I and II Esdras is Volume 42 in the Anchor Bible series of new book-by-book translations of the Old and New Testaments and Apocrypha, each by a preeminent scholar. Jacob M. Myers is Professor of Old Testament at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg and the author of three earlier volumes in the series: I Chronicles and II Chronicles and Ezra, Nehemiah. The present work constitutes the first English commentary on I Esdras in sixty years and the first on II Esdras in forty. Written about 10 BCE, I Esdras is a history ranging from the pious reign of Josiah to the religious reforms of Ezra. For this period Josephus follows I Esdras in his Antiquities of the Jews. An apocalyptic work, written 250 years later, II Esdras seeks to offer strength, courage, and hope to those whose faith was severely shaken in the gloom and despondency that followed upon the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Its chief purpose was to inspire trust in God and the ultimate triumph of righteousness, if not in this world, then in the world to come. "Tracts for the times such as II Esdras," writes Dr. Myers in his preface, "have a message for us who in a revolutionary age are obsessed with the impatience reflected by Ezra; it was not that he lacked faith in God but that he, like Job, questioned his ways and the delay, perhaps seeming inactivity, in the face of what appeared to the prophet to be terrible urgencies. The questions posed are still asked in the context of our age." Eight photographs of ancient Near Eastern sculpture and coins help the reader visualize both the events recounted in I Esdras and the apocalyptic imagery in II Esdras. Each book has its own introduction and bibliography.

I & II Esdras: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (The Anchor Bible #42)

Religion & Spirituality

Myers, Jacob

Christian Books & Bibles

Anchor Bible

Esther, the biblical book named after the beautiful Jewish woman chosen by the Persian King Xerxes to be queen, is a story of love, political intrigue, and religious faithfulness. Carey A. Moore combines his treatment of scholarly issues with an engaging explanation of the popular Jewish festival of Purim. One of three biblical books named after women (Esther, Ruth, Judith), Esther reads like a novel, with its fast-paced, action-packed story. Drawing on ancient tales of court intrigue and midrashic sources, the author captivates the reader with the story of Queen Esther, her uncle Mordecai, King Xerxes, and the the royal court's villain, Haman. The story not only entertains, it also explains the origins of the Jewish festival of Purim. Moore deftly deals with the scholarly issues peculiar to this book without sacrificing his sensitivity to its literary quality. The uncertainty that Esther should be included in sacred Scripture stems from its apparent lack of religious elements, its absence at Qumran, and its questionable historicity. Moore takes up these issues, carefully explaining and weighing prevailing scholarly theories before registering his own conclusions on the origin, date, and purpose of the book of Esther. Carey A. Moore is Chairman of the Department of Religion at Gettysburg College, Pennsylvania.

Esther (The Anchor Bible, Vol. 7B)

Carey A. Moore

This is Volume 17A of The Anchor Bible, a new book-by-book translation of the Bible, each complete with an introduction and notes. Psalms III (101-150) is translated and edited by Mitchell Dahood, S.J., Professor of Ugaritic Language and Literature at The Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. Having closely examined the original text, Father Dahood has attempted a unique translation which relies heavily on contemporary linguistic evidence. His work stresses the relation of the Psalms to the Ugaritic texts found at Ras-Shamra, and to other epigraphic discoveries along the Phoenician littoral. This translation tries to capture as much as possible--within the limits of language and the scope of present scholarship--the poetic qualities of the original Hebrew. It attempts to render accurately not only the meaning of the Psalms but their poetic forms and rhythms as well. It is particularly responsive to the terse, three-beat metrical line predominant in Hebrew poetry, and it reproduces the parallelism so characteristic of biblical verse. In this process of probing the original, Father Dahood unearths some striking examples of passages previously mistranslated, and arrives at many provocative readings. In addition to an introduction, text, and notes, this volume contains a comprehensive Grammar of the Psalter which makes use of much of Father Dahood's recent work with Ugaritic.

Psalms III, 101-150 (Anchor Bible, Vol 17, Part A)

Dahood, Mitchell

The life and mission of Amos the shepherd and prophet have always fascinated students of the Old Testament. This rancher-farmer from Tekoa, summoned dramatically by Yahweh to prophesy to Israel under the kingship of Jeroboam II (eighth century B.C.E.) about the corruption, injustice, and religious insincerity of his time, has intrigued scholars for centuries. Was Amos' message one of judgment and retribution only, or also of redemption? Noted scholars Francis I. Andersen and David Noel Freedman, authors of the critically acclaimed Hosea, team up to examine and explain this critical segment of the Bible. Using new insights and modern methods, the authors interpret the text clearly, enthusiastically, and with startling perception. Readers will gain a new understanding of the historical, literary, and religious dimensions of the book of Amos.

