The analysis of metaphors constitutes an ideal point of entry into the exegesis of Biblical Hebrew poetic texts because it forces the exegete to examine the said text from a variety of perspectives. How can one discern the presence of metaphorical speech? What are the various types of metaphorical speech available to and employed by the biblical poet? How does the structure of a piece of Hebrew poetry carry its metaphorical dimensions? How did the biblical poet make use of the various types of metaphor and to what end? Can we ultimately gain access to the poet's meaning? The present study endeavours to provide at least a partial answer to these questions. In maintaining focus on the biblical text, moreover, the author hopes to anchor some of the abstractions of metaphorical theory with chosen examples taken from the so-called 'Apocalypse of Isaiah'. The Hebrew prophets constitute fertile ground in their use of metaphorical language for speaking the unspeakable, especially concerning the relationship between the people and God.

The complex and, at times, violent metaphorical discourse of Hosea 2 has elicited a variety of interpretive approaches. This study explores the text from the perspective of rhetorical criticism. The classical conception of rhetoric as the art of persuasion and the function of metaphor within persuasive discourses and social settings correlate with the oracular characteristics of Hosea 2 and illuminate its use of specific metaphors. A reading of Hosea 2 from this perspective proposes that the prophets of Israel may have functioned in a manner similar to the orators of ancient Greece, who delivered extended rhetorical discourses designed to discern meaning in contemporary events and to persuade audiences. This study offers a distinctively political reading of Hosea 2 that explores the text as a metaphorical and theological commentary on the political and religious dynamics in Israel at the close of the Syro-Ephraimitic War (731-730 BCE). "Paperback edition is available from the Society of Biblical Literature (www.sbl-site.org)"

This work assembles contributions from North America's leading Hebrew Bible/Old Testament scholars in honor of a highly respected biblical scholar, whose work on biblical prophets has been especially influential. Within the list are former teachers, current colleagues, and former students who are now colleagues in their own right, representing a wide range of denominational traditions represented-Roman Catholics, Lutheran, Episcopal, Presbyterian, etc. The book is divided into major two sections with a brief introduction by the editors, John Ahn and the Stephen Cook. Here, a brief biography and the academic career of Robert Wilson's contribution to the guild (with a bibliography at the end of this section) and more over, at a personal level, his ceaseless work in helping to transform and reform the "new" Yale Divinity School and his impact in molding the Ph.D. program in HB/OT in the Religious Studies Department of the Graduate School at Yale University. Part I hold the essays on the Former Prophets and Part II on the Latter Prophets.

In the first of four volumes on A History of the Jews and Judaism in the Second Temple Period, Lester Grabbe presents a comprehensive history of Yehud - the Aramaic name for Judah - during the Persian Period. Among the many crucial questions he addresses are: What are the sources for this period and how do we evaluate them? And how do we make them 'speak' to us through the fog of centuries? This first volume, Yehud: A History of the Persian Province of Judah offers the most up to date and comprehensive examination of the political and administrative structures; the society and economy; the religion, temple and cult; the developments in thought and literature; and the major political events of Judah at the time.

This book offers unique insights into the Psalms and sketches a variety of interpretive possibilities. The exposition of Psalm texts against the background of their different historical and/or cultic settings in the ancient Near East sets a firm basis for their reapplication in the liturgy today. In the history of interpretation the Psalms have also proven themselves to be natural texts for liturgical use. This scholarly effort thus portrays in various ways the importance of the Psalms for their reviving interpretation and application in the liturgy. Contributors include: Marcel Bernhard, Georg P. Braulik, Brian Doyle, Alphonso Groenewald, Dirk J. Human, Jorg Jeremias, Louis C. Joner, Jurie H. le Roux, Eckhart Otto, Nick A. Schuman, Stephanus D. Snyman, Hans-Ulrich Steymans, Pieter M. Venler and Cas J.A. Vos. JSOTS 410

