Book Description
Introduction to Philosophy, 3/e is the most comprehensive topically organized collection of classical and contemporary philosophy available. Ideal for introductory philosophy courses, the third edition of this classic text now includes a general introduction and features eighteen selections new to this volume and an expanded glossary of philosophical terms. A serious and challenging work, it includes sections on the meaning of life, God and evil, epistemology, philosophy of science, the mind/body problem, freedom of will, consciousness, ethics, and philosophical puzzles. This exceptionally successful anthology presents a large number of substantial--and in some cases complete--selections from major works, offering a unique balance between classical and contemporary readings. This third edition adds selections by Plato, Nelson Pike, J.L. Mackie, Elizabeth Anderson, David Lewis, Hilary Putnam, Frank Jackson, John Perry, Peter Strawson, Rosalind Hursthouse, G.A. Cohen, Samuel Scheffler, Debra Satz, and Kwame Anthony Appiah as well as Kavka's Toxin Puzzle and Quinn's Puzzle of the Self-Torturer.
Customer Reviews:
A Very Useful Anthology.......2003-12-07
I have taught introductory philosophy using both the first and the second editions of this book. It is a fine anthology. However, the book is clearly designed to be used in the context of an introductory college course. For that reason, a person who is approaching the book outside of a classroom context might benefit from using it in combination with a reference guide such as the _Oxford Companion to Philosophy_. The book was shortened in its second and third editions, because of feedback the authors received from instructors using it for introductory courses. The first edition included more readings and was not as influenced by the pressures of the college-text marketplace; it is my favorite. The third edition paperback is much easier to carry around, and in fact this remedies a marked failing in the previous editions. It also corrects some typographic errors (previously a minor annoyance.)
a comprehensive and thorough overview.......2001-08-14
I used this book in an intro philosophy course in college and have been looking for it ever since. It presents original texts, plus thoughtful commentary and overviews that did not condense or simplify difficult topics. It is also incredibly thorough - if a work is part of the philosophical canon, it is in here, no matter how obscure. Now that I've found it again, its definitely going into my library as a standard reference text.
Intro to Philo........2000-12-29
This book covers the very basic of philosophy and does its job well. It also provide some sample parodoxes though not extensive. Heavy reading in some area for philosophy is not my strong point. This books resonate with many philosophical discussion to be had. I enjoy most of the readings.
Book Description
A leading expert in New Testament ethics discovers in the biblical witness a unified ethical vision –– centered in the themes of community, cross and new creation –– that has profound relevance in today's world. Richard Hays shows how the New Testament provides moral guidance on the most troubling ethical issues of our time, including violence, divorce, homosexuality and abortion.
"Hays' passionately written book, with its bold agenda, has neither peer nor rival." ––Leander E. Keck, Winkley Professor of Biblical Theology, Yale Divinity School
"There are few people I would rather read for the actual exposition of the New Testament than Richard Hays. This book is filled with wonderful readings that not only inform us about how to think better about the so–called 'problem of the relation between the New Testament and ethics' but, even more, speak of how our lives should be lived in the light of Christ's cross. –Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Studies, Duke University Divinity School
"Richard Hays has succeeded brilliantly in bringing New Testament studies, contemporary theology, and ethics into a deeply reflective conversation... Hays' point is that the New Testament norms the Christian life, and, with the help of imagination and metaphor, can address the moral conflicts of our time." ––Ellen T. Charry, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University
"This book isn't just a breath of fresh air. It's a hurricane, blowing away the fog of half–understood pseudo–morality and fashionable compromise, and revealing instead the early Christian vision of true humanness and genuine holiness. If this isn't a book for our time, I don't know what is." ––N. T. Wright, author of The New Testament and the People of God
Customer Reviews:
Great book.......2006-02-24
I am taking an Independent Studies class with a professor at my high school. We are using this book as a primary source of information to create a Christian ethical response to Genetic Research. This book sets a great basis for understanding and interpretting an ethical Christian response.
Excellent, Balanced Book of NT Ethics.......2006-01-29
Dr. Hays has a very balanced, comprehensive look at New Testament ethics. It is an excellent tool for students, educators and pastors. I have been challenged in my own understanding of ethics through reading this book.
THE Book on New Testament Ethics.......2005-08-09
This is certainly a monumental work in the field of New Testament ethics. Frankly, I don't think I could find a volume to match it anywhere. Richard Hays does and excellent job of intereacting with the bulk of the New Testament, examining the methdological questions of New Testament Ethics, exploring other ethicist's use of the New Testament and offering a coherent framework for constructing a New Testament ethic grounded in the focal images of Community, Cross and New Creation.
In the first section of the book, Hays treats the various blocks of NT material, treating the Pauline writings, the so-called deutero-pauline letters, Matthew, Mark, Luke-Acts, John, an excursus on the "Historical Jesus" and the Revelation. These chapters are all very well-done and illuminating. Hays' exegesis is profound and articulate and his willingness to embrace the theological perspectives of the New Testament texts, in all their radical dimensions is quite striking and welcome. The only unfortunate point in this section involves what is left out, namely nearly all the general epistles and many of the Pauline letters. Of course, one can only do so much in one book, but on a books that seeks to investigate the ethics of the entire NT, I would have hoped for a bit more comprehensiveness.
