Biblical Studies
Biblical Studies is the collection of sub-fields that investigates the text of the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament. It is also includes broader academic sub-fields that incorporate relevant disciplines such as literary criticism, theology, textual criticism, history, and liturgy. The Gorgias Biblical Studies series publishes monographs on the history, theology, redaction and literary criticism of the biblical texts. Perspectives on Hebrew Scriptures and its Contexts deals with the study of the Hebrew Bible and Biblical Hebrew and cognate languages. Biblical Intersections explores various topics beyond theological or exclusively historical exegetical studies, including the relationship of Hebrew and Christian scripture to philosophy, sociology, anthropology, economics, cultural studies, intertextuality and literary studies.
The Sub-Loco Notes in the Former Prophets of Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia
Series: Texts and Studies (Third Series) 12
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0531-7
In BHS’s Masoretic apparatus, certain Masorah parva notes are marked “sub loco” in order to refer the reader to the corresponding commentary that was to be found in the third volume of Massorah Gedolah. Due to Weil’s passing, however, this commentary was never realized. This volume builds on Mynatt’s 1994 analysis and classification of the Pentateuch’s 297 sub loco notes by incorporating the Aleppo and Cairo Codices. Dost evaluates all 451 sub loco notes in the corpus of the Former Prophets, and evaluates Weil’s contribution by comparing Weil's revision of the Leningrad Codex’s Masorah against the Masorah of the Aleppo Codex.
$195.00
New Studies in the Book of Isaiah
Essays in Honor of Hallvard Hagelia
Edited by Markus Zehnder
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0356-6
This volume contains twelve articles that shed new light on the Book of Isaiah, covering a wide array of historical, linguistic and theological topics. The various aspects of God’s intervention at different points of human history is a main focus of the studies. The collection is marked by a broad diversity in approaches and theological background, and is a useful tool especially for scholars, students and pastors.
$157.00
The Armenian Prayers attributed to Ephrem the Syrian
Edited and Translated by Edward G Mathews Jr
Series: Texts from Christian Late Antiquity 36
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0262-0
Armenian text of the Prayers attributed to Ephrem the Syrian, with the first-ever translation into a western language. Utilizing a highly developed poetic rhythm, the author manifests a profound spirituality laying his own emptiness before the inexhaustible Mercy of God.
$53.00
"Blessed is He who has brought Adam from Sheol" (paperback)
Christ's Descent to the Dead in the Theology of Saint Ephrem the Syrian
Managing Editor Joseph Knanishu
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0267-5
Buchan’s work is an examination of the theological use of the doctrine of Christ's descent to the dead in the works of Saint Ephrem the Syrian (ca. 306-373 C.E.). Ephrem's conception of Christ's descent to Sheol provides us with an important and distinctive vision of the significance of this salvific event. Ephrem's use of Semitic and non-Western poetic forms and structures as a mode of theological discourse, coupled with his preference for imagery and symbolism rather than definition, resulted in a variety of vivid depictions of Christ's descent to Sheol. The doctrine is shown to be an integral and multifaceted component of Ephrem's theology.
$128.00
"YHWH Fights for Them!"
The Divine Warrior in the Exodus Narrative
Series: Gorgias Biblical Studies 58
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0271-2
The divine warrior is an important motif in the Old Testament, leading many to study profitably the motif in its most prominent manifestations in poetic texts. This study builds on that foundation by examining the divine warrior in detail in the exodus narrative to construct a broader picture of the motif in the Old Testament.
$164.00
Jacob of Sarug’s Homilies on Jesus' Temptation
Edited and Translated by Adam Carter McCollum
Series: Texts from Christian Late Antiquity 38
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0285-9
This volume presents, with introduction and annotations, two metrical homilies (Bedjan nos. 82, 126) of Jacob of Sarug in which he reflects on the Temptation of Jesus as combat between Satan and Jesus, the latter emerging as the humble victor.
$47.00
"I will be King over you!"
The Rhetoric of Divine Kingship in the Book of Ezekiel
Series: Gorgias Biblical Studies 59
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0286-6
This book examines various rhetorical ways in which the motif of Yahweh’s Kingship functions in the Book of Ezekiel and explores what these arguments contribute to our understanding of the prophetic book as a whole.
$168.00
Central Sanctuary and Centralization of Worship in Ancient Israel
From the Settlement to the Building of Solomon's Temple
Series: Gorgias Near Eastern Studies 6
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0368-9
This book provides the first major reinvestigation and reinterpretation of the history of centralization of worship in ancient Israel since de Wette and Wellhausen in the nineteenth century. Old Testament scholarship has thus far relied on the consensus that the book of Deuteronomy is the product of late monarchic Judah (7th century BC). Pitkänen places the biblical material in its archaeological and ancient Near Eastern context and pays special attention to rhetorical analysis. The author suggests that the book of Joshua, as well as its sources (such as Deuteronomy) may have originated as early as before the disaster of Aphek and the rejection of Shiloh.
