A cutting-edge scholarly review of how the Pentateuch functions as a scripture, and how it came to be ritualized in this way. Understanding the Pentateuch as a Scripture is a unique account of the first five books of the Bible, describing how Jews and Christians ritualize the Pentateuch as a scripture by interpreting it, by performing its text and contents, and by venerating the physical scroll and book. Pentateuchal studies are known for intense focus on questions of how and when the first five books of the Bible were composed, edited, and canonized as scripture. Rather than such purely historical, literary, or theological approaches, Hebrew Bible scholar James W. Watts organizes this description of the Pentateuch from the perspectives of comparative scriptures and religious studies. He describes how the Pentateuch has been used in the centuries since it began to function as a scripture in the time of Ezra, and the origins of its ritualization before that time. The book: Analyzes the semantic contents of the Pentateuch as oral rhetoric that takes the form of stories followed by lists of laws and sanctions Gives equal space to its ritualization in the iconic and performative dimensions as to its semantic interpretation Fully integrates the cultural history of the Pentateuch and Bible with its influence on Jewish and Christian ritual, and in art, music, theatre, and film Understanding the Pentateuch as a Scripture is a groundbreaking work that highlights new research data and organizes the material to focus attention on the Pentateuch’s—and Bible’s— function as a scripture.

These lectures are intended to lay before English readers, who cannot devote the time and thought needed for the study of larger and more technical works, the most important results of the criticism of the Pentateuch, and incidentally of other portions of the Hebrew scriptures. - Preface.

For many years, the historical-critical quest for a reconstruction of the origin(s) and development of the Pentateuch or Hexateuch has been dominated by the documentary hypothesis, the heuristic power of which has produced a consensus so strong that an interpreter who did not operate within its framework was hardly regarded as a scholar. However, the relentless march of research on this topic has continued to yield new and refined analyses, data, methodological tools, and criticism. In this spirit, the contributions to this volume investigate new ideas about the composition of the Pentateuch arising from careful analysis of the biblical text against its ancient Near Eastern background. Covering a wide spectrum of topics and diverging perspectives, the chapters in this book are grouped into two parts. The first is primarily concerned with the history of scholarship and alternative approaches to the development of the Pentateuch. The second focuses on the exegesis of particular texts relevant to the composition of the Torah. The aim of the project is to foster investigation and collegial dialogue in a spirit of humility and frankness, without imposing uniformity. In addition to the editors, the contributors include Tiago Arrais, Richard E. Averbeck, John S. Bergsma, Joshua A. Berman, Daniel I. Block, Richard Davidson, Roy E. Gane, Duane A. Garrett, Richard S. Hess, Benjamin Kilchör, Michael LeFebvre, Jiří Moskala, and Christian Vogel.

The earliest Christians who came to follow Jesus were first Jews. They had studied and knew their Torah (Pentateuch) before they had come to know Jesus. In this book, we will, in a way, try to imitate them. We will study the Pentateuch as it is; we will let it speak on its own terms and try not to filter it too much at first through specifically Christian lenses. Far too often, those lenses, smeared with a Law versus Gospel brush, have impeded our vision rather than helped it. At times we will allude to New Testament texts, but we will save our discussion of Jesus and the Law until the end. Like the earliest Christians we will attempt to come to Jesus only after we have studied the Torah and have some idea of what it is all about. - Preface

Reprint of the original, first published in 1876.

CD-ROM contains: Introductions and verse-by-verse commentaries to Genesis and Mark's Gospel -- Logos Library System.

About the Book Book 2 in a series of six write-ups of all the old bibles and new masses at some of the Christians's known bible and masses such as Catholic and Coptic, Baptist Protestants at one reference. About the Author Sobhy Fahmy Amin Iskander enjoys building churches and partaking in church activities. He is an avid fan of all things sports.