All throughout this section Hays emphasizes allowing the NT text to speak with diverse voices, not attempting any facile form of harmonization. However, in the second section, he does attempt to discern a coherent ethical thrust that can be used to find a unifed perspective throughout the NT. Hays locates this in the three focal images of Community, Cross and New Creation. This focus on community emphasizes the centrality of the church in the NT as well as the church's continuity with Israel. The Cross (and resurrection) is of course the central event in the New Testament which both acomplishes God's salvation and is paradigmatic for the life of the people of God. Finally, New Creation points to the eschatological tension that undergirds the NT. New Testament ethics are centered in the reality that in Christ's cross and resurrection, the age to come has truly broken into the present age, and yet the final consummation of the kingdom is not yet. It is these three large scale focal images that Hays sees running consistently throughout the NT, providing a coherhent basis for a unified New Testament ethic that is able to see a coherhent unity without squelching the diversity in the NT texts.
The third section moves on to discuss and critiqu different ways ethicists have used Scripture. Hays examines Reinhold Niebhur, Karl Barth, John Howard Yoder, Stanley Hauerwas and Elizabeth Schussler-Fiorenza. In the end Hays is the most critical of Niebhur, Hauerwas and Schussler-Fiorenza. Yoder and Barth (though in certain respect, Hauerwas as well) end up becoming Hays' major hermenutical allies in discerning how the construct a New Testament ethic.
In the final section, Hays brings all his previous constructive work to bear in addressing several important "ethical issues." He discusses violence in defense of justice, divorce and remarriage, anti-Judaism and ethinic conflict, homosexuality and abortion. Generally his discussions are very helpful. His chapters on violence and homosexuality are worth the price of the book in themselves. However his chapter on anti-Judaism I found particularly disappointing. Hays seemed to end up seeing an irreconcilable contradiction between the perspectives of Paul and Luke on the one hand and Matthew and John on the other. In the end he opts for Pauls and Luke's perspective and argues that Matthew and John should essentially be ignored on this issue. While his attempt to allow diverse texts to speak is admirable, I don't know how faithfully we approach scripture if we allow diverse text to speak only to dismiss the ones we disapprove of.
Nevertheless, as a work, this volume is unparalleled. There simply is no better, more comprenehsive book on New Testament ethics. Highly recommended.
Wanting for Authority.......2003-03-03
Richard Hays has undertaken a highly important project. He is attempting to devise a system of morality for the modern era based on New Testament ethics. He approaches the subject systematically, attempting to discern what exactly it was that New Testament writers thought on a variety of subjects, from abortion to violence. Sometimes, his conclusions are exactly those of the writers themselves. However, on homosexuality, his conclusions are a bit forced. He does not seek to discourage it (though several NT authors do, most notably Paul in Romans), perhaps out of fear of offending some within society. But, he does not encourage it either. In the end, he effectively eliminates the possibility of homosexual union, but does not go so far as to impose abstinence on such persons, regardless that the Bible (more than just the NT) regards the practice as an "abomination." Therefore, Hays loses an opportunity to take a definitive stand on a subject. His inability to follow a strict line of interpretation therefore throws into doubt the rest of his conclusions, not for their lack of validity, but simply by association. In that regards, while Hays has taken an important step to get us thinking about such matters, he has more or less failed to provide anything of any real substance because on one point he refuses to draw his conclusions based on a strict biblical exegesis.
Comprehensive but flawed and frustrating.......2002-08-09
Richard Hays does a commendable job of meticulous research about the New Testament witness to vital ethical issues. He attempts to demonstrate the continuing relevance and importance of the New Testament towards pressing contemporary issues like war/peace, sexuality, divorce and abortion. The greatest strength of Hays' book is that it is a comprehensive work of reference; he really gets into the detailed text of much of the New Testament.
However, in my view, Hays' contemporary application is disappointing. As another reviewer has commented, Hays basically throws in the towel on abortion, even though he concludes that it is wrong from a Christian ethical perspective. He simply dismisses any action by the Church to modify or change the current permissive abortion regime as it exists under Roe v. Wade. This is the one public issue that the Church apparently has no business addressing in the "public square," unlike race, poverty, and so on. Hays does not explain why the Church should adopt this stance, other than repeating the tired liberal cliche about not legislating morality (or something like that). Further, Hays adopts a nasty, mean-spirited tone in his refutation of pro-life Scriptural exegesis. Hays may well be correct, but there is no reason for his arrogant personal attacks on people with different views. Hays seems to have a strong dislike of pro-lifers in general, which I believe warps his discussion of abortion.
I am also disappointed by his limp conclusion to the issue of homosexuality. After marshalling considerable evidence that the New Testament does not approve of homosexuality, Hays refuses to draw the necessary conclusions regarding church discipline. Just like with abortion, on the issue of sexuality, Hays adopts the shopworn liberal approach of saying "I don't approve of this, but I won't impose my views on others." Of course, this again begs the question as to why it is OK to legislate morality in some ethical areas but not in others.
