The Old Testament A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures

includes index and biblioraphy

1. Cosmic Origins Creations....3 The formations of the Pentateuch ......21 Primeval History ...31 2. National Origins The promised land: Grography, History, and Ideology.......................45 The ancestors of Israel ......63 Escape from egypt ...85 From egypt to sinai ...........105 Law and Ritual .120 Ritual and Holiness .138 In the wilderness .153 The end of the journey to the Promised land ......173 Joshua and the Conquest of the Land of Canaan .............191 The emergence of Israel in the Land of Canaan .................211 3. Kings and Probets The establishment of the Monarchy .231 The reign of David ............248 The rein of Solomon ..........266 The divided Kingdom of Israel and Judah from the late tenth to the Early Eighth centuries .....287 The north kingdom of Israel in the Eighth century ........307 The Kingdom of Judah in the eighth and early seventh centuries .................327 Judah in the seventh century : The end of Assyrian Domination ........349 The fall of Jerusalem ..............359 4. Exile and return After the fall jews in Judah and Babylon .........381 Return from exile .......401 5. Reconstruction and Consolidation The early restoration .........419 Judah in the fifthCentury ......430 History rewritten .......446 The consolidation of traditions ..............456 6. Controversy and Challenge Dissidents and lovers ..........479 Encounters with the greeks .......499 Heroes under Foreign rulers ........525