History and Ideology in the Old Testament: Biblical Studies at the End of a Millennium The Hensley Henson Lectures for 1997 delivered to the University of Oxford [Hardcover]

James Barr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 27, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0198269870 | ISBN-13: 978-0198269878

Focusing on the Old Testament and the history of Israel, this book brings together aspects of controversy about the Bible at the end of the millennium. Author James Barr examines the nature of biblical narrative, asking whether the Bible expresses actual historical events or the ideological and religious aspirations of writers in much later times.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`Barr is at once formidably well-informed and remarkably patient and persistent, entertaining even, as he chamfers away at current opinion.' Journal of Theological Studies, vol.52,no.2

`I know of no clearer guide to the present debate on writing the history of Israel, with all its mud-slinging between proponents of different datings of the biblical sources and different approaches to the place of texts and of archaeology: this chapter is essential reading for anyone at all interested in historical reconstruction of ancient Israel.' Theology, 01/11/2001

`His coverage is enviably comprehensive and at the same time accessible to anyone interested in biblical study.' Theology, 01/11/2001

`James Barr is seasoned interpreter of the current scene in biblical studies, and in this book ... he once again provides a trenchant account of contemporary preoccupations.' Theology, 01/11/2001

`There is much here for serious thought to engage with.' The Expository Times, Vol.112, May 2001

`Professor Barr appears to be much more in touch with real life than many biblical scholars, whose researches become increasingly arcane and esoteric. ... There is much here for serious thought to engage with.' The Expository Times May 2001

`The older scholarship may have been dull and pedestrian, but it was solid, he comments. He himself is never dull nor pedestrian.' John Goldingay, Church Times

`If you, like me, are more sympathetic to post-modernism than Professor Barr, then his strictures and his relentless critique may encourage you to think hard before yielding to fashion.' John Goldingay, Church Times

`No one thinks more acutely. No one writes so devastatingly ... It is thus a great delight to have him, in his 70s, applying himself to the state of biblical studies at the turn of the millennium' John Goldingay, Church Times

`Barr ... uses his formidable debating skills and knowlege of the Hebrew bible to examine those post-modern approaches to the Old Testament that set out to unmask its ideological presuppositions and dismiss its value for theology ... Barr does not pull his punches.' Bishop Paul Richardson, C of E Newspaper 27/10/00.

About the Author

James Barr is Emeritus Regius Professor of Hebrew, Oxford University, and Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Hebrew Bible at Vanderbilt University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (July 27, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198269870
• ISBN-13: 978-0198269878
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,266,013 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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