Introduction to the Bible (The Open Yale Courses Series)

After starting on Prof Hayes Lectures (Open Yale) I'm very thankful for this book!

First, this is a review from a non-denomination Christian. This is a companion book for the Yale free online class about the Jewish Bible. The professor who wrote this did a detailed study. It is an college level, scholarly study, so don't expect an "easy read." However, all of that detail provides context, history, and a better understanding of the events surrounding the writings of the Jewish Bible. I found it to be very beneficial to improve my understanding of the Jewish religion and the differences between the Jewish Bible and the Old Testament.

That is a great introductory book. The point of view is very academic and scholarly, so It won't be the best source for those in search for theological and spiritual readings of Scripture. Nevertheless, It brings great insight to the history and cultural backgrounds of the biblical world, and will surely broaden the repertoire of every student of the Bible, wheter it be a scholar or a believer. I recommend other writings and lectures (available on YouTube) authored by profesor Christine Hayes.The only negative issue I can point out is the bad printing quality: the cover doesn't have the flap, so the corners may begin to tatter. I had to cover the book with self adhesive plastic. Futhermore, it is a glued binding, and not a sewn one. In the future, if much used and worn, the pages might begin to detach from the spine. I believe the book should present superior binding quality to match the price.

The best introduction to the Old Testament (a.k.a. Hebrew Bible) that I have ever read. It's based on Hayes' lectures at Yale, which you can find on YouTube. This book offers an excellent overview of recent scholarship and different interpretations of how the Bible came to be.Hayes also shows clearly how the Old Testament is one book but a collection of books. She shows how some of the oldest texts betray their polytheistic roots, and discusses how enormous the differences between polytheism and monotheism are, and how slowly monotheists came to understand just how radical their revolution was. Hayes dates the development of true monotheism to the period after the catastrophic destruction of the First Jerusalem Temple in 586 BCE.A major driving force of Old Testament writing is the effort to square the circle of how it was that God's "chosen people" fared so badly in a region dominated by powerful empires (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, the Greeks). Biblical writers took very different and contradictory approaches to this question, from the Deuteronomist and other prophets who emphasised God's punishment for sin and/or injustice, to the authors of Job and Ecclesiastes, who promoted an almost stoic acceptance of a God we cannot hope to understand, to author of Jonah, who stressed God's universal love and the eschatological and apocalyptic preachers whose legacy continues to cause havoc to this day.Hayes' perspective on the Old Testament is that of a liberal Jew, and she is more pro-Bible than I am. However, she has not written this book to push a particular line but to give the reader an idea of the perspectives that recent scholarship has opened up. I only wish I had had access to this book a few years ago when I decided to read the Bible from cover to cover. I would have got much more out of it.

Great reference book!Would definitely recommend it to anyone

Thank you very much for provide the very good, and I will going to buy the boook in the amazon!