Who Were the Babylonians? (Archaeology and Biblical Studies) [Hardcover]

Bill T. Arnold (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2005 | Series: Archaeology and Biblical Studies (Book 10)

Who was Hammurapi, and what role did his famous "law code" serve in ancient Babylonian society? Who was the mysterious Merodach-baladan, and why did the appearance of his emissaries in Jerusalem so upset Isaiah? Who was Nebuchadnezzar II, and why did he tear down the Solomonic temple and drag the people of God into exile? In short, who were the Babylonians? This engaging and informative introduction to the best of current scholarship on the Babylonians and their role in biblical history answers these and other significant questions. The Babylonians were important not only because of their many historical contacts with ancient Israel but because they and their predecessors, the Sumerians, established the philosophical and social infrastructure for most of Western Asia for nearly two millennia. Beginning and advanced students as well as biblical scholars and interested nonspecialists will read this introduction to the history and culture of the Babylonians with interest and profit. Paperback edition available from the Society of Biblical Literature (www.sbl-site.org).

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bill T. Arnold, Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East (1985), Hebrew Union College, is Director of Hebrew Studies and Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is the author of 1 and 2 Samuel (NIV Application Commentary, 2003) and co-author of Guide to Biblical Hebrew Syntax (2003).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 148 pages
• Publisher: Brill Academic Pub (May 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9004130713
• ISBN-13: 978-9004130715
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,011,258 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bill T. Arnold (Ph.D., Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion) is the Paul S. Amos Professor of Old Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary. Among his publications are Genesis: The New Cambridge Bible Commentary (Cambridge, 2009), Who Were the Babylonians? (Atlanta, 2004), A Guide to Biblical Hebrew Syntax (with John H. Choi; Cambridge, 2003), 1 and 2 Samuel: NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, Mich., 2003), and Encountering the Old Testament (with Bryan E. Beyer; Grand Rapids, Mich.: 1999 [second edition, 2008]). He has also edited The Face of Old Testament Studies (with David W. Baker; Grand Rapids, 1999 [paperback, 2005), and the Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books (with H. G. M. Williamson; Downers Grove, Ill.: 2005).