Introductions, annotations, and a selection of handpicked digitized books for online reading. These titles were chosen to enhance the study of the ancient historical and cultural context of the Bible.
Early on in my study of Hebrew literature, I discovered the works of Robert Alter. His focus on the literary features of ancient Hebrew and its unique poteism, its powerful semiotic nature captivated me. Then I ran across his English translations of the Torah and they have enhanced my study...
Amy-Jill Levine is well-known as the general editor for The Jewish Annotated New Testament. In this short book, she interweaves history and spiritual analysis to explore Jesus’ most popular teaching parables, exposing their misinterpretations and making them lively and relevant for modern readers. Jesus was a skilled storyteller and perceptive...
The Testaments of The Twelve Patriarchs is an extrabiblical Jewish book from 2 Century CE. Original English translation by Robert Henry Charles, 1917. The book reports the final words and wisdom of the twelve sons of Jacob, spoken as final charges prior to their deaths....
Jubilees is an extrabiblical Jewish book from 2 Century BCE. Original English translation by George Henry Schodde, 1988. It is an ancient retelling of well-known Genesis stories chronologically structured in multiples of seven and adding up to 49, hence the name....