In short, this book deserves a "4" or "5" for its Biblical studies, but a "1" or "2" for its contemporary application.
Customer Reviews:
China as an economic monolith.......2007-09-17
The editor takes a very biased view of China as an ecomonic entity as its main contribution to the world and China's identity. The other writers give a much more well-rounded view of China and Chinese people, and the overview chapter on China's history is excellent. My only complaint about the textbook as a whole is that while explaining that the use of 'Yangtze' (a tributary) instead of Chiang Jiang for the entire river is incorrect, it uses 'Yangtze' anyway and alternates between talking about the river and the tributary and Yangtze valley. This becomes very confusing.
Enhanced with maps, tables, statistics, and photography.......2003-01-04
Compiled and edited by Robert E. Gamer (Professor of Political Science, University of Missouri-Kansas City) Understanding Contemporary China offers an impressive and diverse body of contemporary scholarship focused upon economic, political, social, cultural, geographic, literary, environmental, and historical aspects of China. Enhanced with maps, tables, statistics, and photography, Understanding Contemporary China ranges from Stanley W. Toops' "China: A Geographic Preface"; to John Wong's "China's Economy"; to Ma Rong's "Population Growth and Urbanization"; to Laurel Bossen's "Women and Development"; to Chan Hoiman and Ambrose Y. C. King's "Religion"; and more. Understanding Contemporary China is a seminal body of work and a very strongly recommended addition to China Studies academic reference collections and supplemental reading lists.
Average customer rating:
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Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary Readings
Louis P. Pojman
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Book Description
Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary Readings, Third Edition, is a highly acclaimed, topically organized collection that covers five major areas of philosophy--theory of knowledge, philosophy of religion, philosophy of mind, freedom and determinism, and moral philosophy. Editor Louis P. Pojman enhances the text's topical organization by arranging the selections into a pro/con format to help students better understand opposing arguments. He also includes accessible introductions to each part, subsection, and individual reading, a unique feature for an anthology of this depth. While the book focuses on a compelling sampling of classical material--including selections from Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant--it also incorporates some of philosophy's best twentieth-century and contemporary work, featuring articles by Bertrand Russell, Richard Taylor, John Searle, Thomas Nagel, and others. This third edition contains an expanded glossary, more extensive section introductions, and twelve new selections: Karl Popper: "Epistemology without a Knowing Subject" Richard Rorty: "Dismantling Truth: Solidarity versus Objectivity" Daniel Dennett: "Postmodernism and Truth" Bruce Russell: "The Problem of Evil: Why is There So Much Suffering?" David Chalmers: "Against Materialism: Can Consciousness Be Reductively Explained?" Baron Paul Henri d'Holbach: "A Defense of Determinism" Michael Levin: "A Compatibilist Defense of Moral Responsibility" Plato: "Socratic Morality: Crito" Herodotus: "Custom Is King" J. L. Mackie: "The Subjectivity of Values" Louis P. Pojman: "A Critique of Mackie's Theory of Moral Subjectivism" Thomas Nagel: "Moral Luck"
Customer Reviews:
An Interesting, Well-Written Overview.......2001-01-08
This book is enjoyable to read. A person who knows nothing about contemporary classical music can read this book and know about the lives and the music of all of classical music's most important composers. It tells about the distinguishing features of the composer's musical work in general and goes in to more depth on several of modern music's most important compositions. I highly recommend this book.
Book Description
This comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date book provides information and analysis for a complete examination of contemporary China and its political and economic developments. Chapter topics include the origin and rise of the Chinese communist movement: from military communism to Deng's reforms; the erosion of Chinese communist ideology: Marxism-Leninism, Mao's thought, Dengism, and the thinking of Jiang Zemin; political institutions of the party-state: structural issues and the policy process; Elites and the Cadre System: leadership style, factionalism, succession, and recruitment; reform for a creditable Socialist legal system; provincial and local politics: centralism versus regionalism, national minorities, and the case of Tibet; Greater China: reversion of Hong Kong and Macao, and the Pearl River delta regional development, and the Taiwan Question; The military's role in Chinese politics; democracy, dissent, and the Tiananmen mass movement; the politics of modernization: rural and urban economic reforms; and the politics of modernization: education, science and technology, the open door policy, and the intellectuals. For individuals interested in Chinese politics.
Customer Reviews:
An Excellent Introduction to a Fascinating Continent.......2005-05-21
I loved this book. It's extremely well-written, sensitive, and demonstrates a wealth of knowledge about African cultures, politics, religions, economies, gender relations, and, in one of the best chapters in the book, literature. You don't often see such a skillful sketch of the impressive African novels and poems that have been written in the past few generations.
