Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions

by Roland de Vaux

Book Overview

Considered by many to be a modern classic, Ancient Israel offers a fascinating, full-scale reconstruction of the social and religious life of Israel in Old Testament times. Drawing principally on the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• ISBN: B0000CL9XO
• Release Date: January 1961
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill
• Length: 592 Pages
• Weight: 2.36 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Judicious, balanced, and recommended

It isn't often that I learn something, great or small, on almost every page of a single book. Where there are less major disclosures, there are niceties of information, but rarely anything so 'nice' that it is exiguous. I normally write more detailed reviews, but not only was there too much for me to cover satisfactorily, that task is really above any analysis of mine. Roland de Vaux masterfully handles a wide array of Old Testament institutions in a compactified yet educative way. The tone is stern, but not polemical, and de Vaux is never hypercritical or excessively conservative. If I do say so myself as a non-believer, I can respect and admire a man of faith in the bible who, unabashed of expressing it, says nonetheless: 'Everything in this sacred past matters to us, for the Word of God is a living thing, and a man is better able to hear its tones if he listens to it in the actual surroundings in which it was first given to mankind' (p. ix.) 'Judicious', 'balanced'...'recommended'--these are the felicitous descriptions.

One of the very best ...

As a researcher of ancient Middle Eastern culture and thought, I found "Ancient Israel" to be one of the definitive volumes ever concerning this relatively vague field. A+.

A Must for any serious student of the Bible

This book is FINALLY back in print in the USA and for a very reasonable price! this is part of Eerdman's "Biblical Resource Series". "The purpose of The Biblical Resource Series is to bring back titles that the scholarly community regards as ESSENTIAL RESOURCES for the biblical thinker of today." This is well organzied so even the beginner can easily find information, and covers Nomadism, Family Institutions, Civil Institutions, Military Institutions, and Religious Institutions. An encyclopedia of sorts! Roland de Vaux (1903-1971) was esteemed both as a biblical historian and as an archaeologist. If you get this book, you also need to purchase Archaeology of the Land of the Bible by Amihai Mazar available here. Both will get you moving in the direction of biblical studies.

Well worth the time to read!

This is a indepth look at Ancient Israel, but not at all dry. The author has a dry wit and great enthusiasm for his subject. Although he uses alot of Hebrew language references, I was still able to understand his explanations. The author's personal faith in the Christian God is evident and refreshing. He is not out to tear apart the Old Testament, but to help other's better understand the life and times in which it was written. For anyone who has had questions after reading the Old Testament, I highly recommend this book. Submitted by Wendy Lang, Orillia, Canada