The Old Testament: Text and Context

by Victor H. Matthews, James C. Moyer

This substantially updated fourth edition of a classroom standard provides students with an accessible introduction to the literature, history, and social context of the Old Testament.

Written by two seasoned Old Testament professors with distinguished careers, this book pays attention to methodology, archaeology, history, and literary genre. The fourth edition brings archaeology up to date with current discoveries and methods and incorporates new insights from current scholarship. This edition has been restructured to increase its usability in one-semester classes on the Old Testament, improving the book's usefulness for instructors. The book also maintains its student-focused orientation, with revisions throughout to increase its readability.

The Old Text and Context is designed to assist students who are encountering the material for the first time. It includes helpful illustrations, sidebars, maps, study questions, and enrichment activities, making it well suited for undergraduate-level Old Testament courses in university and college settings.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Old Testament, Religion

400 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1994

About the author

Victor Harold Matthews (PhD, Brandeis University) is dean of the College of Humanities and Public Affairs and professor of religious studies at Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. He is the author of numerous books, including Manners and Customs in the Bible, Studying the Ancient Israelites, Old Testament Turning Points, and The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Genesis–Deuteronomy.

Reviews

[cam_omile]

for class

[Mickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I worked through this during Lent and was happily surprised at the amount of detail. I am an archaeologist, have specialised in the early archaeology of the Middle East, and do a lot of Bible study. However, this book enlightened so many things for me. Knowing the context of the prophets and a lot of historical and archaeological “fact-checking” is so important to understand the Bible. This book is brilliant for any student, whether religious (Christian, Jewish, Muslim) or not. I definitely recommend!