This is the perfect book to assign to students who have no exposure to anything African (which, unfortunately, is most undergraduates). Although it's an introduction to the topic, those who know a great deal about it will find that almost all of it resonates with the other literature they have read, whether historical, political, or otherwise. It's a very compassionate and progressive look at Africa. All modern challenges to the continent are presented so that students get a multi-dimensional look at Africa's struggles. Environmental and agricultural problems are presented in tandem with economic and political ones, so that students will have a real context in which to put all future readings about Africa. But unlike so many African books, the text provides sections such as the one on literature, to show that Africa has many achievements, instead of focusing only on negativity, as unfortunately many books on the topic do. At the same time, it does not gloss over the tragedies on the continent and their causes, and difficult topics such as the AIDS crisis are treated in a sensitive manner.
It is a great book and I can't imagine there's one better out there. However, were I to make suggestions to the editors they would be the following:
1. The historical section could be slightly larger. The historical context is dealt with in one chapter, and yet a more extensive discussion of certain historical events would help students better understand some of the continent's present difficulties.
2. The literature section could be extended to include popular culture, music, every day entertainments, festivals, etc. Students would enjoy some additional stories showing the richness of so many African cultures. Although the literature section does this, it could do so more thoroughly.
3. The economic section would benefit from more success stories. Although it has an excellent discussion of the crushing debt burden and the role of international financial institutions in African economies, which students must know about, it would help to see some dicussions not just of how local business and initiative is stifled, but descriptions of these businesses.
I've read some fascinating things about African entrepreneurship and ingenuity in industry against all kinds of odds. Although many of these efforts were stifled by the state, I think students would benefit from knowing about dynamic efforts such as these.
3
Understanding Contemporary Africa.......2001-02-14
Understanding Contemporary Africa is a general textbook that is perfect for introductory courses in African studies. Authors of the various chapters are university-level scholars and teachers of history, political science, sociology, religion, and African studies. The subjects covered are African history, politics, national economies, international relations, population growth and urbanization, the environment, familial structures, women's effect in society, religion, and literature. There is an entire chapter devoted to South Africa.
This book contains many helpful references. Full page maps are near the beginning of the book, showing major physical features, the ITCZ and vegetation zones, natural resources compared to railroads and navigable rivers, early states and empires, colonies in 1914, and current countries and their capitals. I needed to refer to them often enough that I put a paperclip on the pages. Table 5.1 is a current export chart. Each chapter ends in a lengthy bibliography for further study. At the end of the book, acronyms are defined and there is a thorough glossary to which I referred many times. Basic Political Data is the third appendix. Each country is traced from independence to the present day in terms of its leaders.
Although the book suffers from sweeping generalizations, many times these are acknowledged by the authors. There are too few examples of these generalizations for my own taste. I personally prefer more "real people" stories to demonstrate points being made. This does not detract from the excellence of this intended introductory textbook for college-level African studies courses.
The last chapter of the book leaves the reader on the upbeat. There is hope for Africa in the current generation of young, educated middle and upper class men and women. They are seeing a bright future for Africa with hope in place of despair. Autocrats are being replaced with democratic leaders. Small businesses are on the rise; this is always a healthy sign in an economy. Health services and public education have increased since independence. The book closes with the observation that it will take a world partnership with Africa to make things work to neutralize the long term effects of exploitation of the African continent.
Book Description
Ži žek is hailed as the most significant interdisciplinary thinker of modern times. His work is a powerful, often explosive combination of Lacanian psychoanalysis and philosophy which tests key psychoanalytical concepts against the ideas of major European thinkers, especially Hegel. It has ignited enthusiasm and stimulated new approaches across a vast range of disciplines, and seems to be attracting an ever-growing readership. In part, this is because Ži žek himself has a panoramic range of interests encompassing film studies, literature, cyber culture, ethics, theology and, above all, politics. It is also because he is a highly entertaining writer, having a flair for anecdote, a smutty sense of humour and the knack of capturing complex ideas in concrete form.Sarah Kay 's book provides a lucid and comprehensive introduction to Ži žek 's work. His writings to date are presented and evaluated here for the first time, together with an outline of their development and explanations of his key premises, themes and terms. This book will be essential reading for students of cultural studies, literary studies, philosophy and social and political theory.
Customer Reviews:
A great first introduction.......2007-05-29
If you've never read Lacan, and you're reading Zizek for the first time, this introduction is for you.
Kay's text is a great foray into Lacanian aspects of Zizek's thought, and, in fact, makes a decent introduction to Lacan himself (although it purports not to be such). Compared to Ian Parker's introduction, I prefer how Kay begins: with the problems of conceptualizing the Lacanian real. This forms her first two chapters, and the subsequent ones make individual
passes at the real from the angles of sexual difference, ethics, and (finally) politics. Kay writes with progressively broader strokes and only concludes with the Lacan, Hegel, Marx triad. This progression is the easiest and best way to get a foothold on Zizek's thought (rather than begin with Marx, as Zizek himself frequently does in his writings).
