The Pentateuch, or Torah, is the charter document of Israel's covenant faith, the foundation of Scripture and the key to understanding the biblical story. The themes that are first struck in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy resonate throughout the Bible. To understand the message of the Pentateuch is essential to interpreting what follows.No serious student of the Bible can shortcut a mastery of these "five books of Moses." Yet many introductions to the Pentateuch are uninviting and tend to obscure the vast mural of the Pentateuch with the scaffolding of scholarship.Gordon Wenham has devoted much of his scholarly career to understanding the Pentateuch, and in this volume he reliably guides students through the corridors of the text, pointing out its features and explaining its difficulties. The result is a clear overview of the Pentateuch as we have it.But Wenham also helps us comprehend the historical and textual questions modern scholarship has posed and the answers it has proposed. And where historical evidence supports or illumines the text, this too is skillfully blended into the discussion.Wenhams' textbook is up to date, balanced, clearly organized and reliable. And it brims with helpful classroom discussion ideas and questions, suggestions for research and debate, essay topic lists and recommended further reading. Here is a critically informed, textually sensitive and theologically illuminating introduction to the Pentateuch. It offers the instruction of a premier evangelical Pentateuchal scholar in the interactive and reader-friendlly format that is the hallmark of the Exploring the Bible Series.

The historical books, from Joshua to Ezra and Nehemiah, form the narrative backbone of the Old Testament. Without them the Pentateuch would stop cold and the Prophets would hang in suspension. Even the Psalms and Wisdom literature would lose some of their luster for lack of a setting. Without these historical books the New Testament would be resolving an incomplete narrative, answering a question only half and hesitantly posed. For all these reasons and more, it is a tragic fact that many of us today cannot give a brief and coherent account of this story. We fear that books with names like Judges, Kings and Chronicles would bore us. But nothing could be further from the truth. For the story they tell is full of action and intrigue, tragedy and suspense, vivid characters and memorable events. They are the stuff of great art and literature, and they have inspired men and women to lives and deeds of uncommon faith and courage. Exploring these books is essential for a true education, whether religious or otherwise. In this guidebook, Philip E. Satterthwaite and J. Gordon McConville introduce us to the content and the context of these historical books. We view them within the setting of ancient history and history writing, and come to appreciate their literary artistry, their role within the Scriptures of Israel, and their lasting value as theological and ethical resources. Designed especially for students, Exploring the Old Testament, Volume 2: A Guide to the Historical Books overflows with interesting and helpful features that encourage avid exploration and the joy of learning.

Israel's poets and sages left a scriptural legacy that has powerfully shaped the worship, thoughts and actions of the people of God. In the highs and lows and crossroads of life, we instinctively turn to their poetry, proverbs and discourses for the language we do not possess and the wisdom we desperately seek. Yet there is more to this literature than meets the eye—or fills the momentary need. A study of the Bible's wisdom and poetry will dramatically enhance its power and effectiveness. From the depths of lament to the heights of praise, from the eroticism of the Song of Songs to the hard realism of Ecclesiastes, and from the aphorisms of Proverbs to the discourses of Job, this guide introduces readers to the ancient background, the literary artistry, and the varied and timeless messages of the Psalms and Wisdom literature. Ernest C. Lucas gives us an informed, illuminating and interactive introduction to this portion of Scripture. Sparkling with interest and geared to the needs of students, this is an excellent textbook introduction to the Psalms and Wisdom literature.

Provides an introduction to the writings of the prophets in the Old Testament.