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Opening Israel's Scriptures
Opening Israel's Scriptures is a collection of thirty-six essays on the Hebrew Bible, from Genesis to Chronicles, which gives powerful insight into the complexity and inexhaustibility of the Hebrew Scriptures as a theological resource. Based on more than two decades of lectures on Old Testament interpretation, Ellen F. Davis offers a selective yet comprehensive guide to the core concepts, literary patterns, storylines, and theological perspectives that are central to Israel's Scriptures. Underlying the whole study is the primary assumption that each book of the canon has literary and theological coherence, though not uniformity.
In both her close readings of individual texts and in her broad demonstrations of the coherence of whole books, Davis models the best practices of contemporary exegesis, integrating the insights of contemporary scholars with those of classical theological resources in Jewish and Christian traditions. Throughout, she keeps an eye to the experiences and concerns of contemporary readers, showing through multiple examples that the critical interpretation of texts is provisional, open-ended work--a collaboration across generations and cultures. Ultimately what she offers is an invitation into the more spacious world that the Bible discloses, which challenges ordinary conceptions of how things "really" are.
In both her close readings of individual texts and in her broad demonstrations of the coherence of whole books, Davis models the best practices of contemporary exegesis, integrating the insights of contemporary scholars with those of classical theological resources in Jewish and Christian traditions. Throughout, she keeps an eye to the experiences and concerns of contemporary readers, showing through multiple examples that the critical interpretation of texts is provisional, open-ended work--a collaboration across generations and cultures. Ultimately what she offers is an invitation into the more spacious world that the Bible discloses, which challenges ordinary conceptions of how things "really" are.
464 pages, Paperback
Published June 1, 2019
71 people are currently reading
316 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 29, 2022
Haven't read many books exclusively on the Old Testament, but this is my favorite. Queen Ellen provides a warm bath for folks (me included) who struggle to reconcile the OT. It is doable friends! Each chapter is an essay devoted to a book, and it weaves in and out of interpretation and her own translation, providing contemporary insights when available.
(Trying to finish books from school that we were assigned a fraction to read, more to come)
(Trying to finish books from school that we were assigned a fraction to read, more to come)
November 26, 2025
What a vision…
In this book, Ellen Davis will serve as your sage grandmother with a PhD in Hebrew, Talmud, and gardening. As she sits in her rocking chair and you sit criss cross applesauce on the floor in front of her, she will take you on a grand tour of the Old Testament and open your eyes to the world from as seen by an ancient Israelite.
Along the way she will demonstrate to you an unwavering devotion to the particulars of grammar, history, and genre of each book and text in her interpretation of them.
As your tour guide through ancient Israel, you can trust that she will take you deep into this ancient Jewish story. Sometimes you might wonder if she is lost. Sometimes you will wonder if grandma has lost it altogether. But fear not. Grandma is teaching you a lesson. Ellen is just showing you how to get your hands dirty (she would likely literally encourage this. The woman loves dirt). To get into the nitty gritty work of history and exegesis in order to make faithful interpretive claims. And then to make a faithful attempt at connecting that world to your own. Sometimes the results are questionable. Sometimes they are remarkable. Always they are beautifully articulated and worth consideration.
You’ll have to forgive her for the chapter on Joshua.
You’ll thank her for the chapter on the Psalms.
You’ll bless her for the chapter on Jeremiah and lamentations.
Shalom
In this book, Ellen Davis will serve as your sage grandmother with a PhD in Hebrew, Talmud, and gardening. As she sits in her rocking chair and you sit criss cross applesauce on the floor in front of her, she will take you on a grand tour of the Old Testament and open your eyes to the world from as seen by an ancient Israelite.
Along the way she will demonstrate to you an unwavering devotion to the particulars of grammar, history, and genre of each book and text in her interpretation of them.
As your tour guide through ancient Israel, you can trust that she will take you deep into this ancient Jewish story. Sometimes you might wonder if she is lost. Sometimes you will wonder if grandma has lost it altogether. But fear not. Grandma is teaching you a lesson. Ellen is just showing you how to get your hands dirty (she would likely literally encourage this. The woman loves dirt). To get into the nitty gritty work of history and exegesis in order to make faithful interpretive claims. And then to make a faithful attempt at connecting that world to your own. Sometimes the results are questionable. Sometimes they are remarkable. Always they are beautifully articulated and worth consideration.
You’ll have to forgive her for the chapter on Joshua.
You’ll thank her for the chapter on the Psalms.
You’ll bless her for the chapter on Jeremiah and lamentations.
Shalom
July 23, 2023
THIS BOOK!!!
August 5, 2024
Read it for a seminary class. This was excellent. It's thorough and accessible.
July 28, 2023
Fantastic book! We had about six texts for our intro to OT course. This was among the best of them. The text goes beyond giving you an introductory foundation. Rather the essays dice deeper with insight and gleam new nuggets of information. I was please that it went beyond summarization/cliff notes and provided innovative insights.
October 24, 2022
Incredible and thorough overview of the Hebrew Scriptures.
March 9, 2024
I really appreciate Davis’s voice and exegesis. The chapters are very digestible and interesting.
November 18, 2024
I reallyyyy liked this one!!!! Davis writes beautifully and her insights into the Old Testament are thoughtful, cohesive, and provoke reflection.
Read
March 11, 2025Preferred text over the quarter! Not sure I’d recommend it to read through front to back but super helpful when focusing in on a specific book or period.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews