This edited collection situates Scripture within its material and literary context in the cultures of the ancient Near East and Southern Levant. In exploring Bible backgrounds, biblical history, biblical archaeology and the history of Israel, the contributors are able to correlate evidence in new ways, challenge the status quo, engage old cruxes with new discoveries, and update the research on these respective subjects.
Beginning with anthropomorphism and theophany and Genesis and the Hittite Suzerainty Treaty, the contributors explore contexts ranging from Hebrew inscriptions and fortified cities to women in the Achaemenid Empire and Israelite Prophets in Light of Shamanic Studies. Moving to the period of the New Testament, analyses include the communal meal at Qumran, the tracing of ancient interpretations of Habbakuk, reconstructing the Gospels based on archaeology and experimentation, and discoveries relating to Herodian architecture and Roman coinage.