Highly recommended as a first introduction (though why not read Zizek himself?--The Sublime Object of Ideology and, especially, Looking Awry are good places to start).
utterly useful, well worth a flatter Mate!.......2003-10-30
The buzz of Slavoj Zizek is eminently important, fascinating and politcally useful within today's cultural force fields at work. Zizek has found a combustible energy between philosophy and the omnipresence(largely Hegel) and psychoanalysis(Jacques Lacan forever)."We love you Jacques. . . " So whether he speaks/writes about "The Matrix"(Loaded or Not-Loaded), or Kieslowski's "Decalogue",Hitchcock, Lenin, Christianity, cyberspace, junkspace or other competitors,(quite recently) as the late Deleuze of currently Alain Badiou, Zizek locates his triggering points in how objects are pitted against the real and can delude us and seem important, like a prostitute's gaze/or flick of the eye toward her prospective john. So fantasy becomes one place for focus and popular culture abounds in the fetish of the Cult,what is marketable(another pathway into Marx),and one of Zizek's most fertile breeding grounds where his work has spawned and is chocked filled with objects to discuss as they are hardened against the death-drive, the end of time as we know it, the Buzz turned Off. So we,(our culture,our objects) become in a state of "acceleration" as Virilio(within another context) has referred to as the "dromos",the "running or race".
The Real, The Imaginary, and the Symbolic are three cyclical/ellipitical Lacanian icons of discourse that forever revolves within Zizek's thought,be it politics of culture,or cyberspace and consequently ours. For the Real, is Real(real) wherever it may interface with the human object.
This is an utterly useful book, a virtuosity of intellectual thought/,creating a capsule like profile of such a formidible thinker, explaining his vast philosophic Helegelian energies expanding over 20 years of Zizek's work. Kay knows how to break apart/and impeccibly analyze Zizek's vast edifice.She touches on all his primary texts,most of which are far from breeze-easy reading.In that there is always a synthesis, a coagulative process at work finding Hegel in cyberspace or Lacan in Hitchcock, or truth in Lenin. But she defends this endeavor as well worth a flatter, the exepnditure of time. Zizek is a livily impassioned speaker,often throwing wonderful jokes, quips,shibboleths, incidentals, and dirty humour into the texture of his thought written or spoken.Kay's remarkable job here is locating points of developmental alchemy and longevity within Zizek.
Zizek having experienced first-hand the break-up of the Soviet empire/ satellites, Zizek has been an important instigator/speaker toward committment into the ethics and the political, Desiring(as I understand here) a Marxism without Marx, and a Lenin without anyone. Lenin? Ethics? Now, What For? The fascination here is magnetized toward points of hardened committment,vision,cohesion,agenda something quite rare within After-postmodernity hopscoth ontology. In that we(our cognitive faculties,our cultural products)seem to move/mulitply/accrete (and die) at such great speeds. Lenin(in Zizek's eyes) had vision for success, The Revolution. This is given meaning further with his recent fascination with Paulist Christianity,Belief and the work of Alain Badiou, a philosopher who has been reconstructing the philosophic edifice,perceptive pieces from the French deconstructive,(In that Derrida can only summon the complaisance of Marxian "ghosts" as explaining reality Now)and virtuosic post- structuralists(Baudrillard,Lyotard)both representing a kind of escapism of the past three decades.Badiou has been useful for Zizek in the search for the truth "event", that truth never finds itself impacted within a system, but truth always is determined by its past, a point Zizek finds worth developing.
Kay quite clearly brings a forward looking narrative to this in Zizek's forever search at expansion from the kernel of Hegel/Lacan/Marx.There is also a useful Glossary of terms.
Customer Reviews:
A general, easy-to-read, history of Israel up to the Roman Period.......2007-03-31
While the mid-east is probably the most excavated area on the planet, there is only a very very small amount of information available about the ancient days. The best anyone can do is to take that and propose what must have actually happened. The difference in the history of Israel is the existence of the Bible, a source which, depending on the reader contains a lot, some, or no historical information at all. All archaeologists, all people fall somewhere on the scale from the extreme maximalist who sees the Bible as 100% accurate to the extreme minimalist who see it as 100% fiction. Personally, I think both positions are untenable.
Since I am not an archaeologist, though, it doesn't really matter what I think. The authors of this book appear to be close to the middle (a totally objective position) or slightly toward the view that the Bible contains some useful information and an effort should be made to dig (no pun intended) it out.
SO, that gives us a history of Israel and that region that seems to be fairly mainstream. There are some added features though. The author writes consistently about the problem of a social coercion and how it doesn't fit in with true religion. He also explains the cycle of phases that religions experience. The prologue, formative, adaptive, traditional and reform periods comprise this cycle. He begins with the important prologue period and emphasizes the importance of understanding its contribution to a cultures religion. He takes us through the formative and traditional periods and ends with a discussion of reform. He links Christianity closely to Judaism through this cycle.
This text is written for the general reader. By design, there are no footnotes but, as the author indicates, there is a well-organized suggested reading list at the end of each chapter. And each of those sources offer more sources for the interested person.
Overall, this history is easy to read and for most read, fairly non-controversial. The Biblical places, times and events of the Hebrew Bible that are supported by archaeology are pointed out and so are those that are not. Anyone not at one extreme or the other should learn from this book.
Pleasant but lightweight.......2002-06-15
This book appears to be designed as a text book. Each chapter has a section which outlines further reading and the book is full of illustrations and diagrams.
The book deals with a difficult subject but is generally pleasant and non dogmatic. It is reasonably short and easy to read.
