Bible Language Tools

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  You Shall Not Kill Or You Shall Not Murder

  $10.95

  Nearly all English translations of the Bible during the last third of the twentieth century have changed the wording of the sixth commandment from “kill” to “murder.” The Hebrew word that appears in the commandment has a broader semantic range than “murder.” Wilma Ann Bailey discusses why the Protestant and Jewish traditions changed the wording and why the Roman Catholic tradition did not. She also examines the impact that the wording will have in the future for people who believe that there is no general prohibition against killing in the Hebrew Bible and why questions of killing that are broader than murder-death penalty and just war-are no longer part of the discussion of this commandment.

  Chapters are “You Shall Not Kill,” “The Sixth Commandment in Evangelical Protestantism,” “The Sixth Commandment in Mainline Traditions,” “The Sixth Commandment in Judaism,” “The Fifth Commandment in Roman Catholicism,” “When ‘You Shall Not Kill’ Became ‘You Shall Not Murder.'”

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  Style And Structure In Biblical Hebrew

  $29.95

  The pages of the Hebrew Bible are filled with stories-short and long, funny and sad, histories, fables, and morality tales. The ancient narrators used a variety of stylistic devices to structure, to connect, and to separate their tales-and thus to establish contexts within which meaning comes to light. What are these devices, and how do they guide our reading and our understanding of the text? Style and Structure in Biblical Hebrew Narrative explores some of the answers and shows scriptural interpretation can be “a matter of style.”

  Part one of Style and Structure in Biblical Hebrew Narrative examines a wide variety of symmetrical patterns biblical Hebrew narrative uses to organize its units and subunits, and the interpretive dynamics those patterns can imply. Part two addresses the question of boundaries between literary units. Part three examines devices that biblical Hebrew narrative uses to connect consecutive literary units and subunits.

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  Ishmael Instructs Isaac

  $34.95

  Jews, Christians, and Muslims trace their roots to Abraham and yet it is a shock to many Bible readers that some of the characters and stories in their sacred text are also found in the pages of Islam’s sacred text, the Qur’an. By exploring the relationship between the Bible and the Qur’an in Ishmael Instructs Isaac, John Kaltner challenges Bible readers to think about their sacred book in new, exciting ways. In doing so, he leads all to a better appreciation of Islam.

  After a brief overview of the text, themes, structure, and use of the Qur’an, Kaltner focuses on traditions that are shared with the Bible. He explains that the Bible and Qur’an contain many of the same themes, figures, and episodes. However, at times, there are significant differences in their descriptions of the same event or figure. By discussing such topics and figures as God, humanity, prophecy, creation, life after death, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mary, Kaltner examines the similarities and differences between the two texts. This comparative method allows readers to better appreciate both what is distinctive about Islam and what it shares with Judaism and Christianity.

  Jews and Christians view Isaac as the son of Abraham in whom the family line continued. Muslims, on the other hand, view Isaac’s brother Ishmael as the rightful heir. This difference must not obscure what is held in common: a belief in the one God and a family-albeit distant-relationship.

  Written for undergraduate and seminary courses on Islam, the Qur’an, comparative religions, inter-religious dialogue, world scriptures, and biblical interpretation, Ishmael Instructs Isaac is also a useful resource for discussion groups in churches, synagogues, and mosques.

  Includes English translations of the Qur’anic texts discussed.

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