Ancient Hebrew Bible

A masterpiece of deep learning and fine sensibility, Robert Alter's translation of the Hebrew Bible, now complete, reanimates one of the formative works of our culture. Capturing its brilliantly compact poetry and finely wrought, purposeful prose, Alter renews the Old Testament as a source of literary power and spiritual inspiration. From the family frictions of Genesis and King David's flawed humanity to the serene wisdom of Psalms and Job's incendiary questioning of God's ways, these magnificent works of world literature resonate with a startling immediacy.

Unlock the profound wisdom of the Torah with "The Torah for Beginners: The Essentials of Jewish Scripture." This essential guide takes you on a journey through the foundational texts that have shaped Jewish faith and tradition for millennia. Whether you're new to Jewish studies or seeking to deepen your understanding, this book provides the clarity and insight you need. Step into the ancient world of the Torah and discover: The Genesis of Everything: From the creation of the world to the Garden of Eden, experience the epic beginnings that set the stage for humanity's journey. Guidance for ...

For Christians, Flavius Josephus’ (37 to c. 100 A.D) works are one of the most essential extra-biblical chronicles written in the first century. His Jewish Antiquities are particularly valuable for Christians as a fountain of knowledge about the intertestamental period, from the destruction of Solomon’s temple by Antiochus Epiphanes in 167 B.C. to the Roman procurator Florus in 64 A.D. But Josephus’ writings also take us back in Jewish history to God’s creation of the world, providing interesting sidelights to the Hebrew Scripture narratives from oral testimonies and other ancient, ...

In Ancient Israel and Judah, Beth Tanner takes listeners on a compelling journey through the historical and cultural landscapes of ancient Israel and Judah, bringing the Hebrew Bible to life in an approachable manner yet to be achieved. An essential guide for anyone new to biblical study, this...

Basics of Biblical Hebrew Vocabulary Audio is a convenient and useful audio companion for students wanting to learn and reinforce Biblical Hebrew vocabulary. This audio product includes every term that occurs fifty times or more in the Hebrew Bible. Vocabulary is read in order of frequency and...

Newly Revised! The Book of Jasher: A Clear Text Edition - The Lost Book Mentioned in the Bible Experience the mysterious book referenced in Joshua and 2 Samuel—now in modern, accessible English. What if there were ancient records that filled in the gaps of Genesis and Exodus? The Book of Jasher—also known as the Book of the Upright or Sefer HaYashar—takes you beyond familiar biblical accounts with expanded narratives of the patriarchs, judges, and heroes of Israel's early history. This is one of the lost books actually mentioned in Scripture itself. This ancient text reveals: Expanded...

The biblical story as it has never been told before. The Bible is the best-selling book in human history, but sometimes the stories it weaves are not fully understood, due to its poetic and obscure literary style. Genesis Days brings you the stories of the first generations, from the creation of the world to the end of the days of Sarah, wife of Abraham, in simple and straightforward English. The book lays bare the lives of humanity’s forefathers and reveals ancient history through a contemporary experience. If you’ve always wanted to read the Bible and understand it from beginning to ...

On a mountain above the Mediterranean in the ninth century BCE, a lone Israelite prophet challenged four hundred and fifty priests of the Tyrian storm god to a public contest of fire. The loser would die. The winner would define which god the kingdom of Israel worshipped for the next three thousand years. The Hebrew Bible says Elijah won. This book asks what actually happened on that mountain — and why the story has refused to go away. Elijah: The Prophet Who Defied Kings is a narrative history of the most politically dangerous prophet in the Hebrew Bible, set inside the real kingdom he ...

Every argument about the Nephilim is being had in translation. The giants of Genesis. The Watchers who came down. The beings that appear at the edges of scripture and then vanish from the story. For centuries these passages have been argued over by people working from translations of translations — and the arguments have grown louder as the sources have grown more distant. The original Jewish texts say something stranger. And far more specific. In Moses and the Orders Beyond Man, Rabbi Beni Rachmanov opens the classical Jewish sources — the Torah in Hebrew, Talmud, Midrash, and the ...

