Publication date 2004 publisher cambridge univ press collection. Nova the bibles buried secrets origins of the written. How the bible became a book william m schniedewind bok. Cambridge university press, 2004 is an extremely timely contribution to the debate about the formation of the hebrew bible. Schniedewinds how the bible became a book cambridge. Its origins through the rabbinic period yale university press, 20 a primer on ugaritic. Schniedewind does a good job keeping the reader interested in the subject. How the bible became a book the numinous power of writing writing and the state writing in early israel hezekiah and the beginning of biblical literature josiah and the text revolution how the torah became a text writing in exile scripture in the shadow of the temple epilogue. In the modern era, we take for granted that the hebrew bible is a textwritten words, displayed in chapters and verse. Schniedewind the problem with this book is that ignores the religious concepts of the words in the bible. Cambridge university press, 2004 is an extremely timely contribution to the debate about the formation of the hebrew. The fascinating story of how we got the bible in its present form actually starts thousands of years ago, as briefly outlined in our timeline of bible translation history.
The textualization of ancient israel schniedewind, william m. Language, culture and literature cambridge university press, 2007 additional books. Schniedewind and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. In this extremely well written book, william schniedewind tackles what has emerged as the most important. Schniedewind is the author of how the bible became a book 4. How the bible became a book combines recent archaeological discoveries in the middle east with insights culled from the history of writing to address how the bible was written and evolved into sacred scripture. Cambridge university press, 2004 is an extremely timely contribution to the debate. Schniedewind cambridge university press buy from indiebound buy from amazon. The hebrew word sefer, usuallytranslatedasbook,meansliterallytext,letter,orscroll. How the bible became a book combines recent archaeoligical discoveries in the middle east with insights culled from the history of writing to address how the bible first came to be written down and then became sacred scripture. There is a ton of information and cool history, as well as explinations of how the bible was created. The textualization of ancient israel kindle edition by schniedewind, william m download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Schniedewind uses archaeology and the study of literacy to argue against leading theories of when the hebrew bible was written.
This book, written for general readers and scholars alike, provides rich insight into why these texts came to have authority as scripture and explores why ancient. Schniedewind, author of how the bible became a book. Sophisticated and broad in its scope and yet easy to follow, this book will certainly become a cornerstone in biblical studies and in the search for the historical ancient israel. How the bible became a book combines these recent archaeological discoveries in the middle east with insights culled from the history of writing to address how the bible first came to be written. General interest how the bible became a book by william m. How the bible became a book lingua franca abc radio. Review of william schniedewinds how the bible became a book. The textualization of ancient israel article in scottish journal of theology 6202 may 2009 with 15 reads how we measure reads. Publishers weekly in this extremely well written book, william schniedewind tackles what has emerged as the most important question in biblical studies of our time the issue of when the ancient israelite accounts and traditions were put in writing. Schniedewind chairs the department of near eastern languages and cultures and is a. Schniedewind chair of the department of near eastern languages and cultures at ucla combines recent archaeological discoveries in the middle east, linguistic anthropology, and insights drawn from the history of writing to present as close an understanding as reasonably possible in this day and age of. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Schniedewind is the author of numerous articles and books, including a primer on ugaritic. His research interests include social history of the ancient eastern mediterranean world, sociolinguistics of classical hebrew, and ancient biblical interpretation.
How the bible became a book combines recent archaeologic. Written for general readers as well as scholars, the book provides rich insight. How the bible became a book combines these recent archaeological discoveries in the middle east with insights culled from the history of writing to address how the bible first came to be written down and then became sacred scripture. In early biblical literature sefer could refer to any written text, although as writing became more common in later periods a more developed. He is the author of six books, including how the bible became a book cambridge, 2004, a. The writing of the five books of the torah is a prominent example of the textualization of ancient israelite religion. Schniedewind, 9780521536226, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. He was the chair of the department of near eastern languages and cultures at ucla and held the kershaw endowed term chair of ancient eastern mediterranean studies. On the one hand, the book of exodus, and particularly the revelation at mount sinai in exodus 1923, serves as a powerful illustration of the bibles disinterest in its own textuality. This book provides rich insight into why these texts came to have authority as scripture and explores why ancient israel, an oral culture, began to write literature, challenging the assertion that widespread literacy first arose in greece during the fifth century bce. Most scholars have followed julius wellhausen in adopting a documentary hypothesis that focuses on j, e, d, and p documents.
Back in 2004, ucla professor of biblical studies and northwest semitic languages, william schniedewind, published his insightful work how the bible became a. Schniedewind has produced a refreshing study, countering some of the extreme ideas of socalled minimalists. How the bible became a book 9780521536226 by william m. Schniedewind takes a somewhat unique approach to the problem, choosing to look at the differences between oral, semiliterate, and literate societies e. How the bible became a book cambridge university press, 2004 social history of hebrew. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading how the bible became a book. The rise of authoritative texts in the late judean monarchy was accompanied by a critique of the written word by those with a vested interest in the authority of the teacher, the community, and the oral. Schniedewind 2004, hardcover at the best online prices at ebay. Yet biblical scholar william schniedewind, the kershaw chair of. How the bible became a book is a welcome addition to biblical studies shelves, as readable and articulate as it is scholarly. On the other hand, the book of deuteronomy integrates the textuality of the torah as a. In a richly textured and revolutionary book, schniedewind argues that the stories traditionally thought to have been written in the 10th and ninth centuries b. Solid popularlevel introduction to the composition history of the hebrew bible. Carr union theological seminary in new york william m.
How the bible became a book by schniedewind, william m. The textualization of ancient israel new ed by schniedewind, william m. William schniedewind on scribalism and the development of. How the bible became a book also explores the movement between orality and literacy and the tension between oral tradition and written texts. How the torah became a text chapter 7 how the bible.
The national catholic weekly exploring the evolution of literature in society and its secular as well as religious ramifications, how the bible became a book is a welcome addition to biblical studies shelves, as readable and articulate as it is scholarly. Most important for a discussion of the development of a written work is the question of readership. How the bible became a book the textualization of ancient israel william m. William schniedewind is professor of hebrew bible and northwest. William schniedewind is a professor of biblical studies at ucla. Textualization in ancient israel cambridge, 2004, william schniedewind adds to this ongoing discussion the issue of the social conditions that allowed for the writing of the bible. The textualization of ancient israel, on librarything librarything is a cataloging and social networking site. Written for general readers as well as scholars, the book provides rich insight into how these texts came to possess the authority of.