$127.00
Wisdom at Qumran
A Form-Critical Analysis of the Admonitions in 4QInstruction
Series: Gorgias Biblical Studies 3
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0369-6
This study provides background on wisdom forms, the key Qumran sectarian texts, and wisdom studies related to the Dead Sea Scrolls. 4QInstruction includes poetic discourses, hymnic material, and short wisdom sayings and admonitions. A major focus is placed on the admonitions, which are discussed in terms of their structure, wisdom forms, and setting. The admonitions are expressed in biblical wisdom forms, showing a familiarity with and acceptance of traditional Hebrew wisdom, including a focus on traditional themes. Yet, when read from the sectarian perspective, 4QInstruction reinforces the guidelines and theology of the key Dead Sea Scroll documents.
$114.00
Moses, David and the High Kingship of Yahweh
A Canonical Study of Book IV of the Psalter
Series: Gorgias Biblical Studies 55
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0370-2
Has the Old Testament Psalter been purposefully arranged? Does this arrangement convey an overall message? This book enters into the growing discussion regarding the canonical arrangement of the Psalms by examining Book IV (Pss 90-106) and considering the book's overall theological and thematic message within the literary context of the Psalter. This volume argues that Psalms 90-106 have been purposely arranged as a rejoinder to the previous three books, in response to the rise and fall of Davidic kingship. This hypothesis is tested by examining how Psalms 90-106 may have been purposely organized as a collection.
$122.00
A Redaction History of the Pentateuch Targums
Genesis 1:26–27 in the Exegetical Context of Formative Judaism
Series: Gorgias Biblical Studies 53
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0371-9
This volume combines Targum studies with Judaic studies. The author assigns different Targums each to a respective particular “Sitz im Leben”, stressing the close connection between Targum and Midrash literature. She challenges the assumption that all extant Targums were compiled for the Synagogue. Instead, she suggests that Targum Onqelos might have fulfilled a function in the context of the early beth din and demonstrates that Pseudo-Jonathan can be linked with the rhetorical practices which abounded in later amoraic, educational circles.
$105.00
Scepticism and Ironic Correlations in the Joy Statements of Qoheleth?
Series: Gorgias Biblical Studies 44
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0372-6
This book is a response to the popular counter-reading of Ecclesiastes in the 1980s and 90s as a book of “joy” (rather than a pessimistic book). It examines the seven “joy statements” of Qoheleth in the light of analogies with scepticism and the literary form of irony. Irony, like scepticism, has the function to induce doubt and questions. The joy statements of Qoheleth are likely analogous to expressions of complex irony—whereby what is said is both meant and not meant. This examination highlights the complexity of the biblical book—while demonstrating how unlikely the “joy reading” may be.
$80.00
Between Law and Narrative
The Method and Function of Abstraction
Series: Gorgias Biblical Studies 51
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0373-3
Aside from being the content of speeches by characters in narrative, how do passages of laws in the Pentateuch interact with the surrounding narratives? This book proposes that certain passages of law in Leviticus and Numbers offer direction for the interpretation of adjacent segments of narrative. This 'direction' may serve to emphasize select themes and concepts in narrative. Alternatively, it may misdirect readers, or suggest alternative options to more accessible interpretations for a stretch of narrative.
$108.00
Drought, Famine, Plague and Pestilence
Ancient Israel’s Understandings of and Responses to Natural Catastrophes
Series: Gorgias Biblical Studies 45
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0374-0
This interdisciplinary study integrates textual analysis of the Hebrew Bible and comparable ancient Near Eastern material with social theory and archaeology in order to articulate the ancient Israelites' taken-for-granted understandings of natural disasters, their intellectual and theological challenges to those understandings, and their intellectual and theological reconstructions thereof.
$80.00
Speaking on the Brink of Sheol
Form and Message of Old Testament Death Stories
By Bryan Howard Cribb; Foreword by Daniel I. Block
Series: Gorgias Biblical Studies 43
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0375-7
Since its inception at the beginning of the twentieth century, form criticism has diminished in popularity and use in recent years. Bryan H. Cribb’s studies demonstrates that, if appropriately modified, form criticism still has much to add to Old Testament studies. Using a synchronic and inductive approach to the text, Cribb engages in a form critical study of nine “death stories” in the Old Testament. In so doing, he not only provides substantial support for the existence of this genre, but he also shows how remarkably fruitful such a study can be in revealing the messages of these accounts.
$118.00
The Dialogues of Jeremiah
Toward a Phenomenology of Exile
Series: Gorgias Biblical Studies 38
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0376-4
An emerging consensus maintains that the exile was not as extensive as the Old Testament claims. However, that it held singular importance for the book of Jeremiah is beyond question. Modine argues that Jeremiah represents a range of options for understanding and responding to the events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. This volume reads the diverse contents of Jeremiah as a kind of dialogue between competing perceptions of the exile. The author argues that coherence is to be found precisely in the incoherent, as it reflects the communal trauma of exile.