What if the God worshipped by billions began in a world filled with many gods? The Lost Pantheon of Yahweh follows the remarkable historical journey from the ancient religious world of Canaan to the monotheistic traditions that would eventually shape Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Few people know that the earliest religious landscape surrounding Yahweh was not a world of one universal God. It was a complex Canaanite world populated by deities such as El, Asherah, and Baal, each with their own roles, relationships, and traditions. What you’re about to discover will change how you see ...

In this groundbreaking book, husband and wife authors Derek P. Gilbert and Sharon K. Gilbert show how the giants of old shaped the worldview and religion of the Hebrews—and the terrifying role they’ll play in the end times.

The Israelites left Egypt carrying gold. Lots of it. So where did it go? In Hebrew Gold, Dr. David Powers follows a trail of wealth that begins with one of the Bible’s most famous events. As the Hebrews fled Egypt during the Exodus, they carried away silver, gold, clothing, and other valuables given to them by the Egyptians. That treasure did not simply disappear into the wilderness. Some became the Golden Calf. Some was freely offered to build the Tabernacle and its sacred furnishings. More wealth entered Israel through conquest, tribute, offerings, and trade. Along the way, fortunes ...

Who was an Israelite? Was Israel primarily a religion, an ethnic people, a nation, or a covenantal community? How did the ancient Israelites understand their relationship to the Land of Israel, and how did that relationship shape their collective identity? Ancient Israelite Identity: Religion, Ethnicity, and the Land of Israel explores these fundamental questions by examining the historical, biblical, and cultural foundations of Israelite identity from antiquity through the Second Temple period. Drawing upon the Hebrew Bible, ancient Near Eastern sources, archaeology, and Jewish literature,...

What if a forgotten library of clay tablets could open a new window onto ancient Canaanite religion, the world behind the Hebrew Bible, and the beliefs of a civilization lost for more than three thousand years? Ugaritic Texts for Beginners introduces readers to one of the most important discoveries in the study of the ancient Near East. Unearthed at Ras Shamra in modern Syria, the tablets of Ugarit revealed a vanished kingdom filled with epic poetry, divine rivalries, royal crises, ritual practice, diplomatic correspondence, and a writing system unlike anything scholars had seen before. ...

A New York Times bestselling historian of early Christianity takes on two of the most gripping questions of human existence: where did the ideas of heaven and hell come from and why do they endure? What happens when we die? A recent Pew Research poll showed that 72% of Americans believe in a...

Shephard. Warrior. King. The biblical story of David and his visionary kingdom – as it has never been told before. The first king of Israel, Saul, has angered God, and the tribes of Israel are scattered once more. By God’s order, the prophet Samuel is sent with a prophecy that is about to change a young shepherd's life and the course of the Israelites' history forever. But David, the newly chosen king, has his flaws, and despite all his greatness, he shall have to pay for his sins. Experience the epic biblical story of David and his legacy like never before in simple and straightforward...

Violence in the Old Testament has long been a stumbling block for Christians and skeptics alike. God Is a Man of War offers a fresh interpretation of Old Testament accounts of violence, by exploring them through the twofold lens of Orthodox tradition and historical context. Father Stephen De Young examines what these difficult passages reveal about the nature of Christ and His creation, bearing witness to a world filled not only with pain and suffering - often of human making - but also with the love of God.

Following up on the first volume, The Atheist Handbook to the Old Testament: Volume 2 takes up the challenge of providing a clear and useful guide to those wanting a better understanding of the Old Testament, including its cultural and historical background, as well as discussions on contentious topics like violence and genocide, and whether the Exodus was a real historical event. Volume two also covers the narrative of the Old Testament, from the conquest to the divided monarchy, and a brief history of Egypt to help situate the biblical text within agreed historical events.

A major new work on the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest sacred documents of Judaism, which reveals their surprising connections to early Christianity. “A luminous treatment of a fascinating subject! Highly recommended!”—Scott Hahn, author of The Fourth Cup From award-winning scholar John...

The Enuma Elish is one of the most important texts from the ancient world. In this Babylonian creation epic, Marduk defeats Tiamat, fashions heaven and earth from her divided body, and creates humanity from divine blood. More than myth, this poem became a theological declaration of imperial Babylon and a key witness to the religious world behind the Old Testament.