"A revision and expansion of the first chapter in Louis Finkelstein's The Jews: their history, culture and religion." Includes bibliographical references.

The Knowing the Bible series is a resource designed to help Bible readers better understand and apply God's Word. These 12-week studies lead participants through books of the Bible and are made up of four basic components: (1) reflection questions help readers engage the text at a deeper level; (2) "Gospel Glimpses" highlight the gospel of grace throughout the book; (3) "Whole-Bible Connections" show how any given passage connects to the Bible's overarching story of redemption, culminating in Christ; and (4) "Theological Soundings" identify how historic orthodox doctrines are taught or reinforced throughout Scripture. With contributions from an array of influential pastors and church leaders, these gospel-centered studies will help Christians see and cherish the message of God's grace on every page of the Bible. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah tell of God's steadfast love toward Israel after their return from exile. The Lord rasied up Ezra and Nehemiah to reestablish the nation by rebuilding the temple and city walls and by turning the people back to his Word. In this 12-week study, Kathleen Nielson shows readers God's mercy and faithfulness demonstrated in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, encouraging Christians toward sincere repentance and persevering hope. Part of the Knowing the Bible series.

This profusely illustrated book is doubly valuable! It introduces the reader to both the content of the Bible and to the life, faith, and history of ancient Israel, early Judasim, and early Christianity.

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.

From Abraham to Paul provides a readable presentation of factual information and responsible conclusions about this basic feature of biblical research.

Ezra and Nehemiah record the exciting drama of the restoration of the Jews to their land following Babylonian captivity. The restoration period offered the Israelites a unique opportunity to re-establish the Temple, worship institutions, and the city of Jerusalem on lasting spiritual foundations. But that period also brought the recently returned exiles into great temptation and potential disaster. The biblical record of the three returns of the Jews from Babylon provide not only a history of the restoration, but also many spiritual lessons concerning God's faithfulness, Satan's strategy, and the importance of separation from sin. Dr. Laney presents a synthesis of the restoration period and discusses the interpretive, historical, geographical, and theological issues involved in these often-neglected but spiritually-rich books.

New edition to the popular Old Testament for Everyone series

Ezra and the Second Wilderness addresses the relationship between Ezra, the Ezra Memoir, and the Pentateuch. Tracing the growth of the Ezra Memoir and its incorporation into Ezra-Nehemiah, Philip Y. Yoo discusses the literary strategies utilized by some of the composers and redactors operating in the post-exilic period. After the strata in Ezra 7-10 and Nehemiah 8-10 are identified, what emerges as the base Ezra Memoir is a coherent account of Ezra's leadership of the exiles from Babylon over the course of a single year, one that is intricately modelled on the multiple presentations of Moses and the Israelite wilderness preserved in the Pentateuch. Through discussion of the detected influences, allusions, and omissions between the Pentateuch and the Ezra Memoir, Yoo shows that the Ezra Memoir demonstrates a close understanding of its source materials and received traditions as it constructs the Babylonian returnees as the inheritors of torah and, in turn, the true and unparalleled successors of the Israelite cult. This study presents the Ezra Memoir as a sophisticated example of 'biblical' interpretation in the Second Temple period. It also suggests that the Ezra Memoir has access to the Pentateuch in only its constituent parts. Acknowledging not only the antiquity but also efficacy of its prototypes, the Ezra Memoir employs a variety of hermeneutical strategies in order to harmonize the competing claims of its authoritative sources. In closing the temporal gap between these sources and its own contemporary time, the Ezra Memoir grants authority to the utopic past yet also projects its own vision for the proper worship of Israel's deity.