Biblical Studies

The Book of the Dove is the ascetical guide composed by Bar-Hebraeus for aspiring hermits. It concerns the training of the body and the soul for ascetical life. The spiritual rest of the perfect is also described, along with a spiritual autobiography of Bar-Hebraeus himself.

This essay on the history of how the Hebrew Bible was considered during the Reformation period takes the reader into areas largely unexplored. In addition to the Bible, the Kabala is brought into the discussion. Box traces the development up to the advent of the critical study of the Bible which continued to be controversial when his study was published.

Selected from the essays of the influential volume “The Legacy of Israel,” the three contributions in this volume explore early and later Jewish influence on Christianity. Written by F. C. Burkitt, A. Meillet, and L. Magnus, the articles consider the patristic period and modern European literary usage of Hebrew scripture and tradition.

The Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage (GEDSH) is the first major encyclopedia-type reference work devoted exclusively to Syriac Christianity, both as a field of scholarly inquiry and as the inheritance of Syriac Christians today. In more than 600 entries it covers the Syriac heritage from its beginnings in the first centuries of the Common Era up to the present day. Special attention is given to authors, literary works, scholars, and locations that are associated with the Classical Syriac tradition. Within this tradition, the diversity of Syriac Christianity is highlighted as well as Syriac Christianity’s broader literary and historical contexts, with major entries devoted to Greek and Arabic authors and more general themes, such as Syriac Christianity’s contacts with Judaism and Islam, and with Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian, and Georgian Christianities.

Liddon’s lectures on the divinity of Christ stand as one of the hallmarks of nineteenth century English churchmanship. Following the trajectory of the Bible itself, Liddon considers the testimony of the Old and New Testaments, as well as the Ecumenical Councils, in his lectures on the nature of Christ’s divinity.

Textual evidence regarding the ancient Near Eastern goddess Ishtar is carefully cataloged, transliterated and translated. This is a great resource for anyone interested in the languages and religions of the ancient Near East or Biblical Literature.

A winning combination of two historical grammars, this volume includes both Kautzsch’s edition of Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar and Davidson’s Hebrew Syntax. Together these classic Hebrew resources will be of interest to serious students of Hebrew grammar and those interested in the history of grammatical studies of the language.

Oppenheim’s foundational study on dreams and their interpretation in the Ancient Near East has long been a standard text for those interested in the role of dreams in the ancient world. With a new introduction by Scott Noegel, this edition presents the complete original study along with its photographs, as well as insights concerning how the book has fared over the past fifty years.

This edition of Mar Jacob of Sarug's (d. 521) homily on Epiphany discusses John the Baptist's role in washing the church, the bride of Christ, preparing and sanctifying her for the Bridegroom. The volume constitutes a fascicle of The Metrical Homilies of Mar Jacob of Sarug, which, when complete, will contain the original Syriac text of Jacob's surviving sermons, fully vocalized, alongside an annotated English translation.

This edition of Mar Jacob of Sarug's (d. 521) homily for Palm Sunday discusses Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. The homily admonishes the hearers to perceive the benevolence of the divine self-abasement and recognize the Mighty One on the humble streets of Jerusalem. The volume constitutes a fascicle of The Metrical Homilies of Mar Jacob of Sarug, which, when complete, will contain the original Syriac text of Jacob's surviving sermons, fully vocalized, alongside an annotated English translation.

Originally published as the Hibbert Lectures of 1887, this series of essays covers more than the title suggests. The work of an early explorer of Assyriology, this book traces many of the more familiar motifs and themes from ancient religion back to the ancient Babylonians.

This study explores the Emperor Julian's actions in regards to the Jews, especially his advances toward rebuilding the Jewish Temple. It offers the reader an insight into an aspect of Julian’s reign not often examined by Christian historians.

Kaplan’s inaugural study of the psychological basis of prophecy is a landmark in the history of prophetic exploration. Setting the standard for future studies of the prophets, this remarkable book covers the various conceptions of prophets and their attendant phenomena of premonition, revelation, dreams, visions, ecstasy, and inspiration.

A compelling discussion of the origins and authorship of the Odes of Solomon, this work provides great insight into the person of Bar Daysan as well as the research surrounding the text of the Odes of Solomon.

Murray’s study of the covenant theme begins with a chronological survey of the concept, beginning at the creation itself. He traces this theme through the Bible, noting its key components of justice and peace. The concept is a shared one between Judaism and Christianity, and Murray suggests that it continues to have ecological as well as spiritual relevance to the world today.

This volume contains contributions, in English and Hebrew, on the following topics: Biblical criticism, Medieval Biblical lexicography, Classical and Post-Classical piyyut, Medieval Hebrew poetry and science, Judeo-Arabic poetry and epistolography, Classical Arabic poetry and prose, and the history of Jewish Studies in America.

This title explores the implications of the Descent of Christ in the twenty-third Ode in regards to astrology and Gnostic thought and supports the thesis of the author’s earlier work that the Odes emerged from a Judaeo-Christian, Mesopotamian setting.

Epiphanius, the great fourth century heresiographer, included in his discussion of the Valentinians an excerpt from a manuscript, of which Newbold here provides the Greek text and the Syriac original, along with his translation, textual notes and commentary.

Reviewing the relevant Jewish and Christian literature the author demonstrates that though there is no mandate for ascetic practice within early Judaism, there is a deep respect there for an ascetic way of life.

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.

This work is concerned primarily with the treatment of the demonic within early Christian literature, but also incorporates evidence from various other world religions, especially early Judaism and paganism.

A comparative work on the nature and various roles of the lesser deities, the so-called angels, in the Ugaritic texts and the Hebrew Bible. Sang Youl Cho insists on the necessity for a comparative study between the two religious literatures from Ugarit and ancient Israel. The present study is interested in their membership in the heavenly council, their kinship among the deities, and their roles such as messengers, warriors, mediators, or servants, which have numerous similarities in the Ugaritic texts and the Old Testament.

An excellent translation follows a critical essay, which argues that the Christian elements of the text do not point to a Christian author, but rather indicate that this work is a Christian recension of a Graeco-Jewish original.

Casey’s survey reveals not only his adept insights into Clement’s thought but also the great breadth of his knowledge of the Greek philosophers and the early Jewish and Christian theologians in the Roman Empire.

In this book the Syriac texts along with translations of the tales of the martyrs themselves as well as the miraculous deliverance of Euphemia are introduced by Professor Burkitt with a commentary focusing on the historicity of the different accounts.