Bible Study, Biographies, Religion & Spirituality 

"This is a lucid, accessible, and inviting way into the beginning study of the Bible in its Israelite context, written for students, with respect for the reader's intelligence. The particular strength of the book is its scope. Teachers will be grateful for the book's clear and engaging writing, and students will appreciate its narrative flow. This is a book to be read and enjoyed, and it is also a book that will teach a vast audience." -Jacob Neusner "The authors are at the forefront of a shifting paradigm in Scripture studies. The shift is away from 'historical' studies to socio-political issues. The authors understand the biblical text in a one-to-one relation with political power. More specifically, the text is generated by the shifts of power that need to be given religious legitimacy. "Their ambitious project stretches all the way from Moses to Constantine; the result is that one can see the text in much larger scope, with connections and recurrences that are regularly overlooked in our usual approaches. Moreover, the authors have daringly traced the commonality and parallelism between Christian and Jewish modes of political power and leadership in the Christian era." -Walter Brueggemann - from Amzon