Böcker av Jon L. Berquist

This text takes the reader through the Hebrew Bible to examine ancient Israel's ideas of the body, the unstable role of gender, the deployment of sexuality and the cultural practices of the time. It looks at the logic of ancient social meanings and contrasts them with contemporary social theory.

Berquist provides a useful initiation into the political and intellectual history of Judaism during the two centuries of Persian rule. Joseph Blenkinsopp, University of Notre Dame This lively account of the influence of Persian history on Hebrew Scriptures, and the people whose faith they express, places the emphasis exactly where it belongs.... Students will welcome this clear introduction not only to the period, the time when a surprising amount of the Bible was written, but also to the issues of method that any serious study of the Bible must address. The book is wonderfully concise yet thorough, informed yet selective, leading the reader at a refreshing pace through the almost astounding number of people, events, changes, tensions, and conflicts. Robert B. Coote, San Francisco Theological Seminary A lucid historical overview as well as original research, an invaluable resource for the study of early Judaism. The diverse religious responses in the Persian period offer a way of thinking about religious pluralism in our own time. David L. Petersen, Iliff School of Theology

The book of Ezekiel begins with a strange vision, full of chariots and fire, living creatures with wings and too many faces, and a throne floating through the air. It ends with a vision of a new era for God's people--the beginning of a new manner of life with God. In between are some of the most puzzling passages in all of prophetic literature. Ezekiel's meaning for our times is not an easy one to grasp. In this insightful and highly readable study, Jon Berquist leads the reader through a lucid exploration of Ezekiel's complex visions. The result is a moving account of one prophet's wrestling with the issue of God's ever-surprising presence.

Their stories are as varied as the women who lived them--provocative, poignant, often painful. But they are not readily accessible to us. The voices are muted. The shapes and textures are blurred and easily distorted.Can the stories of Old Testament women of faith be reheard and reclaimed in an empowering way by women and men today? With remarkable sensitivity and a keen awareness of his own unavoidable male biases, Jon Berquist casts new light on Eve and Sarah, Lot's wife and Jephthah's daughter, Ruth and Esther, and others. This timely volume serves as a valuable resource for rediscovering the multiple witness of biblical women that has all too often gone unnoticed in the church's faith and life.