The Bible and the Ancient Near East: (Revised Edition) (Paperback)

by Cyrus H. Gordon (Author), Gary A. Rendsburg (Author) "The most important area for the study of human antiquity is the Near East..." (more)
Key Phrases: cuneiform world, epic features, legal portions, Near East, Hebrew Bible, Amarna Age (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
This work is a fourth, and most welcome, updated edition of Gordon's Introduction to Old Testament Times (1953). (Gordon was professor of ancient Near Eastern Studies at Brandeis and New York University; coauthor Rendsburg is professor of Near Eastern Studies at Cornell.) Like all the earlier editions, this latest aims to help readers situate the Bible in its ancient historical context. It includes much new information gleaned especially from the Ebla archives, discovered in the 1970s. While it is erudite and dense with information, the work is nevertheless readable and easily understood and will appeal to students and interested lay readers. Scholars might wish for fuller footnotes, but this is a small criticism in a text intended for a wide public. Recommended for both academic and public libraries.?James F. DeRoche, Alexandria, Va.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
This up-to-date revision of a classic work draws on the latest archaeological and linguistic research to fill in the historical realities behind the great stories of the Bible. This account of the historical context for the Hebrew Bible explores the diverse origins of such stories as the creation and the flood in the cultures of the ancient Near East. The authors show the striking parallels in the foundational stories told in the Egyptian, Persian, Greek, and Hebrew cultures of the time.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co.; Revised Edition edition (February 17, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393316890
• ISBN-13: 978-0393316896
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #112,866 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening, incredible, breath-taking, May 11, 2004

By	Jane Lebak "tabris02" (sunny New England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had the privilege of taking two courses with Dr. Rendsburg, and my biggest regret about college is not taking more. This book complements the courses I took (although it wasn't our textbook) and it's been a joy reading about everything discussed in class.

Dr. Rendsburg and Dr. Gordon's approach will not satisfy those who want a literal approach to the Biblical text. For anyone who wants the Biblical stories placed in a historical context, however, this work will do exactly that. By matching elements of the Biblical text to ancient near eastern documents and history, the Biblical stories are placed into the greater context of their times, which I find extremely enlightening. Find out why dream interpretation occurs in Daniel and Joseph and nowhere else; learn how the patriarchs' family structure fits exactly into the legal construction of the family and land inheritance as described in texts from Ugarit; follow the understanding of the God of Israel from the chief god among many to the only God.

The authors treat the Bible with great respect, searching out the historical facts, illuminating where epic tradition colors the text, and relating the growth of Judaism to the political, social, and literary climate of the times in which it was written. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a greater appreciation of either the Bible or the ancient world.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great guide to a land far away and a time long ago, March 4, 2001

By	Perry Willis (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book tells the story of a small people battered on both sides by larger powers, forever threatened with extinction, but always rising to the challenge of survival. It is also the story of the origin of a large part of our current culture. The authors are well informed and share their vast knowledge of this place and period in a highly accessible way. This is not the story of Cecile B. Demile's Bible - it is something far better. It's the story of what actually happened, as best we can know it. The most interesting thing for me was to read of the gradual evolution of the Hebrew faith from monolatry (there are many gods but one supreme God), to monotheism (there is only one god), and of how the changes in fortune of this ancient society created the religious ideas from which Christianity evolved. If you want to understand the world we live in today then you will need to understand the world they lived in then, and this book is an excellent guide.

36 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Revealing and amusing, March 2, 2000

By	Tadej Kotnik ([e-mail]) - See all my reviews

The reason I've bought this book is that certain documentaries about the Near East made me aware how ignorant I really was with respect to one of the most important chapters in the history of civilization. While one gets a lot of serious reading about Greeks and Romans (starting with the primary school), his "knowledge" of the Hebrews is mostly based on the Bible, or on the books and movies in which the stories from the Bible are reproduced literally. For the most conservative believers (I guess these include the Kansas educational board), this is also the way it ought to be. On the other hand, for those who possess some degree of criticism, it is obvious that these stories are a mix of myths, legends, and certainly some historical truth. Books for the general reader which speak about the facts behind the Bible are few.

The book by Gordon and Rendsburg fills this void efficiently and with style. It is both revealing and amusing, as the authors do not practice the dry style of an expertise. Instead, their story is pleasant to read, often interweaved with familiar parallels from the more recent history. The reason why I restrain myself from appointing the fifth star is that some footnote comments are definitely more of a distortion than a delight to read. Many footnotes are in place, including all of the citations, but some comments are much too elaborate and tend to repeat themselves. For me, skipping all the footnotes would mean remaining unacquainted with many interesting facts, so this is not the solution. I hope the next edition will revise the footnotes, perhaps with some constructive input from the readers.

Still, it is a very good book, and I warmly recommend it to anyone interested in the facts behind the Bible. For those who will like this book as I did, I suggest also reading Dead Sea Scrolls: The Complete Story by J. Campbell, which takes off where this book ends.