerian, and Hebrew culture and interprets arcane biblical narratives in light of legal custom. He considers women in business; surrogate sexual partners and slave-husband counterparts to men's slaves and concubines; inheritance rights of daughters; and metronomic marriage in which the wife provided land, occupation, and family for a less well situated husband. In doing so he makes many of the Old Testament stories understandable for the first time. Along the way Baker also renders obsolete many simplistic, however well meaning object lessons that one can hear at times in Sunday school, while nevertheless bolstering other common-sense, plain readings of scripture. His research provides readers with grist for discussion on a variety of timely themes and points the way for future investigation into what has proven to be a fruitful field.

The author offers an exploration of the 'Old Testament', illuminating its importance as history, literature, and sacred text. He provides an overview of one of the great pillars of Western religion and culture, a book which remains important today for Jews, Christians, and Muslims worldwide.

Well detailed and illustrated outline of the rulers encompassed by the Old Testament, from Abraham to Herod.