To put the book into context, some years ago it was thought that the bible was an accurate historic record of both Israel and the Jewish people. Modern archeology has created some big doubts about the historical accuracy of the bible.
For example the book which discusses Abraham mentions the use of camels. It would appear that in the relevant period camels had not been domesticated. An examination of Egyptian records shows no mention of the tribes of Israel as a captive source of labour at any time in its history. There is no mention of their escape and the destruction of an Egyptian Army in the Red Sea.
The bibilical account of the conquest of the holdy land by Joshua describes the siege of larged walled cities such as Jerico. An examination of the historical record shows that these cities to the extent that they existed were small and unfortified. Lastly it would seem that there is no real evidence that the Davidic Kingdom existed as descibed in the bible.
These findings have led to a number of schools of thought. One school suggests that the books of the bibal which purport to be a historical record are in fact things which were written centuries after the occurance as a means of providing a rallying call for the state of Judah. That the writtings were more of a form of propoganda to inspire the present than being a record of the past.
Mendenhall's book is an attempt to find a sort of middle way, which can reconcile parts of the biblical record with the historical record. He thus suggests that the basis events in the bible occured but they have been subsquently exagerated. Thus the exodus did occur but it would have been a smaller group. There would have been some form of Davidic Kingdom but it would have been smaller.
One interesting part of the book is the section on the ten commandments. Mendenhall argues convincingly that instead of being "laws"these were more commitments that would identify individuals as the members of the religous group.
In general terms a pleasant book, but one in which the basis of the writting is one of faith rather than hard evidence.
An Unbiased look at Biblical Archeology........2002-02-11
Written mainly from a Near Eastern context and an archeological perspective, this is one of the few texts that are written about the historical elements of the Bible that does not attempt to fictionalize the stories within. Although, the author clearly does not take each piece of scripture literally this book should not offend anyone but the most stubborn. So if your convictions are rigid, you will not like this book. However, if you are open to other perspectives outside the Christian dogma, you will find this text educational and not offensive.
The three main points that lead me to recommend this book are; 1. The author's exposition of the Ten Commandments which will surprize most Christians but not Hebrews. He mainly confirms the reason why Hebrews refer to them as the "Ten Utterances," or as the author prefers, the "Ten Commitments." He does so with a comparison to the ancient treaty construction which I found refreshing. 2. His basic outline of how and in what order religion evolves. What I appreciated most concerning this was his treatment of Christ as a reformer and not some revolutionary with some brand new religion as he is mainly portrayed by most even within the Church. All of which, fall right into line with those Christians that understand their Hebraic roots. 3. The diversity of those involved with the Exodus and the subsequent nature of the kingdom. All of these points are widely misunderstood among Christianity.
Unfortunately, although not necessarily uncalled for, the author provides ample evidence of Israel's idolatry. I'm not quite sure why this isn't common knowledge and I'm not sure why this idolatry necessarily negates a principle faith in God, but it does in some people's minds and therefore this exposition is probably necessary.
The only real disagreement I had with the author is the assumption that the Bible teaches a massive invasion and subsequent wipeout of the indigenous people of the land. For instance the Bible makes it clear that God would allow the Hebrews to conquer the land gradually as shown in Exodus 23:29-30. Although the author prevents evidence to support these verses, his assumption is that the few instances of Joshua's utter annihilation were the norm, or at least perceived to be the norm. If his assumption is the former, I strongly disagree, if the later I can appreciate the manner in which his case was made.
Overall, this is a well written text written in a non-combative style that is a nice change from most of the other archeological texts concerning the Bible.
Excellant overview of the topic........2001-11-29
When I studied ancient near eastern history years ago, one of the more frustrating regions to gain insight into was the Levant. The area was rife with petty and ephemeral kingdoms contending for supremacy among their peers and for survival in the face of the imperialistic enterprises of the mightier rulers on their world scene. Rarely were these more than infrequently mentioned names. The notable exception was, not surprisingly, ancient Israel whose history, mythology, and culture are still known to most of us through the mechanism of the written work popularly known as The Old Testament. Though it contains information about many of the players in the political drama played out in the region over several thousand years, it is not an easy document to use. Dr. Mendenhall in his book Ancient Israel's Faith and History has done a superlative job of presenting the material in a very clear, organized, and informative manner.
One of the problems with studying the Bible as a historical document lies in the fact that it has such a diverse history of its own. The authors of various portions of it had their own motives, information sources, and world view, the redactors their own set, modern day interpreters theirs, etc. As Dr. Mendenhall writes in his preface, "Through the ages, whether through ignorance or malice, the Bible has frequently been misinterpreted, misunderstood, and misused (p. xvii)," and he notes that the "scribes were less interested in understanding their own history than they were in exploiting it (p. xviii)."
Nor are the motives of ancient scribes the only source of difficulties. Modern day scholarship has also lent it`s particular spin to Biblical interpretations. Again in Mendenhall`s words, "Modern biblical scholars--who should be in the best position to help our understanding--are themselves frequently hamstrung by the enormously broad range of requisite knowledge (including ancient history and languages) and by the inability or unwillingness to separate their scholarship from the presumptions and orthodoxies of their peer groups (xvii)."
