This book brings together some of the world's most exciting scholars from across a variety of disciplines to provide a concise and accessible guide to the Hebrew Bible. It covers every major genre of book in the Old Testament together with in-depth discussions of major themes such as human nature, covenant, creation, ethics, ritual and purity, sacred space, and monotheism.

Table of Contents

• Introduction - John Barton
• List of Contributors
• Part I. The Hebrew Bible in Its Historical and Social Context
• 1. The Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament - John Barton
• 2. The Historical Framework: Biblical and Scholarly Portrayals of the Past - Francesca Stavrakopoulou
• 3. The Social and Cultural History of Ancient Israel - Katherine Southwood
• 4. Israel in the Context of the Ancient Near East - Anthony J. Frendo
• Part II. Major Genres of Biblical Literature
• 5. The Narrative Books of the Hebrew Bible - Thomas Römer
• 6. The Prophetic Literature - R. G. Kratz
• 7. Legal Texts - Assnat Bartor
• 8. The Wisdom Literature - Jennie Grillo
• 9. The Psalms and Poems of the Hebrew Bible - Susan Gillingham
• Part III. Major Religious Themes
• 10. Monotheism - Benjamin D. Sommer
• 11. Creation: God and World - Hermann Spieckermann
• 12. The Human Condition - Hilary Marlow
• 13. God's Covenants with Humanity and Israel- Dominik Markl
• 14. Ethics - C. L. Crouch
• 15. Religious Space and Structures - Stephen C. Russell
• 16. Ritual: Diet, Purity, and Sacrifice - Seth D. Kunin
• Part IV. The Study and Reception of the Hebrew Bible
• 17. Reception of the Old Testament - Alison Gray
• 18. Historical-Critical Inquiry - Christoph Bultmann
• 19. Literary Approaches - David Jasper
• 20. Theological Approaches to the Old Testament - R.W.L. Moberly
• 21. Political and Advocacy Approaches - Eryl W. Davies
• 22. Textual Criticism and Biblical Translation - Carmel McCarthy
• 23. To Map or Not to Map?: A Biblical Dilemma - Adrian Curtis
• Index of Scripture
• Index of Modern Authors