Bibliographical details:
Coggins, R. J. (2001). Introducing the Old Testament. Oxford Bible Series, 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Publisher’s information:
Traditionally, study of the Old Testament has been dominated by the ‘historical-critical method’. However, in recent years, people have asked whether this approach is the only valid one and alternative understandings have been explored. This book sets out the importance of those alternatives, including sociology and anthropology, feminist and liberation perspectives, and literary criticism, while retaining the values of traditional methods. It provides a concise and accessible survey of the different methods of Old Testament study, making it an invaluable introduction for those apoaching the subject for the first time as well as those interested in less conventional aspects.
NEW to the Second Edition
- updated discussion of the various approaches to Old Testament study
- looks afresh at key issues in the light of recent scholarly developments
- addresses contemporary debate on historical questions and radical developments in the field of archaeology
- separate chapter on women’s readings
Richard Coggins was formerly Senior Lecturer in Old Testament Studies at King’s College London. He is now retired.
‘An admirably easy-going general introduction to the Old Testament … A student is in good hands with this guide.’ – Dr J. M. Court, University of Kent
Table of contents:
1. WHAT IS THE OLD TESTAMENT? … 1
Names of the collection … 1
Contents … 2
Transmission … 5
The study of the Bible … 6
2. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? … 8
Composition … 8
The meaning of the text … 10
Textual criticism … 10
Hebrew idiom … 16
The reliability of the text … 17
Varying textual traditions … 19
3. DID IT ALL HAPPEN? … 22
An ancestral age? … 25
The Exodus … 27
The ‘judges period’ … 29
The establishment of monarchy … 30
Israel, Assyria, and Babylon … 32
The Persian period … 34
The importance of history … 34
Story … 38
4. WHAT DOES ARCHAEOLOGY CONTRIBUTE? … 42
The larger setting … 43
The contribution of archaeology: a real world … 44
Historical links … 45
An ‘ancestral age’? … 46
Excavations in Palestine … 48
The new archaeology … 53
5. WHAT KIND OF SOCIETY WAS ISRAEL? … 55
The social context of the Old Testament … 55
Israel as unique? … 57
What kind of origins? … 59
Pre-monarchical society … 61
The social structure of Israel … 63
The role of prophets … 64
Prophets as royal servants … 66
Different names for prophets … 68
Central and peripheral prophets … 70
Sociology and literature … 73
A religious overview … 75
Cultural awareness … 75
6. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HUMAN? … 78
Survivals … 78
Comparative methods … 81
Tabu … 82
Holiness … 85
Structuralism … 87
The rules of language … 89
The issues raised by anthropology … 92
7. THE OLD TESTAMENT AS LIBERATION? … 94
The Bible as liberation? … 94
Exodus as deliverance? … 95
Attitudes to the poor … 98
8. CAN THE BIBLE SPEAK TO WOMEN? … 101
Women’s studies and the Old Testament … 101
Against the historical-critical method? … 103
Hagar … 103
A patriarchal world … 105
God as masculine? … 106
The Old Testament perception of women … 108
Creation stories … 108
The Song of Songs … 111
9. WHAT KIND OF LITERATURE? … 113
Literary criticism: old style … 113
Literary criticism: new style … 114
God in a story … 116
Interrelated stories … 118
The intentions of the author … 118
The limits of history … 119
Belief through story … 120
Prose and poetry … 123
Problems of translation … 124
10. WHAT KIND OF RELIGION? …126
The distinctiveness of Israel’s religion … 126
The priesthood … 128
The role of the king … 131
The prophets … 133
Religious festivals … 135
The God of Israel … 137
11. IS A THEOLOGY POSSIBLE? … 140
What is an Old Testament theology? … 140
What kind of a God? … 141
A community concern … 146
Condemnation of religious practice … 149
A place for doubt … 151
Bibliography … 153
Index of Passages Cited … 157
General Index … 160
Click here to read the review by Ken Stenstrup published in the Review of Biblical Literature.
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