Dr. Mendenhall does not seem to suffer from any such problem. According to the forward by Gary Herion, the gentleman has an extensive knowledge of ancient languages, a first hand knowledge of modern day local cultures in the Middle East, and a knowledge of the archaeology of the area. In reading the book, I would also add to this list, that I found very little to indicate a religious bias of his own to defend. He approaches the subject with the objectivity and organization of one who is fond of puzzels and their solution.
In writing his book, which bears clear signs of its origin in lecture notes, Dr. Mendenhall has methodically begun at the beginning. The introduction to Ancient Israel's Faith and History begins, not with the biblical narrative, but with a description of religion itself. He asks and answers five questions: What is one`s religion, what are religious communities, what does religion actually do, how are religious values transmitted, and how does a religious system change over time? He also enumerates and describes five key "observations" or "laws" about religion: The law of transference, the law of functional shift, the law of elaboration, the law of contrast, and the law of finality. And finally he sets out how religions develop: The prologue to the religion, the formative period, the adaptive period, the traditional period, and the reform period. Armed with this instructive information, the reader is able to follow the author's progress through the various books--and by them the history--of ancient Israel and its religion.
Of most interest to me was the formative period of Israel's post exilic years of which he provides a very cogent discussion. Anyone who has studied the Bible as history knows of the Habiru, of the Hyksos, of the Merneptah stele, and so on, but Dr. Mendenhall brings these early years into far greater perspective. Certainly his discussion of the Ten Commandments as ten commitments makes the history of the Exodus and its later effect on Israel's development and ultimate collapse as an ancient state clearer.
Of some significance is the pertinence of the work to modern day events in the Middle East. In his discussion of the meaning of some of the commandments in the historical context of their development, Mendenhall makes some very important points, especially with respect to values. When one realizes that what one values most and fears the loss of most is what is "worshipped" in one's culture, one can see why those with a stricter sense of "godliness" and commitment, like the members of the Taliban community or of Bin Ladin's followers, would find the western world's habit of valuing possessions to be godless behavior, and to some extent it is.
Of importance too, at least to me, is the gentleman's inclusion of a short bibliography at the end of each chapter which provides the reader with sources of further information. Although Dr. Mendenhall is himself now retired, the bibliographical entries vary widely in date. Included are works like Gurney's The Hittites, Samuel Noah Kramer's The Sumerians, and John Wilson's The Culture of Ancient Egypt, all dating to the 1960s. Later works like Sheler's Is the Bible True? (1999) and Frerichs and Lesko's Exodus: the Egyptian Evidence (1997), suggest that he has kept his overall knowledge base current. Journal articles, however, seem to be 1980 and earlier, which suggest that he may be falling behind in the venue of the professional literature.
Overall I found this a very readable, informative and interesting book. I would recommend it highly to anyone with an interest in the history of the ancient world, in Biblical history, or in the history of the bible itself. It would make a nice gift for a religious person who enjoys studying the bible and who is able to do so with an open mind. For those who are inclined to view the Bible and religion from a more rigid perspective, I suspect it would offend their sense of Divine Word.
A Masterwork of Biblical History.......2001-08-17
George E. Mendenhall has been described by eminent students of the Bible as one of the most creative American scholars of the ancient Near East in the twentieth century. Yet his fundamental work is largely unknown outside the guild of professional historians, philologists, and archaeologists. Now a comprehensive account of his reconstruction of the history of ancient Israel is available in a beautifully edited, attractively produced form. It can be understood and appreciated even by those who haven't mastered the technical tools of the professional scholar.
His pre-eminent interest, studied over a period of some six decades, has been the origins of ancient Israel. In Mendenhall's view, it is in Israel's origins that we find the essential clues to the interpretation of all subsequent Israelite history-including the appearance of Jesus of Nazareth and the early Christian Church some 1200 years after the time of Moses. A brief review such as this cannot hope to do justice to the enormous wealth of material in this superb book. I will attempt only a sketchy summary of each chapter.
Introduction
First he posits several illuminating general principles for understanding the phenomenon of religion, which are applied throughout the following chapters to Israel's particular historical phases.
Abraham to Moses
Then Mendenhall surveys the later part of the Bronze Age (2500-1200 B.C.) in the Eastern Mediterranean, covering the rise and fall of empires. He also characterizes (the main thrust of the chapter) the emergence, from at least 2000 B.C. onward, of numerous groups of "Apiru"--people who altogether disavowed political loyalties. He cites linguistic reasons for associating "Apiru" with "transgressor" or "outlaw." Apiru groups, lacking any legal protection, survived via banditry, mercenary militarism, or by converting agricultural assets to movable livestock and escaping to uninhabited regions inaccessible to political authorities. The less fortunate among them were prey to enslavement as state laborers--as were thousands of Apiru in Egypt.
