The Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures in Five Minutes deals with the essentials anyone entering the fascinating world of biblical scholarship needs to master. Concise and jargon-free chapters present the nature of the biblical texts and the different methodologies that have been developed to understand them. In addition, major issues that standard introductions tend to dodge are considered in a balanced way, providing the pros and cons for each position.
Suitable for beginning students and the general reader, this book offers eighty-three brief essays on a range of fascinating questions about biblical texts and their study, such as:
¿ What is Old Testament theology?
¿ Who wrote the Hebrew Bible?
¿ What is a covenant?
¿ Can archaeology prove the truth of biblical texts?
¿ Is the Hebrew Bible "pro-choice" or "pro-life"?
¿ How does the Hebrew Bible deal with ecological issues?
¿ How does the Old Testament deal with LGBTQIA issues?
¿ What do the Dead Sea Scrolls reveal about the biblical text?
¿ Can one be religious in a scientific world?
¿ Why are there two versions of Israel's past in the Hebrew Bible?
¿ Are there myths in the Hebrew Bible?
Based on the latest research, each essay is written by an expert on the topic. They offer concise, thoughtful answers along with suggestions for further reading, making the book ideal for both classroom use and personal study.