Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, Vol. 1

Description

Many today find the Old Testament a closed book. The cultural issues seem insurmountable and we are easily baffled by that which seems obscure. Furthermore, without knowledge of the ancient culture we can easily impose our own culture on the text, potentially distorting it. This series invites you to enter the Old Testament with a company of guides, experts that will give new insights into these cherished writings. Features include – Over 2000 photographs, drawings, maps, diagrams and charts provide a visual feast that breathes fresh life into the text. – Passage-by-passage commentary presents archaeological findings, historical explanations, geographic insights, notes on manners and customs, and more. – Analysis into the literature of the ancient Near East will open your eyes to new depths of understanding both familiar and unfamiliar passages. – Written by an international team of 30 specialists, all top scholars in background studies.

About the Authors

John H. Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College Graduate School. He is the author or coauthor of several books, including Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament; Ancient Israelite Literature in Its Cultural Context; Covenant: God’s Purpose, God’s Plan; The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament; and A Survey of the Old Testament.

Bruce Wells is assistant professor of Hebrew Bible, Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. He contributed the Exodus portion of the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary – Old Testament.

Roy Gane (PhD, University of California, Berkeley) is professor of Hebrew Bible and ancient near eastern languages at the Theological Seminary of Andrews University. He is author of a number of scholarly articles and several books including God’s Faulty Heroes (Review Herald, 1996-on the biblical book of Judges), Altar Call (Diadem, 1999-on the Israelite sanctuary services and their meaning for Christians), Ritual Dynamic Structure (Gorgias Press, 2004), Leviticus, Numbers (NIV Application Commentary; Zondervan, 2004), and Cult and Character: Purification Offerings, Day of Atonement, and Theodicy (Eisenbrauns, 2005), as well as the Leviticus portion of the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary on the Old Testament (forthcoming). Dr. Gane and his wife, Connie Clark Gane, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in Mesopotamian archaeology at the University of California, Berkeley, have one daughter, Sarah Elizabeth.

R. Dennis Cole is Professor of Old Testament and Archaeology at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, where he holds the Mcfarland Chair of Archaeology. The author of numerous journal articles, book reviews, chapters, and dictionary articles, he has 30 years of archaeological field experience in Israel.

Eugene Carpenter was professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, Scholar in Residence, Bethel College, Mishawaka, Indiana.