The Immoral Bible: Approaches to Biblical Ethics

by Eryl W. Davies

Overview

Eryl W. Davies discusses the ethically problematic passages of the Hebrew Bible and the way scholars have addressed aspects of the bible generally regarded as offensive and unacceptable.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780567047724
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	09/09/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Eryl W. Davies is Professor Emeritus of Hebrew Bible at Bangor University, UK. His previous publications include Prophecy and Ethics: Isaiah and the Ethical Traditions of Israel (1981); a commentary on Numbers in the New Century Bible Commentary Series, and The Dissenting Reader: Feminist Approaches to the Hebrew Bible (2003)

Table of Contents

Chapter 1


Introduction
The Ethically Problematic Passages of the Hebrew Bible: An Overview
Violence and Warfare in the Hebrew Bible - recent discussions of the subject


Holy War and its Ramifications - the biblical account of the conquest of Canaan in Joshua 6-11
Conclusion

Chapter 2


The Evolutionary Approach


Rise of the Evolutionary Approach - scholars during the latter half of the 19th and early 20th centuries
The Evolutionary Approach and the Holy War Tradition


(a) Advantages of the Evolutionary Approach
(b) Weaknesses of the Evolutionary Approach
Conclusion



Chapter 3
The Cultural Relativists' Approach

The Theory of Cultural Relativism
Cultural Relativism and the Hebrew Bible
Cultural Relativism and the Holy War Tradition


(a) Advantages of the Cultural Relativists' Approach
(b) Weaknesses of the Cultural Relativists' Approach
Conclusion



Chapter 4
The Canonical Approach

Introduction
The Canon within the Canon Approach
The Canon within the Canon Approach and the Holy War Tradition


(a) The Advantages of the Canon within the Canon Approach
(b) The Weaknesses of the Canon within a Canon Approach
The Holistic Approach
The Holistic Approach and the Holy War Tradition


(a) The Advantages of the Holistic Approach
(b) The Weaknesses of the Holistic Approach
Conclusion




Chapter 5


The Paradigmatic Approach

Introduction
The Paradigmatic Approach and the Holy War Tradition


(a) The Advantages of the Paradigmatic Approach
(b) The Weaknesses of the Paradigmatic Approach
Conclusion



Chapter 6


The Reader Response Approach

Introduction
The Reader Response Approach and the Holy War Tradition


(a) The Advantages of the Reader Response Approach
(b) The Weaknesses of the Reader Response Approach
Conclusion


Chapter 7


Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

Davies takes all the strategies seriously and his survey will be of as much value to the general reader as to the specialist.
Church Times

Eryl W. Davies is one of the keen observers of interpretive method in the contemporary study of the Hebrew Bible. In this eminently readable volume, he turns his perceptive eye to ethically problematic texts, especially those tied to "holy war." This volume will help those who study these texts see the implications of their approaches and more carefully craft their interpretive efforts. The concluding chapter articulates nicely a constructive approach to the place of readers in the task of interpretation. Both scholars and students will find much in The Immoral Bible to aid their work. It is a model of how attention to method can actually assist in the task of interpretation.
goodbookstall.org.uk

The Immoral Bible is academic - though totally accessible... There is much in this book to set everyone thinking.
The Catholic Herald

From the Publisher

This volume would serve as an excellent introduction not only to the Canaanite conquest narratives, but also to the broader subject of Old Testament methodology.

Baylor University Nicholas R. Werse