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 | | The Bible and the Ancient Near East by Cyrus H. Gordon, Gary A. Rendsburg ISBN-10: 9780393316896 ISBN-10: 0-393-31689-0 ISBN-13: 9780393316896 ISBN-13: 978-0-393-31689-6 Paperback 1998-02 W. W. Norton & Company Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description This up-to-date revision of a classic work draws on the latest archaeological and linguistic research to fill in the historical realities behind the great stories of the Bible. This account of the historical context for the Hebrew Bible explores the diverse origins of such stories as the creation and the flood in the cultures of the ancient Near East. The authors show the striking parallels in the foundational stories told in the Egyptian, Persian, Greek, and Hebrew cultures of the time. | ||
Reviews | ||
not up-to-date, narrow-minded It is not up-to-date. It shows a very narrow perspective, a narrow-minded book. It could be used for nationalist propaganda against all archaeological and traditional evidence. | ||
Must Read Book for Both Christians and Bible critics This book is a classic, first published in 1953, but fortunately it continues to be updated, up to 1997 (4th ed). The authors succinctly cover a huge expanse of time and geography while putting it all in perspective and context so that you learn not only about the Bible but about world history in general. The authors respect not only the Biblical text, but all the ancient texts (see footnote on p. 117), unlike "higher critics" who seem to assume all the ancient writers (especially Bible authors) were either pathological liars or bumbling fools. Some reviewers (see below) have criticized the book for taking the Bible too seriously, while some Christians may feel it doesn't take the Bible (e.g., Bible chronologies) seriously enough. Overall, though, it seems pretty well balanced - an excellent, scholarly look at Old Testament times from all angles! My only complaint is that, given the enormous amount of time, ancient texts, people, places, and archaeology covered by the book, it can't be longer. That, nonetheless, is what makes it an excellent book for readers who don't want too much detail. Hopefully, the publishers will continue to revise and expand this book in the future. | ||
Enlightening, incredible, breath-taking I had the privilege of taking two courses with Dr. Rendsburg, and my biggest regret about college is not taking more. This book complements the courses I took (although it wasn't our textbook) and it's been a joy reading about everything discussed in class. Dr. Rendsburg and Dr. Gordon's approach will not satisfy those who want a literal approach to the Biblical text. For anyone who wants the Biblical stories placed in a historical context, however, this work will do exactly that. By matching elements of the Biblical text to ancient near eastern documents and history, the Biblical stories are placed into the greater context of their times, which I find extremely enlightening. Find out why dream interpretation occurs in Daniel and Joseph and nowhere else; learn how the patriarchs' family structure fits exactly into the legal construction of the family and land inheritance as described in texts from Ugarit; follow the understanding of the God of Israel from the chief god among many to the only God. The authors treat the Bible with great respect, searching out the historical facts, illuminating where epic tradition colors the text, and relating the growth of Judaism to the political, social, and literary climate of the times in which it was written. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a greater appreciation of either the Bible or the ancient world. | ||
A super, super, super book. This book is a 'must read' for any student of the Ancient Near East. It places the events of the entire ANE (Egypt to Sumeria, Canaan to Babylon with a bit of Greek thrown in)during the Old Testament times in great perspective. For Bible students: it clarifies and discusses many, many Bible stories and happenings in a very enlightning way. THIS IS A GREAT READ!!!! | ||
Not very good This book is reasonably old the first edition coming out in the 1950's. It is written by Christians as a book to be read in conjunction with the bible. That is it generally accepts the truth of the historical sections of the bible and tries to put them in a historic perspective. To be fair to the authors they indicate the similarity of biblical creation stories to those of Babylon. The book however is rather partisan. The reality is that there is little in the way of historic evidence to suggest that much of the bible is true. There is for instance no record of the events of Exodus in Egyptian records.There is also no objective evidence for the existence of King David or King Solomon. Rather than looking at these questions, which are at the heart of The book is reasonably easy to read and an alright introduction to the period that it covers but in reality it does not look deeply into the real issues of the time. Christians will find it interesting but for those with other interests it falls short. | ||