In this thought-provoking volume, Robert A. Oden Jr. advocates stripping away the theological and historiographic biases that underlie modern biblical scholarship in order to arrive at a nontheological historical reading of the Bible. Oden calls into question a scholarly tradition that accepts biblical writers' views of themselves and their neighbors at face value and reproduces a view of Israelite religion as divinely guided and inherently superior. Using cross-cultural and interdisciplinary methodology, Oden investigates three biblical issues - the clothing of Adam and Eve, Jacob's name change to Israel, and ritual prostitution and Deuteronomy - in light of extra-biblical evidence. He also challenges scholars' assumptions of Scripture as monotheistic and proposes treating biblical narrative as myth rather than as historical fact.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"An interesting and provocative book. One can certainly wish for the continued expansion of perspectives and approach in biblical study, including the utilization of the burgeoning field of mythography." -- Perry LeFevre, Chicago Theological Seminary "Sophisticated and insightful ... Oden's breadth of interest is combined with a careful analysis of the biblical world [and] its languages and cultures... This book is bursting with ideas and resources for further study. One hopes it will achieve the impact it strives so intelligently to make." -- Frederic R. Brandfon, Bible Review "A stimulating book clearly intended to provoke its readership... [Oden's] articulate, evaluative overviews should provoke any open-minded reader to wrestle with the arguments he presents." -- John C. Endres, Cross Currents "A rewarding book; the three specific studies provide new insights on basic texts and themes, and the discussion of approaches to myth is a model of clarity in distillation of complex material." -- W. Lee Humphreys, Religious Studies Review "Oden's learned treatment of the theological traditions inherent in Bible criticism has much to recommend it." -- Chicago Jewish Star
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This review is from: The Bible Without Theology: The Theological Tradition and Alternatives to It (New voices in biblical studies) (Hardcover)
The topic is enticing. For those of us who are not conversant with the fine details of disecting the fine points of myth and bible, reading "The Bible Without Theology" is a bit of a slog.
The above review is not in any way meant to be a learned review. It is just the reaction of a neophyte who has not taken the 101 class in this field.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
When the intellectual history of the twentieth century comes to be written, the following will loom large among the noteworthy discoveries of the latter half of this century: the discovery of the surprisingly revealing and broadly applicable conclusions that can result from the study of individual traditions of learning. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
avunculate relationship, clothing incident, segmented genealogy, paradise tale, sacred prostitution, historiographic tradition, linear genealogy, patriarchal narratives, mythological study, defining myths, kinship studies, paradise story, complete myths, kinship study, biblical myths Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Robertson Smith, Hebrew Bible, New Testament, Old Testament, Near Eastern, Primeval History, History of Religions School, Book of Genesis, Julius Wellhausen, Hermann Gunkel, Old Babylonian, Strauss's Life of Jesus, Second World War, Albert Eichhorn, Leopold von Ranke, Sacred Marriage New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
When the intellectual history of the twentieth century comes to be written, the following will loom large among the noteworthy discoveries of the latter half of this century: the discovery of the surprisingly revealing and broadly applicable conclusions that can result from the study of individual traditions of learning. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
avunculate relationship, clothing incident, segmented genealogy, paradise tale, sacred prostitution, historiographic tradition, linear genealogy, patriarchal narratives, mythological study, defining myths, kinship studies, paradise story, complete myths, kinship study, biblical myths Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Robertson Smith, Hebrew Bible, New Testament, Old Testament, Near Eastern, Primeval History, History of Religions School, Book of Genesis, Julius Wellhausen, Hermann Gunkel, Old Babylonian, Strauss's Life of Jesus, Second World War, Albert Eichhorn, Leopold von Ranke, Sacred Marriage New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 91
books:
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9
books
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- Old Testament Theology: The Theology of Israel's Historical Traditions v. 1 by Gerhard Von Rad on 4 pages
- Old Testament Theology, Volume I (Old Testament Library) by Gerhard von Rad on 4 pages
- Social Structure by Murdock in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas S. Kuhn on page 1, page 2, and Back Matter
- Myth in Old Testament Interpretation (Beiheft zur Zeitschrift fur die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft ; 134) by John W. Rogerson in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
See all 91 books this book cites
- Narration and Discourse in the Book of Genesis by Hugh C. White in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- In the Wake of the Goddesses: Women, Culture and the Biblical Transformation of Pagan Myth by Tikva Frymer-Kensky in Back Matter
- The Secular Bible: Why Nonbelievers Must Take Religion Seriously by Jacques Berlinerblau in Back Matter
- The Bible, Theology, and Faith: A Study of Abraham and Jesus (Cambridge Studies in Christian Doctrine) by R. W. L. Moberly in Back Matter
- Old Testament Theology: Basic Issues in the Current Debate by Gerhard F. Hasel in Back Matter
See all 9 books citing this book
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