J. Cheryl Exum

This original commentary foregrounds at every turn the poetic genius of the Song of Songs, one of the most elusive texts of the Hebrew Bible. J. Cheryl Exum locates that genius in the way the Song not only tells but shows its readers that love is strong as death, thereby immortalizing love, as well as in the way the poet explores the nature of love by a mature sensitivity to how being in love is different for the woman and the man. Many long-standing conundrums in the interpretation of the book are offered persuasive solutions in Exum's verse by verse exegesis. The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.

A Commentary

Song of Songs

Ela Nutu

Can a painting or illustration of a biblical scene help readers understand the Bible? Conversely, to what extent can knowledge about a biblical story help viewers appreciate an artist's portrayal of it? Interpreting biblical art is more than a matter of asking whether or not an artist 'got it right' or 'got it wrong'. This lively collection of essays seeks to establish a dialogue between the Bible and art that sees the biblical text and artistic representations of it as equal conversation partners. By looking at texts and canvases from different angles, the nine contributors to the volume reveal how biblical interpretation can shed important light on art, how art can contribute significantly to biblical interpretation and how each has something distinctive to offer to the interpretative task. Contributions include J. Cheryl Exum on Solomon de Bray's Jael, Deborah and Barak, Hugh S. Pyper on depictions of the relationship between David and Jonathan, Martin O'Kane on the biblical Elijah and his visual afterlives, Christina Bucher on the Song of Songs and the enclosed garden motif in fifteenth-century paintings and engravings of Mary and the infant Jesus, Ela Nutu on differences in the way female and male artists have represented Judith, Christine E. Joynes on visualizations of Salome's dance, Heidi J. Hornik on Michele Tosini's Nativity, Way to Calvary and Crucifixion as visual narratives, Kelly J. Baker on Henry Ossawa Tanner's The Annunciation and Nicodemus, and Christopher Rowland on William Blake and the New Testament.

The Bible and Art in Dialogue

Between the Text and the Canvas

Michael D. Coogan

Lawrence E. Stager

Joseph A. Greene

This important volume focuses on the contribution of excavated material to the interpretation of biblical texts. Here, both practicing archaelogists and biblical scholars who have been active in fieldwork demonstrate that archaeological data and biblical accounts are complementary in the study of ancient Israel, early Judaism, and Christianity. Thus scriptural and archaeological finds are illuminated by consideration of both.

Essays on the Bible and Archaeology in Honor of Philip J. King

Scripture and Other Artifacts

H. G. M. Williamson

Thirty-seven essays from established scholars around the world cover topics including the Pentateuch prophecy, wisdom, ancient Osraelite history, Greek tragdy and the ideology of biblical scholarship make up this interesting and varied collection in honor of David J.A. Clines.Several of the contributors interact with ideas prominent in the work of David J.S. Clines of the University of Sheffield, to whom the volume i dedicated.The authors include Graeme Auld, James Barr, Hans Barstad, John Barton, Willem Beuken, Joseph Blenkinsopp, Walter Brueggermann, Brevard Childs, Reichard Coggins, Philip Davies, John Emerton, Tamara Eskenazi, Cheryl Exum, Michael Fox, John Goldingay, Norman Gottwald, Robery Gordon, Lester Grabbe, David Gunn, Walter Houston, Sara Japhet, Michel Knibb, Joze Krasovec, Francis Landy, Bernhard Lang, Burke Long, Patrick Miller, Johannes de Moor, Carol Newson, Rolf Rendtorff, Alex RofT, Joh Rogerson, John Sawyer, Keith Whitelam, Hugh Williamson, Ellen van Wolde and Erich Zenger.

Essays on the Hebrew Bible in honour of David J. A. Clines

Reading from Right to Left

Selected Essays

Samson and Delilah

Stephen D. Moore

Based on an international colloquium held at the University of Sheffield, this collection represents the first book-length encounter between biblical studies and the proliferating and controversial field of cultural studies. A multidisciplinary team of contributors engage in a multifaceted examination of the Bible's place in culture, ancient and modern, 'high' and 'low'. Contributors include Alice Bach, Fiona Black, Athalya Brenner, Robert Carroll, David Clines, Margaret Davies, Philip Davies, Philip Esler, Cheryl Exum, Yael Feldman, Jennifer Glancy, Jan Willem van Henten, David Jasper, Francis Landy, Barry Matlock, Stephen Moore, Hugh Pyper, John Rogerson, Regina Schwartz, William Scott, and Erich Zenger.

The Third Sheffield Colloquium

Biblical Studies/Cultural Studies

Michael David Coogan

Philip J. King

This important volume focuses on the contribution of excavated material to the interpretation of biblical texts. Here, both practicing archaeologists and biblical scholars who have been active in field work demonstrate through their work that archaeological data and biblical accounts are complementary in the study of ancient Israel, early Judaism, and Christianity. Illustrations.

Using insights about ancient and modern tragedy, this study offers challenging and provocative new readings of selected Biblical narratives: the story of Israel's first king, Saul, rejected for his disobedience to God and driven to madness; the story of Jephthah's sacrifice of his daughter in fulfillment of his vow to offer God a sacrifice in return for military victory; and the story of Israel's most famous king, David, whose tragedy lies in the burden of divine judgement that falls on his house as a consequence of his sins. The book discusses how these narratives handle such perennial tragic issues as guilt, suffering and evil.

Arrows of the Almighty

Tragedy and Biblical Narrative

This volume is part of a series which brings together the best articles on major fields of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible studies from the Journal for the Study of the Old Testament. The aim of the series is to provide for scholars and students a convenient and up-to-date briefing on developments in the field. The so-called historical books embrace a vast amount of diverse biblical material, from Joshuah to Nehemiah, and this selection of 20 essays covers a breadth of biblical material using a wide range of methodological approaches. The breadth of its scope combined with the depth of scholarship makes this Reader a useful and comprehensive resource for both undergraduate and graduate courses.

J. Cheryl Exum

Books

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