Haggai and Zechariah 1–8, Volume 25B in the acclaimed Anchor Bible part of the Scripture known as the Minor Prophets, were written during a critical period in Israel’s history, the momentous return of the Jews from Babylonian exile. Following the conquest of Babylon by the Persian Empire, the Israelites sought to reestablish their ethnic and religious legacy in Judah. This was a time of profound turmoil and uncertainty, and Haggai and Zechariah provided a crucial measure of support and inspiration. They rallied Israel’s energies and exhorted their fellow countrymen to heed the word of God. Under their guidance the Jews restored the Temple at Jerusalem, which had been destroyed by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar. Together the two prophets guided Israel through an important transitional epoch, and reconciled the influences of Persia’s dominion with the sacred traditions of the Hebrew people. In this illuminating new translation and commentary, Carol and Eric Meyers consider the Book of Haggai and the first eight chapters of the Book of Zechariah in a linguistic, social, and historical context. They underscore the literary artistry, the political acumen, and the prophetic authority of these fascinating volumes that proved so vital to the survival of Israel and the preservation of the Jewish faith.

Haggai, Zechariah 1-8 (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries)

Reference

Meyers, Eric M.

Meyers, Carol L.

Encyclopedias & Subject Guides

Yale University Press

This commentary and new translation of Zechariah 9-14 continues the appraoch adopted in the authors' 1987 Anchor Bible volume (25B) on Haggai and Zechariah 1-8. Authors Carol and Eric Meyers are perhaps uniquely qualified for this work because of their backgrounds in biblical archaeology and the social sciences. Employing the highest standards of pilological, literary, and historical research, they shed light on many enigmatic passages and offer an entirely new perspective on the history of Israel and its religion in the Persian period. Whereas many scholars have viewed this point in the history of Israel as a time of deterioration of the beliefs and practices of biblical religion, the Meyerses paint a picture of an innovative and vibrant community struggling to maintain its identity within a rapidly changing world dominated by the mighty Greeks and Persians. In the face of this the author of Zechariah 9-14 makes extensive and transformative use of earlier biblical writings and of the sayings of previous prophets, and articulates a radically new view of Israel's future. The Meyerses are the first modern commentators to see in these ancient texts the central role played by the Greco-Persian Wars in shaping the postexilic Restoration Community of Israel and its views of an expansive and glorious future. And althought Zechariah 9-14 is often regarded as the swan song of biblical prophecy, the Meyerses clearly demonstrate that the new modes of prophetic discourse found within this text helped biblical religion to meet one of the greatest challenges in its long history.

Zechariah 9-14 (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries)

Religion & Spirituality

Christian Books & Bibles

The definitive book on the archaeology of Palestine from Alexander the Great’s conquest to Constantine’s reign Drawing on the most recent, groundbreaking archaeological research, Eric M. Meyers and Mark A. Chancey re-narrate the history of ancient Palestine in this richly illustrated and expertly integrated book. Spanning from the conquest of Alexander the Great in the fourth century BCE until the reign of the Roman emperor Constantine in the fourth century CE, they synthesize archaeological evidence with ancient literary sources (including the Bible) to offer a sustained overview of the tumultuous intellectual and religious changes that impacted world history during the Greco-Roman period.
The authors demonstrate how the transformation of the ancient Near East under the influence of the Greeks and then the Romans led to foundational changes in both the material and intellectual worlds of the Levant. Palestine's subjection to Hellenistic kingdoms, its rule by the Hasmonean and Herodian dynasties, the two disastrous Jewish revolts against Rome, and its full incorporation into the Roman Empire provide a background for the emergence of Christianity. The authors observe in the archaeological record how Judaism and Christianity were virtually undistinguishable for centuries, until the rise of imperial Christianity with Emperor Constantine.
The only book-length overview available that focuses on the archaeology of Palestine in this period, this comprehensive and powerfully illuminating work sheds new light on the lands of the Bible.

Alexander to Constantine: Archaeology of the Land of the Bible, Volume III (The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library)

History

Chancey, Mark A.