$106.00
Abortion and the Apostolate
A Study in Pauline Conversion, Rhetoric, and Scholarship
Series: Gorgias Biblical Studies 42
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0377-1
This book argues that it is the rejection of Paul’s claims to be an apostle in the same sense as the other apostles that ultimately underlies his “mission to the Gentiles.” This argument is advanced through a careful analysis of Paul’s references to his “conversion” in Galatians 1:15-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:8, paying particular attention to Paul’s evocative use of the language of abortion. The contextualization of this curious self-description in 1 Corinthians 15:8 draws upon a growing body of work concerning an area of ancient life that continues to fascinate and perplex moderns; the exposure of unwanted infants.
$93.00
The Seven Messages of Revelation and Vassal Treaties
Literary Genre, Structure, and Function
Series: Gorgias Biblical Studies 41
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0378-8
This book argues that the genre of the seven messages in Revelation 2–3 is a hybrid prophetic oracle. This oracle is influenced by the Old Testament covenantal elements functioning as a set of lawsuit exhortations. Graves defends this by demonstrating the influence of the Ancient Near Eastern vassal treaty structure in the seven messages. Written in a readable format this work is both an excellent introduction to the book of Revelation as well as a fitting work for the apocalyptic specialist.
$145.00
The Coups of Hazael and Jehu
Building an Historical Narrative
Series: Gorgias Biblical Studies 37
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0379-5
The Coups of Hazael and Jehu offers a narrative reconstruction of the events surrounding the rise of Hazael to the throne of Aram-Damascus and Jehu to the throne of Israel in the mid-eighth century. These near-simultaneous dynastic changes were parts of a major shift in the political, military, and economic structure of the Levant, which took place as the mighty armies of Assyria pushed into the region. The book argues that Jehu’s bloody overthrow of Joram and Hazael’s irregular seizure of power after the death of his predecessor were not independent events, but responses to the Assyrian threat.
$77.00
A Call to Covenant Love
Text Grammar and Literary Structure in Deuteronomy 5–11
Series: Gorgias Biblical Studies 30
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0380-1
Profound in its conclusions and targeted toward the exegete, this volume offers a clear method for establishing flow of thought, text hierarchy, and literary macrostructure in biblical Hebrew prose. The study contributes both to hermeneutical theory and to the study of Deuteronomy by arguing for the application of discourse linguistics alongside stylistic and semantic analysis in the interpretation of OT texts. It includes a brief literary-structural and theological commentary on Deuteronomy 5–11 that models the text grammatical approach and shows its benefits for exegesis.
$133.00
Exegesis in the Targum of Psalms
The Old, the New, and the Rewritten
Series: Gorgias Biblical Studies 28
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0381-8
This volume illustrates how Targum Psalms creatively interprets selected psalms and how those interpretations relate to other Jewish and Christian traditions, including early translations of the psalms, rabbinic Midrashim, the New Testament and early Church Fathers. The study of these Psalms suggests viewing Targum Psalms as a creative partner in the world of biblical interpretation, as opposed to a compilation of already existing midrashic material. Edwards portrays the Targum as a link between the written and oral Torah that leads its readers on a path to tradition.
$101.00
Standing At Lyon
An Examination of the Martyrdom of Blandina of Lyon
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0384-9
The suffering woman, Blandina, emerges as an archetypal figure of the martyrs of Lyon. This slave-woman ultimately arises to engage in battle with the powers of the Roman Empire. Through the application of Bowen Family Systems Theory and the writings of Michel Foucault the book explains the function of anxiety, and the dynamics at work in the system that result in the failure of Roman authority to use power to quell the rise of Christianity. The reactions of those who might appear to be the most powerful are essential in gifting power to this lowly slave.
$75.00
The Mark of Cain and the Jews
Augustine’s Theology of Jews and Judaism
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0385-6
This book examines the development of Augustine of Hippo’s theology of the Jewish people and Judaism. Formulating a typological association between the biblical figure of Cain and the Jews, he crafts a highly intricate theology that justifies and even demands the continuing presence of Jews and their religious practices in a Christian society. Such a theology emerges out of his highly original interpretation of Genesis 4:1–15 and yet mirrors and theologically justifies the reality of Jews and Judaism in the late Roman Empire.
$81.00
Aphrahat the Persian Sage and the Temple of God
A Study of Early Syriac Theological Anthropology
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0386-3
Aphrahat the Persian Sage, (fl. 337-345 C.E.), was a Syriac Christian author who wrote twenty-three treatises entitled The Demonstrations. This book examines “temple” as a key image for Aphrahat’s theological anthropology. The temple is central for both Jews and Christians; it is the place of sacrifice, meeting, and communication with the Divine. For Aphrahat, the devout Christian person may be a micro-temple which then allows one to encounter the divine both within oneself and through a vision ascent to the heavenly temple.
$91.00
St. Cyril of Alexandria, A New Testament Exegete
His Commentary on the Gospel of John
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0387-0
This study portrays Cyril of Alexandria as exegete and theologian through an examination of his Commentary on the Gospel John. It begins with an attempt to place Cyril and his commentary within their context. This work argues that Cyril wrote his Commentary on the Gospel of John early in his writing career, almost a decade before becoming bishop. Cyril’s commentary on the Johannine Gospel reveals his exegetical method and his strong Trinitarian theology. The commentary also focuses on the nature and work of the Holy Spirit: the indwelling of the Spirit is the beginning of the newness of life.
$117.00
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