Anthropology of the Old Testament

By Hans Walter Wolff

Book Overview

The aim of lifework into present for theological consideration the Old Testament witness to the nature of man. It contains detailed studies of the way in which Israelite man was thought of, and of the ways in which the Old Testament describes his physical being. Part two then goes on to look at the context in which Hebrew man lived out his existence, and its notion of time and of the created universe, in which man both worked and found leisure. Part three moves on to the social aspect of man's life, with its institutions, patterns of relationship and moral demands. A concluding chapter sums up the overall picture given in the Old Testament of man's destiny. The book is well translated and readable, and has a very great usefulness for the general reader of the Bible, because of the way in which it fills out the picture of what life was like in Old Testament times. While it is primarily aimed at a theological readership, ft will prove to be an indispensable tool for any study of Old Testament ethics. At a host of points it describes very lucidly the context of moral behaviour in the life of ancient Israel. In line with this it reveals very clearly the possibilities which life offered, and serves in a number of ways to illuminate the reasoning behind Israelite laws. All in all it impresses the reader with a recognition of the inextricable way in which culture, religion and morality are intertwined in the Old Testament. Only by attention to this can biblical morality and the biblical conception of man be understood.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0334000211
• ISBN13: 9780334000211
• Release Date: April 2012
• Publisher: SCM Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Absolutely Critical For Anyone Studing OT Anthropology - Warning: Hebrew Helpful

This book is basically a word study of the Hebrew terms in the OT that relate to anthropology (nephesh, basar, dam, etc.). At least a basic knowledge of the Hebrew vocabulary in the OT will be helpful. Serious students need to own this one.

Do you read the Bible? Get this book

No one in the 21st century understands the Jewish context of the Bible (including the N.T.). If you read the Bible at all you need this book to understand what many things mean. It will clear up the idea of Soul Sheol Life etc... Get it, you will gain new insight into the life of all the Bible folks, even Jesus. So there you go! Get it!

A must-have for any serious Bible student!

This is the definitive book of Old Testament anthropology. I first saw this book referred to as a primary source by several scholarly works, and decided to read the book myself. This book does clearly explain the visually expressive way the Ancient Hebrews viewed the world. Nouns often represented an action: "hands" represented doing, "breath" represented living, "tongue" represented speaking, and "feet" represented moving. Also Wolff creates a compelling argument that the Old Testament Hebrews literally saw the soul as an actual physical member deep within their bodies. "Sheol" and the afterlife, and many other topics are also discussed and explained. This book strongly influenced the way I read the entire Bible, because I feel more able to view the words from the perspective in which the words were originally written.