The Pentateuch (its Greek name, but also known as the Torah by the Hebrews) consists of the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. From Adam and Eve in the Garden, to Noah's Ark, to Moses' parting of the Red Sea, to its conclusion with the death of Moses, the Pentateuch contains some of the most important and memorable stories in Western civilization. In this richly detailed work, which has become a standard in the field, renowned biblical scholar Joseph Blenkinsopp unravels (as Harold Bloom did in The Book of J) the radical scholarly opinions on just where these ancient and powerful stories come from, how they were formed, and what significance they have today. In the classroom, when professors cover these books of Moses, they turn to Dr. Blenkinsopp's classic for reliable, accessible discussions of all the important details.

In this introduction to the first five books of the Old Testament, Victor Hamilton moves chapter by chapter--rather than verse by verse--through the Pentateuch, examining the content, structure, and theology. Each chapter deals with a major thematic unit of the Pentateuch, and Hamilton provides useful commentary on overarching themes and connections between Old Testament texts. This second edition has been substantially revised and updated. The first edition sold over sixty thousand copies.

When Jean Louis Ska's Introduzione alla lettura del Pentateuco was first published in Italy, it was quickly hailed as the most attractive and usable introduction to the Pentateuch to appear in modern times. Because of its strengths, it was soon translated into French. The English translation published by Eisenbrauns has been completely reviewed and updated (including the bibliography) by Ska. Among the book's many strengths are its close attention to the ways in which modern cultural history has affected Pentateuchal interpretation, attention to providing the kinds of examples that are helpful to students, presentation of a good balance between the history of interpretation and the data of the text, and the clarity of Ska's writing. For both students and scholars, many consider this book the best contemporary introduction to the Pentateuch.

This study provides a straightforward introduction to the contents and themes of the first five books of the Bible. The author stresses the meaning of the Pentateuch in its canonical form while remaining sensitive to its literary merit, theological import, and compelling power.

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.

Tom Harlan brings his Oath of Empire series to a shattering conclusion in The Dark Lord. In what would be the 7th Century AD in our history, the Roman Empire still stands, supported by the twin pillars of the Legions and Thaumaturges of Rome. The Emperor of the West, the Augustus Galen Atreus, came to the aid of the Emperor of the East, the Avtokrator Heraclius, in his war with the Sassanad Emperor of Persia. But despite early victories, that war has not gone well, and now Rome is hard-pressed. Constantinople has fallen before the dark sorceries of the Lord Dahak and his legions of the living and dead. Now the new Emperor of Persia marches on Egypt, and if he takes that ancient nation, Rome will be starved and defeated. But there is a faint glimmer of hope. The Emperor Galen's brother Maxian is a great sorcerer, perhaps the equal of Dahak, lord of the seven serpents. He is now firmly allied with his Imperial brother and Rome. And though they are caught tight in the Dark Lord's net of sorcery, Queen Zoe of Palmyra and Lord Mohammed have not relinquished their souls to evil. Powerful, complex, engrossing --Thomas Harlan's Oath of Empire series has taken fantasy readers by storm. The first three volumes, The Shadow of Ararat, The Gate of Fire, and The Storm of Heaven have been universally praised. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The present volume contains a collection of articles from an international conference in Zürich that brought together leading voices from North America, Europe, and Israel to evaluate the present state of research on the composition of the Pentateuch. The aim of the conference was to clarify differences in methodology and to identify points of convergence in the present state of pentateuchal research as a basis for further discussion. "The essays in this volume provide important insights about the way toward a better understanding of the Pentateuch's literary development."Angela Roskop Erisman in Journal of the American Oriental Society 133.3 (2013), p. 551-553

In this latest addition to the Handbooks for Old Testament Exegesis series, Peter T. Vogt continues the tradition of excellence established by previous volumes. Divided into three parts, Interpreting the Pentateuch first provides an overview of the major themes of the Pentateuch. In the second part, Vogt offers resources and strategies for interpreting and understanding the first five books of the Bible by exploring its genres-law and narrative. Finally, Vogt shows that, although the Pentateuch is a collection of ancient texts, it still has contemporary significance. Vogt also includes two samples-one from law and one from narrative-of exegesis, giving students a start-to-finish example of the techniques he has illustrated for effective exegesis.

Danny Hodges became the senior pastor of a young church fellowship known as Calvary Chapel in St. Petersburg, Florida, in April of 1984. Three years later when he was introduced to Pastor Chuck Smith and the Calvary Chapel movement, he felt an immediate sense of being at home and was grateful to God for leading him to this network of churches that upheld a simple, biblical philosophy of ministry and well-balanced doctrine. Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg soon became a fellowship of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, and since that time God has steadily grown the ministry from a handful of mostly young single adults to a large church full of families. It has been exciting to see God's Spirit bring many to salvation through Jesus Christ, see lives change and mature in the Lord, see relationships bloom and grow, see ministries evolve and prosper, see a hunger for the Word of God and see a passionate desire to win the lost to Jesus. Pastor Danny and his wife, Wendy, consider it an honor to serve this growing body of believers together with their four children, Tanner, Hayden, Jairus and Audra.