Katerina Koci charts the development of the promised land motif, starting from its biblical roots and examining its reception over the centuries until the present day. As her cornerstone, Koci uses Hans-Georg Gadamer's claim that there are two complementary paths towards understanding and knowledge: science and art. Thus, to be faithful to the creed of the great hermeneutist, Koci ventures into both topics, arguing that while science sets out historical-critical analysis of the promised land motif in the Hebrew Bible and its later receptions, art enriches the interpretation with its literary illustrations. This volume places particular focus on American contexts, since the concept of the promised land is so deeply intertwined with American religious-political mythologies, and with the art of John Steinbeck and Walter Brueggemann in particular. By discussing artistic interpretation in biblical hermeneutics, the context and reception of Genesis 15.7 and Exodus 3.8 in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, and the history of the promised land motif and its interpretations, Koci argues that artistic receptions of biblical motifs are crucial for biblical scholarship in opening new hermeneutical and thematical horizons.

This book originated in the Donatio Universitatis Carolinae award and research support that Professor Petr Pokorný received in 2017. It was envisioned, designed, and originally conducted as a project exploring the biblical roots of Christian culture. Experts in various theological and philosophical disciplines, both from the Czech Republic and abroad, were to probe this topic from their particular perspectives. The hoped-for output was to be a coherent collective study of the proposed topic. However, due to the unexpected passing away of Prof. Pokorný in early 2020, the project could not be executed according to the original plan. Rather than a collective monograph, therefore, the present book is a collection of essays that investigate various aspects of the Bible and Christianity in their relation to culture as a broad human phenomenon. The book is divided into two sections. While the first section focuses on particular issues in the Bible, the second addresses historical, philosophical, and cultural developments. As Petr Pokorný was actively and importantly involved in the initial stages of the project, two essays are written by him personally. The whole book, then, is dedicated in his honor.

In Psalm 18 in Words and Pictures: A Reading Through Metaphor, Alison Gray engages in an in-depth study of the figurative language of Psalm 18, demonstrating the necessity of a dynamic approach to metaphor interpretation within a given textual unit. As one of the longest and most elaborate in the Hebrew Bible, Psalm 18 provides fertile soil for studying the interplay between words and images. While previous studies of the Psalm have focused on questions of form, structure, or unity - as well the relation to its Doppeltext of 2 Samuel 22 - Alison Gray explores the ways in which a metaphor-oriented hermeneutic enriches the psalm’s translation and exegesis.

The rise of China as a superpower and of Chinese Christians as vital members of the global church mean that world Christianity would be a dynamic transformation and bountiful blessing to the world by engaging with Chinese biblical interpretations among global theologies. This book, a twentieth-anniversary revised and expanded edition, includes studies that range from exploration of the philosophical structure of Eastern culture to present-day sociopolitical realities in Malaysia and China—all in support of cross-cultural methods of reading the Bible culturally and reading the cultures biblically.

Recent advances in cognitive linguistics provide new avenues for reading and interpreting Biblical Hebrew prophetic text. This volume utilises a multi-layered cognitive linguistics approach to explore Jeremiah 1:1-6:30, incorporating insights from cognitive grammar, cognitive science and conceptual blending theory. While the modern reader is separated from the originators of these texts by time, space and culture, this analysis rests on the theory that both the originators and the modern reader share common features of embodied experience. This opens the way for utilising cognitive models, conceptual metaphor and mental spaces theory when reading and interpreting ancient texts. This volume provides an introduction to cognitive theory and method. Initially, short examples from Jeremiah 1:1-6:30 are used to introduce the theory and method. This is followed by a detailed comparison of traditional and cognitive approaches to Biblical Hebrew grammar. These insights are then applied to further examples taken from Jeremiah 1:1-6:30 in order to test and refine the approach. These findings show that Jeremiah 1:1-1:3 establishes perspective for the text as a whole and that subsequent shifts in perspective may be tracked using aspects of mental spaces theory. Much of the textual content yields to concepts derived from conceptual metaphor studies and from conceptual blending theory, which are introduced and explained using examples taken from Jeremiah 1:1-6:30. The entire analysis demonstrates some of the strengths and weaknesses of using recent cognitive theories and methods for analysing and interpreting ancient texts. While such theories and methods do not obviate the need for traditional interpretive methods, they do provide a more nuanced understanding of the ancient text.