Moses and the Exodus
Moses' leadership of the "exodus" of a few hundred Apiru from Egypt is tied in Biblical tradition (correctly, in Mendenhall's view) to two revolutionary religious innovations: monotheism in which the defining characteristic of God ("Yahweh") is ethical concern; and the use of a new form for the mediation of this Yahwism--the Covenant, derived by analogy from the forms and functions of international suzerainty treaties in use already for a millennium.
The Twelve-Tribe Federation
Mendenhall continues his historical reconstruction to the formation in two stages of the Twelve-Tribe federation of ancient Israel, created and sustained by the Mosaic Covenant, which put into practice the seemingly exotic notion of a state-less society.
David and the Transition to Monarchy
The federation functioned for about two centuries; pressure by Philistines accelerated the decline in morale and prompted desires for the institution of a political state capable of dealing more effectively with them. Samuel himself foresaw this move as the repudiation of Yahweh and the Covenant. Mendenhall illuminates the ingenious strategy then employed by David and the pagan bureaucrats inherited from the defeated Jerusalem to construct a synthesis of Yahwism and paganism, for which he adopts the term "Yahwisticism".
The Legacy of King Solomon
With King Solomon the "re-paganization of Israel" reached new heights. Mendenhall relates how Solomon's building program--involving the imposition of the corvée labor from which the Apiru slaves had escaped with Moses!--provided a new Phoenician Temple for the theologians and a swell Hittite palace for the king. "Yahweh," once the repudiator of coercion, had become merely the new "Baal," the Bronze Age hypostasis of state legitimacy and power. Mendenhall limns the intricate, unscrupulous struggles among Solomon's successors, and correlates the poetic oracles of Hosea and Amos to the ongoing upheavals of state, bringing into relief their invocation of the old covenantal elements.
Josiah Reforms the Imperial Religion
Mendenhall next turns to the fate of the kingdom of Judah and the biblical literature catalyzed by its history. He presents the historical preparation for Josiah and the latter's reforms. He also offers insights into the perverse consequences of the failure of Sennacherib's siege of Jerusalem during Hezekiah's reign (the unwarranted confidence that Yahweh's highest priority was the protection of Jerusalem and its Temple).
Destruction and Exile: The Creative Reform of Yahwism
The destruction of Jerusalem predicted by Jeremiah (and Ezekiel) was a catastrophe for Israel-as-Davidic-Dynasty and produced enormous suffering for countless hapless individuals. Meditations on it by some of the greatest religious geniuses of history are enshrined in various Biblical writings, especially Jeremiah and Ezekiel; Job (the book is worth having for this section alone); and "Second Isaiah." But the universalizing re-expression of Israel's covenant faith by these writers was just one response to the Exile. With the return of the exiles to Palestine under the Persian Cyrus, Ezra and Nehemiah wrote another new chapter in the evolution of Yahwism.
Jesus and the New Testament Reformation
Reading the New Testament in the light of the Old Testament makes it clear that Jesus' message hearkens back to the Covenant faith and the inspired re-expressions and adaptations of it by the great prophets. In a word, it was a creative reformation movement within the tradition of Israel's faith. Mendenhall throws a flood of light on "the Kingdom of God," "Messiah," "Law," and on "covenant" itself as it reappears in the Christian Eucharist.
Summary
This magnificent book by one of the towering figures in Biblical scholarship throws an arresting new light on the universal significance of the ancient ethical-religious vision of Moses and pre-monarchic Israel. It shows how, despite the ever-changing vicissitudes of Israel's history, this vision reappears, creatively readapted, in the prophetic legacy, in the Exile, in Jesus and the early Church. It is well worth having just for the fascinating word-studies to be found throughout the text. No one who takes its insights seriously can look at either the Bible or the surviving religious institutions in the same way. I believe it should be read and deeply pondered by all who are committed to the life of faith.
Book Description
Contemporary art has never been so popular - but what is 'contemporary' about contemporary art? What is its role today, and who is controlling its future? Bloody toy soldiers, gilded shopping carts, and embroidered tents. Contemporary art is supposed to be a realm of freedom where artists shock, break taboos, flout generally received ideas, and switch between confronting viewers with works of great emotional profundity and jaw-dropping triviality. But away from shock tactics in the gallery, there are many unanswered questions. Who is really running the art world? What effect has America's growing political and cultural dominance had on art? Julian Stallabrass takes us inside the international art world to answer these and other controversial questions, and to argue that behind contemporary art's variety and apparent unpredictability lies a grim uniformity. Its mysteries are all too easily explained, its depths much shallower than they seem. Contemporary art seeks to bamboozle its viewers while being the willing slave of business and government. This book is your antidote and will change the way you see contemporary art.
Books:
- Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang (Jacob Two-Two Adventures)
- Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato
- Journal to the Self: Twenty-Two Paths to Personal Growth - Open the Door to Self-Understanding by Reading, Writing, and Creating a Journal of Your Life
- Just So Stories
- Kushiel's Chosen (Kushiel's Legacy)
- La Profecia Celestina: Una Aventura
- Law of Attraction: The Science of Attracting More of What You Want and Less of What You Don't
- Letting Go: A 12-Week Personal Action Program to Overcome a Broken Heart
- Lost Girls
- Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs
Books Index
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