Worship in Ancient Israel

Worship in Ancient Israel is a history of worship in Israel, from the age of the patriarchs until the New Testament period. The author begins by discussing the faith of the patriarchs and the ways in which the worship of Yahweh came into Israel. He goes on to discuss aspects of this worship during the monarchy: the cult, the temple, psalmody, and the relation of prophecy to liturgy. The institution of the Synagogue is then considered, and the final chapter of the book deals with the forms and the spirit of worship. Professor Rowley reviews all the current arguments upon the subject with his usual sound judgement. ""It is my hope,"" he says, ""that I may have stimulated interest in an aspect of Old Testament study which has been far too long neglected and which is today commanding the increasing interest of scholars."" Worship in Ancient Israel is an expansion of the Edward Cadbury Lectures delivered in the University of Birmingham in 1965. H. H. Rowley (1890-1969) was one of the leading Old Testament scholars of the twentieth century. After serving with the Baptist Missionary Society in China (1922-29) and teaching for sixteen years in Wales, he was Professor of Semitic Languages at the University of Manchester. Among his many publications are The Relevance of Apocalyptic, The Re-discovery of the Old Testament, The Biblical Doctrine of Election, From Joseph to Joshua, The Faith of Israel, and From Moses to Qumran