This monograph is a literary study of the oracles against Babylon in Jeremiah chapters 50-51. They form the climax of the foreign oracle collection in the book of Jeremiah. Included are a survey of early scholarship on these chapters, a discussion of genres and motifs, verbal components, and a succinct survey of the historical context. However, the major emphasis is directed to the dynamic of these oracles as a literary creation with a message. That message is directed to Judah and Israel, who are urged to flee a doomed city with its idolatrous civilization, and to return to their homeland, to Jerusalem, to enter a permanent covenant with YHWH the God of their fathers. Throughout, the literature is discussed in its natural contexts: within the oracle collection in Jeremiah, in comparison with the Isaian oracles against Babylon, and within the canonical book of Jeremiah, demonstrating the climactic position of these oracles.

Offers a deeply informed take on a key Christian doctrine and its interpretation and relevance today.

In the pages of the Hebrew Bible, ancient Israel gave witness to its encounter with a profound and uncontrollable reality experienced through relationship. This book, drawn from the heart of foremost Old Testament theologian Walter Brueggemann's Theology of the Old Testament, distills a career's worth of insights into the core message of the Hebrew Bible. God is described there, Brueggemann observes, as engaging four "partners" in the divine purpose. This volume presents Brueggeman at his most engaging, offering profound insights tailored especially for the beginning student of the Hebrew Bible.

Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel share much in common. They address the pivotal times and topics associated with the last stages of the monarchical history of Israel, and with the development of new forms of communal and religious life through exile and beyond. One important structural component of all three books is a substantial section which concerns itself with a range of foreign nations, commonly called the “Oracles against the Nations”, which form the focus of this book. These chapters together present the most up-to-date scholarship on the oracles - an oft-neglected but significant area in the study of the prophetic literature. The particular characteristics of Isaiah, Jeremiah (both Masoretic Text and Septuagint versions), and Ezekiel, are discussed showcasing the unique issues pertinent to each book and the diverse methods used to address them. These evident differences aside, the Oracles Against the Nations are employed as a springboard in order to begin the work of tracing similarities between the texts. By focusing on these unique yet common sections, a range of interrelated themes and issues of both content and method become noticeable: for example, though not exhaustively, pattern, structure, language, comparative history, archaeology, sociology, politics, literature, imagery, theme, theology, and hermeneutical issues related to today's context. As a result this collection presents a range of cutting-edge approaches on these key prophetic books, and will provide a basis for further comparative study and reflection.

These essays explore the idea of the city in the Hebrew Bible by means of thematic and textual studies. The essays are united by their portrayal of how the city is envisaged in the Hebrew Bible and how the city shapes the writing of the literature considered. In its conceptual framework the volume draws upon a number of other disciplines, including literary studies, urban geography and psycho-linguistics, to present chapters that stimulate further discussion on the role of urbanism in the biblical text. The introduction examines how cities can be conceived and portrayed, before surveying recent studies on the city and the Hebrew Bible. Chapters then address such issues as the use of the Hebrew term for 'city', the rhythm of the city throughout the biblical text, as well as reflections on textual geography and the work of urban theorists in relation to the Song of Songs. Issues both ancient and modern, historical and literary, are addressed in this fascinating collection, which provides readers with a multi-faceted and interdisciplinary view of the city in the Hebrew Bible.

This volume in honour of Eep Talstra focusses on the function of tradition in the formation and reception of the Bible, and the role of the innovations brought about by ICT in reconsidering existing interpretations of texts, grammatical concepts, and lexicographic practices.