Ancient Civilizations

In this important study, two active field archaeologists, one Jewish and the other Christian, combine in an attempt to draw an accurate picture of rabbinic Judaism and Christian origins in Roman Palestine on the basis of both historical literature and archaeological findings. Their work includes important material previously accessible only in other languages, including modern Hebrew. Writing for students and others concerned to arrive at a balanced understanding of Palestine in the first century AD, the authors are concerned to establish a general picture rather than to argue for particular hypotheses; above all, they document by archaeology and epigraphy the great diversity there was in early Palestinian ,Judaism and early Christianity. They also make out a case for far more contact between,Jewish and Christian communities than has ordinarily been assumed possible. After examining the cultural setting of Galilee and the question of regionalism, together with the context of early Christianity and Palestinian Judaism in Jerusalem, Nazareth and Capernaum. they look in detail at the languages of Roman Palestine, Jewish burial practice and views of afterlife, evidences of-Christianity in Palestine and synagogues, art and the world of the sages. There are maps, drawings and diagrams of synagogues, and a final chapter discusses the place of Palestine in Jewish and Christian theology.

Archaeology, the Rabbis and Early Christianity

Strange, James F.

World

SCM Press

Haggai Zecharaiah 1-8, volume 25B in the acclaimed Anchor Bible, part of the Scripture known as the Minor Prophets, were written during a critical period in Israel's history, the momentous retum of the Jews from Babylonian exile. Following the conquest of Babylon by the Persian Empire, the Israelites sought to re-establish their ethnic and religious legacy in Judah. This was a time of profound turmoil and uncertainty, and Haggai and Zechariah provided a crucial measure of support and inspiration. They rallied Israel's energies and exhorted their fellow countrymen to heed the word of God. Under their guidance the Jews restored the Temple at Jerusalem which had been destroyed by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar. Together the two prophets guided Israel through an important transitional epoch, and reconciled the influences of Persia's dominion with the sacred traditions of the Hebrew people. In this illuminating new translation and commentary, Carol and Eric Meyers consider the first eight chapters of the book of Zechariah in a linguistic, social, and historical context. They underscore the literary artistry, the political acumen, and the prophetic authority of these fascinating volumes whoch proved so vital to the survival of Israel and the preservation of the Jewish faith.

Haggai, Zechariah 1-8 (Anchor Bible Series, Vol. 25B)

Doublday & Company

The Cambridge Companion to the Bible is unique in that it provides, in a single volume, in-depth information about the changing historical, social and cultural contexts in which the biblical writers and their original readers lived. The authors of the Companion were chosen for their internationally recognised expertise in their respective fields: the history and literature of Israel; post-biblical Judaism; biblical archaeology; and the origins and early literature of Christianity. The Companion deals not only with the canonical writings, but also with the apocryphal works produced by Jewish and Christian writers. The historical setting for the entire range of these biblical writings is depicted and analysed in this volume, with abundant illustrations and maps to assist the reader in visualising the world of the Bible.

The Cambridge Companion to the Bible (Cambridge Companions to Religion)

KEE, Howard Clark

Rogerson, John

Saldarini, Anthony J.

Cambridge University Press

The Cambridge Companion to the Bible, Second Edition focuses on the ever-changing social and cultural contexts in which the biblical authors and their original readers lived. The authors of the first edition were chosen for their internationally recognized expertise in their respective fields: the history and literature of Israel; postbiblical Judaism; biblical archaeology; and the origins and early literature of Christianity. In this second edition, all of their chapters have been updated and thoroughly revised, with a view towards better investigating the social histories embedded in the biblical texts and incorporating the most recent archaeological discoveries from the Ancient Near East and Hellenistic worlds.

The Cambridge Companion to the Bible (Companions to Religion)

Levine, Amy-Jill

Americas

The Cambridge Companion to the Bible

A major settlement in the Roman and Byzantine periods, with its earliest inhabitants stretching back to at least the Persian period, Sepphoris has been intensively excavated by several teams, including Duke University in the 1980s and 1990s. This volume brings to a close a series of three reports detailing the findings of these excavations. 
Sepphoris III is organized into three parts: the first part provides a general overview of the Duke project and the chronology of the site, followed by detailed stratigraphic discussions of all of the excavated areas as well as a series of pottery plates supplementing the pottery presentation in Sepphoris II. The second part covers various aspects of the numerous stepped pools that were discovered on the western summit of the site. The third part offers comprehensive presentations of all the major artifact types recovered during excavation, with a list of all excavated loci and a section of color photos.
Richly illustrated with hundreds of photos, drawings, and plans, this important publication is essential for specialists in the archaeology of early Judaism and Christianity in the Holy Land.

Sepphoris III: The Architecture, Stratigraphy, and Artifacts of the Western Summit of Sepphoris (Sepphoris Excavation Reports)

Gordon, Benjamin D.

Eisenbrauns

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