The Face of Old Testament Studies: A Survey of Contemporary Approaches

Dill

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Anlnlll

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"The Face of Old Testanrenl Studin is probably_the best attempt to desCribe the

present staie of Old Testamentscbolarmip. The ~thors are an recOgriized sCholars who have contributed significantly to Old Testament studies.They examine an amazing amount of literature and SO give the reader access to most of the important essays and boOks in the last decades. While all of the essays are competent reviews of lhe issues: and the debates. some orlNe eSsays are tbemseh'eS helpful conlributions 10 further thinking about the issues under discussion. 11 will be most useful for anyone teaching Old Teslament" . • -Patrick D. Mij1er, Pri.- etoo 11IeologkaI Seminary -The editors have produced a ~plendid book that will be an importaql reference wad:: in the field and useful both 10 I5eginners and to seasoned students. The editors have

assembled an-impressive series of authors, all ofwbom are competent, some of wh_om are leaders in their fields. The book is immensely well documented ! -' Judgments made on scholarly work are consistently judicious and count on an !Pfonried, well balanced entry intO"the

knowledge of every subject is , this ,...olume ofessays . Contemporary ~ 00' also carefully critiqued. For themselves current state of affaiIs, this C;(perts in their own fields, - T. Desmond ~er. Union Theological C~

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'This collection of essays on the Testament scholars is a welcome addition to the of the Old Testament: The essays.review the thinking Ihroogti a number of issues ilia! have been """? tb, I A magnificent contribution to the stale of Old Testament scholarship." • -WiUem A: VanGemeren, Trinity Evangelical Dhinity School

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"'The editors are to be commended for both the scope and thoroughness of the essays. The contributors 10 this volume represent !he best of e\'3Ilgelica1 scholarship, interacting seriously with the most recent research on a wide range of subjects but maintaining a high view of the Old Testament as a source for understanding the history, culture, and faith of ancient Israel" ---Danie1 L Block, SOuthern Baptist Theological Seminary

~APOLLOS Biblical Studies

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The Face of Old Testament Studies

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David W. Baker is Professor of Old Testament and Semitic languages at Ashland Theological Seminary. With many works to his credit, he is the editor of the ETS Studies series and the coauthor of More Light on the Path: Daily Scripture Readings from Hebrew and Greek His Ph.D . de· gree is from the University of London. Bill T. Arnold is Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is the author of Encountering the Book of Genesis and numerous journal articles and the coauthor (with Bryan Beyer) of Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Sun'e)'. His ph.D. degree is from Hebrew Union College.

The Face of Old Testament Studies A Survey of Contemporary Approaches

Edited by David W. Baker and Bill T. Arnold

~APOllOS

BakerBooks " Oi"';';"Q of l,I • .", !.lock 110=< Co Gnnd Ropido, M ,ish Quarterly Revie'ov Jev.--en;, 1977); ludith (ed_ R. Hanhan, 1979); lob fed. J. Zieg]er, 1982); Nllmeri (cd. J. W We"m;, 1982); Tabit (....:I. R. Hanhan, 1983); Lr.riliclIS (ed, J. W. Wevers, 1986); Ewdus (ed. J . W. We...ef"S, 1991 ). For auxiliary studies see the.series Mitteilungen des Septuaginta-limemehmens (MSU), Abhandlun·

gen der Akademie der Wissen.schaften in Gottingen, Philologisch·hlslorische Klasse (Gauin8en: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht). 8. See R. Hanhart, ·Zum gegenw;!l.nigen Stand der ScptuagintfoT5Chung," in ~ SeplIIagima: 5111diu i'l HOFlouro(lallll WiOiam We'\-'cr5 0" His Sixly-fiflh BirrluJa); ed. A. Pie· lersmil and C. Cox (M ississauga, Onl.: Benben, 1984), J...lS, esp. S-9. 9. J. W. Wevers, "The Building of lhe Tabemade,w JNSL 19(1993): 123-31. This anicle is a popular summary of the detailed study found in idem, Textual Hi.5lury 0( tlU! Greek bodus, MSU 21 (GOtlingen: Vandenhoeck & Rupr=ht, 1991). 10. D. Barthelemy, Us dU'anciers d 'kluila, \'TSup 10 (Leiden: Brill, 1963). 11. To\', Tex.rllalCrilicism, 145.

Traditionally, this designation refers to the Greek lransla tions of Theodotion, Aquila, and Symmach us, which are often referred to as "the Three" in ancient sources, Since it has now become clear that the translation ascribed to Theodotion (who lived in se~ (Madrid, 1981); and A. Sah'C5eIl, Symmad.us in Im hnlaleuch, JSS Monograph 15 (Manchester: University of Manchest.er Press, 1991). 19. To". TuwaJ Criticism, 149: Sanderson. "Ancient Te;