Introduction to Biblical Themes in Cultural Context

Introduction to Biblical Themes in Cultural Context presents to students a number of prominent theological themes in the Bible, such as sin, redemption, humanity, and divine presence in the world. It shows how, in the light of a social science understanding of the ancient societies that produced the biblical documents, those themes were plausible and relevant to those societies. Armed with this understanding, students are then equipped to appreciate how these biblical themes came to massively shape today's Western civilization. The text is divided into two parts that address the development and elaboration of these biblical themes in the Old Testament and New Testament, respectively. In Part I, four distinct units cover these themes during the conception, birth, maturity, and collapse of the Nation of Israel. In Part II, two units trace the further development of the themes in the four gospels and in the "New Era" of Jesus' resurrection, the writings of the Apostle Paul, and the Book of Revelation. Introduction to Biblical Themes in Cultural Context is an ideal textbook for undergraduate and graduate-level courses in religion and biblical studies.