Description
Have we any right to speak of the religion of ancient Israel? Are there connections between the religion of the patriarchs, that of the tribes who remained in Canaan and that of the Israelites who took part in the exodus and who experienced the period of wandering in the wilderness? To such questions Vriezen provides answers, based on textual, literary and archaeological evidence.
Through church and synagogue the Old Testament has influenced western Christendom. But it is also separated from us by a great gulf – of time, space, culture, thinking and belief. Vriezen provides a valuable guide to the Ancient Near East and to Semitic civilisation and religion, explaining the background to many disputive questions relating to Old Testament scholarship.
About the Author
Professor Theodore C. Vriezen was Professor of Old Testament Studies at the University of Utrecht (Netherlands).
Contents
I. Introduction
II. Israel’s Religion Against the Background of the Religions of the Ancient East
Israel and the surrounding world
Some parallel phenomena that illustrate the relationship
Cohesive and distinguishing aspects of ancient Semitic religions in general
The religion of Egypt
The religion of Babylon
The Phoenician-Canaanite religion
The Aramaean religion
The religion of some Transjordanian peoples
The Edomites
The religion of the North Arabian tribes
The character of Israel’s religion
III. Religious Life at About the Year 1000
Yahweh, the God of Israel
Holy places
Some Social Factors
VI. The Prehistory
V. Yahweh
VI. The Victory of Yahwism
VII. New Forms of Life, State and Religion
VIII. The Great Prophets
IX. Reformation and Downfall
X. Regeneration and Recovery
XI. Centralization and Disintegration
Notes
Abbreviations
Indexes
