As in the widely popular earlier editions, the latest revision of this comprehensive and systematic text approaches the Bible from a literary/historical perspective, studying it as a body of writing produced by real people who intended to convey messages to actual audiences. Avoiding assessments of the Bible's truth or authority, the authors maintain a rigorously objective tone as they discuss such major issues as the forms and strategies of biblical writing, its actual historical and physical settings, the process of canon formation, and the nature of biblical genres including prophecy, apocalypse, and gospel. The fifth edition features a new coauthor, David Citino; a new chapter by contributor Nicola Denzey on the essential yet often overlooked role of women in the Bible; and a new appendix on modern approaches to the Bible. It also incorporates new maps, a timeline, updated bibliographies, and revised material throughout. This objective, easy-to-use, and exciting presentation of the Bible is indispensable to students and accessible to general readers.

To the Reader; 1. The Bible as Literature; 2. Literary Forms and Strategies in the Bible; 3. Ancient Near Eastern Literature and the Bible; 4. The Bible and History; 5. The Physical Setting of the Bible; 6. The Formation of the Canon; 7. The Composition of the Pentateuch; 8. The Prophetic Writings; 9. The Wisdom Literature; 10. The Apocalyptic Literature; 11. Judaism in the Intertestamental Period; 12. The Hellenistic Background of the New Testament; 13. Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha: The Outside Books; 14. The Gospels; 15. Acts and the Letters; 16. The Text of the Bible; 17. Translating the Bible; 18. The Religious Use and Interpretation of the Bible; 19. Women and the Bible; Appendix 1: The Name of Israel's God; Appendix 2: Writing in Biblical Times; Appendix 3: Palestine in the Intertestamental Period; Appendix 4: Varieties of Biblical Criticism; Glossary of Literary Terms; Timeline: 1000 B.C.E.-1611 C.E.; Maps; Index

Gabel

"The Bible as Literature is quite broad in its approach and unique in its scope. I haven't found the same breadth in other recent introductions to the Bible as literature. [It is] concise but thorough, an excellent introduction."--Annalisa Azzoni, Vanderbilt University