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| Introduction to the Hebrew Bible | 
 enlarge | Author: John J. Collins
Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishers
Category: Book
List Price: $49.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (11 reviews)
Sales Rank: 108457
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 700
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.8
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 7 x 1.7
ISBN: 0800629914
Dewey Decimal Number: 221.61
EAN: 9780800629915
ASIN: 0800629914
Publication Date: March 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Delightful and Doubtful March 21, 2006
19 out of 30 found this review helpful
Collins presents a rather interesting read. His book by book breakdown of the Hebrew Bible Scriptures is easy to read, and even enjoyable to parouse. A major pitfall of the book is that it provides deep doubts about the validity of Scripture without adequate information or data backing up such negative claims-- namely that a majority of the stories are folklorish in origin, solely for the purpose of explaining God's nature without fact, etc.-- and seems to be aimed more at disproving the Scripture's validity than studying the meaning behind Scripture. Many times Biblical scholars are able to state the intent of a Biblical passage without casting such deep shadows of doubt over how they should be read, their originality/validity, etc. Such a dark casting of the Scriptural sources seems hardly helpful to the student of these Scriptures. Yet it is also impossible to state that Collins fails to offer interesting information and historical background; this he achieves through several very well stated parallels to Ancient Middle Eastern lengends, stories, and other pieces of literature that clearly had an effect on the development of the Hebrew Bible. With plenty of delight but a bit too much doubt, this book is definitely an interesting and insightful read.
 Great overview October 16, 2005
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
This is a great overview of Biblical content and the main issues facing Biblical scholarship. An excellent resource for any student of Biblical literature, at all levels.
New Study of the old old texts October 12, 2005
10 out of 14 found this review helpful
Collins in a straight forward fashion brings the complexities of the Hebrew Bible in an understandable way. He clearly states an overview of scholarship of a particular topic and then provides a compact review of current ways of thinking. I particularly like his book by book overviews. His charts and eaze of language makes the text readable and enlightening. I also like the CD included in the version which give more flexability in studying the text.
Collins will be ranked with Bright in the study of the Old Testament and yet making it accessable to the advanced student reader.
 Rude and Shortsighted September 6, 2005
18 out of 46 found this review helpful
Collins' book is a shortsighted and often rude introduction to the Old Testament and its corresponding history of interpretations. Collins treats his modern vantage point with such arrogance that it is simply embarassing to read him dismiss the OT as 'legendary and folkloristic' without providing evidence for such claims. Certainly there is better scholarship out there, if at least more humble. Teachers and students can do much better.
At the time of this writing I am a Princeton Theological Seminary student.
An Excellent Book - Highly Recommended July 20, 2005
15 out of 15 found this review helpful
This is an excellent book, which is exactly what it claims to be an "Introduction to the Hebrew Bible". It will be welcomed by all who want a scholarly, balanced and clear introduction to the difficult topic of the Hebrew Bible. In over 600 pages the Hebrew Bible is discussed, based on solid research. However Professor Collins does not get bogged down excessively with erudite "on the other hands", which might confuse excessively.
Professor Collins skill as a teacher in Yale comes through clearly, as he covers such an amount of material with expertise and knowledge.
This book fulfills a real need for educated, interested readers who wish to gain an insight into the Hebrew Bible, which underlies our civilization.
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