Story and Faith: A Guide to the Old Testament

Religion & Spirituality

Crenshaw, James L.

Christian Books & Bibles

Macmillan Pub. Co.

In the ancient Near East, when the gods detected gross impropriety in their ranks, they subjected their own to trial. When mortals suspect their gods of wrongdoing, do they have the right to put them on trial? What lies behind the human endeavor to impose moral standards of behavior on the gods? Is this effort an act of arrogance, as Kant suggested, or a means of keeping theological discourse honest? It is this question James Crenshaw seeks to address in this wide-ranging study of ancient theodicies. Crenshaw has been writing about and pondering the issue of theodicy - the human effort to justify the ways of the gods or God - for many years. In this volume he presents a synthesis of his ideas on this perennially thorny issue. The result sheds new light on the history of the human struggle with this intractable problem.

Defending God: Biblical Responses to the Problem of Evil

Oxford University Press

In this groundbreaking new book, distinguished biblical scholar James L. Crenshaw investigates both the pragmatic hows and the philosophical whys of education in ancient Israel and its surroundings. Asking questions as basic as "Who were the teachers and students and from what segment of Israelite society did they come?" and "How did instructors interest young people in the things they had to say?" Crenshaw explores the institutions and practices of education in ancient Israel. The results are often surprising and more complicated than one would expect.Education, for the people who lived in the biblical world, was more than a simple matter of memorizing information and taking tests. It was a search for the hidden plan and presence of God. Knowledge was gained, according to biblical texts such as Ecclesiastes and Proverbs, not only by means of patient observation and listening, but through communication with Wisdom, the feminine incarnation of the Divine. Drawing upon a broad range of ancient sources, Crenshaw examines this religious dimension of education in ancient Israel, demonstrating how the practice of teaching and learning was transformed into the supreme act of worship.

Education in Ancient Israel: Across the Deadening Silence (The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library)

History

Ancient Civilizations

Yale University Press

Scripture scholar James L. Crenshaw captures the ominous, yet hopeful spirit of Joel's prophecy in his New Translation and commentary. Joel's Prophecy has an unexpectedly familiar ring to it. The biblical book of Joel is relevant to our late-twentieth-century world because it confronts an age when people tolerated almost anything, did not want someone telling them how to live their lives, and had difficulty distinguishing right from wrong. It was at once a time of self-indulgence and a time of spiritual decay. The economic and political disparity of the day, combined with widespread social injustice and deviant religious practices, brought about God's judgment on his chosen people, the judahites. Pleading the litany of sins in Joel is like reading the newspaper, things have not changed much in 2,500 years. Leading Scripture scholar James L. Crenshaw's fresh translation of the biblical prophecy of Joel combines the latest research into Hebrew language and literature with down-to-earth insights into how Joel's words relate to the modern world. Drawing upon a thorough analysis of the book's grammar and philology, literary forms and context, religious and social situation, and historical setting, Crenshaw offers the most informed and up-to-date commentary available. For those who want to read and understand Joel, this book is indispensable.

Joel (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries)

Reference

Encyclopedias & Subject Guides

This volume, a part of the Old Testament Library series, explores the book of Ecclesiastes.
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.

Ecclesiastes: A Commentary (The Old Testament Library)

Westminster/John Knox Press

For thirty years, James Crenshaw's Old Testament Wisdom has been the premier introduction to the wisdom books of the Old Testament. That tradition continues with this newly updated edition. This popular textbook introduces readers to the wisdom tradition as well as the biblical books of Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Sirach, and the Wisdom of Solomon. In addition, Crenshaw offers expert analysis of the legacy of wisdom in other parts of the canon and in other cultures, offering new insights and fresh perspectives that can only come from one so well versed on the significance of Old Testament wisdom.

Old Testament Wisdom, Third Edition: An Introduction

A Whirlpool of Torment: Israelite Traditions of God As an Oppressive Presence (Overtures to Biblical Theology, 12)

Fortress Press

This eloquent and penetrating book brings together twenty brief yet powerful sermons that illustrate the move from text to interpretation and contain reflections on the agony and ecstasy of faith in God amid life's adversity. An accompanying selection of meditations also explores the complex terrain of the spiritual journey, and a brief collection of deeply reverent prayers draws the volume to a close, showing that the one who boldly directs hard questions toward heaven also tarries long enough to pray.

Trembling at the Threshold of a Biblical Text

Eerdmans Pub.Co.

Old Testament wisdom: An introduction

"Crenshaw is one of the leading specialists in the Old Testament Wisdom literature. Probably represents the best contemporary introduction to tha literature. Important, provocatiive, readable".---The Princeton Seminary Bulletin.

Old Testament Wisdom: An Introduction

John Knox Pr

For thirty years, James Crenshaw's Old Testament Wisdom has been the premier introduction to the wisdom books of the Old Testament. That tradition continues with this newly updated edition. This popular textbook introduces readers to the wisdom tradition as well as the biblical books of Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Sirach, and the Wisdom of Solomon. In addition, Crenshaw offers expert analysis of the legacy of wisdom in other parts of the canon and in other cultures, offering new insights and fresh perspectives that can only come from one so well versed on the significance of Old Testament wisdom.

John Knox Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Crenshaw, James L.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Crenshaw, James L.