Amos (Anchor Bible Series)

Francis I. Andersen

David Noel Freedman

William Foxwell Albright

Jeremiah (Volume 21 in the acclaimed Anchor Bible), like most of the prophetic books, is an anthology containing a wide variety of literary forms. This remarkable diversity gives the work a special appeal for students of literature, who find here striking parallels to later writings; for example, in the "confessions" one hears a voice not unlike John Donne's in the Holy Sonnets, and in the war poetry, one is reminded of pieces written two and a half millennia after Jeremiah, the war poems of Stephen Crane. The life of Jeremiah (c. 627-580 B.C.) spanned a particularly crucial period in the history of Judah, the Southern Kingdom. Except for a brief period of independence (under Josiah) she was under successive vassalages to Assyria, Egypt, and Babylonia. In his introduction, John Bright elucidates the historical background of the events described in Jeremiah and clarifies the importance of Jeremiah's role to the history of Israel. The Book of Jeremiah poses extraordinary difficulties for the translator. In addition to coping with the usual--and formidable--problem of converting the classical Hebrew into modern English, the author had also to capture the different stylistic techniques used in the original. This John Bright has succeeded admirably in doing, and the result is a translation notable not only for its accuracy of phrase, but also for its fidelity to style. This volume thereby accomplishes one of the major aims of The Anchor Bible: to rediscover the original, to know its importance, and to feel its impact as immediately as those who first read, or heard, its story.

Jeremiah (Anchor Bible Series, Vol. 21)

Bright, John

Genesis is Volume I in the Anchor Bible series of new book-by-book translations of the Old and New Testaments and Apocrypha. Ephraim Avigdor Speiser was University Professor and Chairman of the Department of Oriental Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Using authoritative evidence from archaeology, linguistics, and comparative religion, the author presents some startling conclusions about the first book of the Bible. He proves, for example, that the famous opening phrase, "In the beginning," is not true to the meaning of the first word, that the designation "Torah" for the Pentateuch is a misnomer, that the best-known stories of Genesis are grounded in pagan mythology. Speiser is an iconoclast in the tradition of Abraham; he exposes the false in order to help achieve truth. As he says in his introduction, he "is not motivated by mere pedantry...but by the hope that each new insight may bring us that much closer to the secret of the Bible's universal and enduring appeal."

Genesis: Introduction, Translation, and Notes (The Anchor Bible, Vol. 1)

E. A. Speiser

The Acts of the Apostles is volume 31 in the Anchor Bible series of new book-by-book translations of the Old and New Testaments and Apocrypha, each by a preeminent scholar. The late Johannes Munck was Professor of New Testament Exegesis at Aarhus University, Denmark. Dr. Munck, who was in the United States in 1964-1965 as Visiting Professor in New Testament Studies at Princeton Theological Seminary, died shortly after his retum to Denmark. The Danish text had been put into English before he died, The manuscript was carefully revised by W E Albright, the co-General Editor of the Anchor Bible series before his death, and Dr. C. S. Mann, the author of the Anchor Bible commentary on Mark. Professor Abram Spiro of Wayne State University and Dr. Leona Running of Andrews University have also been of great assistance. Dr. Spiro's discovery that Acts VII is a tract written by a Samaritan convert has been of crucial importance for our understanding of the beginnings of Christianity. We now know that the roots of the primitive Church struck deep into the subsoil of Jewish sectarian life, including especially the Pharisees, Essenes, followers of John the Baptist and Samaritans. This volume presents rich new evidence for the historical continuity of Judaism and Christianity as well as for the early date and reliability of Acts, which has been systematically down-graded by twentieth-century historians and theologians.

The Acts of the Apostles (Anchor Bible, Vol 31)

Munck, Johannes

Ezekiel, 1-20, is Volume 22 in the Anchor Bible series of new, book-by-book translations of the Old and New Testaments and Apocrypha. This is the first of two volumes on the prophetic book of Ezekiel. It includes: A new translation of the book, followed by textual notes that give readings from such ancient translations as the Greek and the Syrian and from medieval Hebrew manuscripts. Sections titled "Comment," offering clarification of grammar, context, and other details, and "Structure and Themes," a more general literary discussion following each section of translation. Adherence to the Masoretic (traditional Hebrew) text and extensive use of Rabbinic literature. A holistic interpretation showing how many features of the text are interwoven and integrated.

Ezekiel, 1-20: A New Translation With Introduction and Commentary (Anchor Bible, Vol. 22)

Greenberg, Moshe

The Anchor Bible series offers new, book-by-book translations of the Old and New Testament and the Apocrypha, with commentary. This volume on the Book of Daniel has been prepared by two distinguished biblical scholars from the faculty of the Catholic University of America: Alexander A. Di Lella, Professor of Old Testament, and the late Louis F. Hartman, Professor of Semitic Languages. The Book of Daniel was written as resistance literature, to strengthen and console loyal Jews of the second century B.C. who had to endure religious, economic, and social oppression at the hands of Antiochus I. The inspiring stories in which Daniel and his companions Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego survive the ordeals of the lions' den and the fiery furnace dramatize for believers of all time the ultimate test of faith--the willingness to risk one's life for one's beliefs. The Book of Daniel also includes the famous incident of "the handwriting on the wall" and recounts the four vivid dream-visions or apocalypses which, through symbols and signs, offered interpretations of history and predictions of future deliverance. Louis F. Hartman and Alexander A. Di Lella have revealed the profound religious and human dimensions of the Daniel stories. They present Daniel as a colorful and dramatic hero unique in biblical literature--an enduring symbol of hope and salvation for all men and women of faith who must suffer for their beliefs.

The Book of Daniel (Anchor Bible)

Louis Francis Hartman

Alexander A. Di Lella

The Anchor Bible Series, Vol. 29. The Gospel According to John I-XII. A New translation with introduction and commentary by Raymond E. Brown.

The Gospel According to John I-XII (Anchor Bible Series, Vol. 29)

BROWN, Raymond E.

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Anchor Bible publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Anchor Bible