Böcker av Mark E Biddle

A Time to Laugh draws on Mark Biddle's command of Hebrew language and cultural subtleties to explore the ways humor was intentionally incorporated into Scripture. With characteristic liveliness, Biddle guides the reader through the stories of six biblical characters who did rather unexpected things. Biddle offers the reverence due the Scriptures and provides a fresh focus on their depth in such a way that readers can learn to "get the joke" on their own. A Time to Laugh is a winning, scholarly, funny book, not necessarily because Biddle himself is funny (although he is), but because faithful ancient writers recognized the comic in what God ordained and in how God's people behaved in response.A native of Ft. Payne, Alabama, and educated in the public schools of Orange County, Florida, and Dekalb County, Alabama, Mark E. Biddle holds degrees from Samford University, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Rueschlikon Baptist Theological Seminary, and the University of Zurich. In addition to editing the Reading the Old Testament series, he is the author of Deuteronomy in the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary series.

This volume of the Reading the Old Testament series on the book of Judges presents a number of significant challenges related to social contexts, historical settings, and literary characteristics. Acknowledging and examining these difficulties provide a point of entry into the world of Judges and promises to enrich the reading experience. How should we read the book of Judges? For several decades, biblical scholars have been debating the merits of two contrasting approaches to biblical interpretation: a synchronic approach, which attempts to see the text as a whole, as opposed to a diachronic approach, which asks questions about history and development of the text.This commentary draws on historical-critical methods to shed light on this historic period and the role of Judges in Israel's history. At the same time, Mark Biddle acknowledges that the relevance for the modern reader lies in the text as a whole and not in the details of its developmental history. Biddle also tackles the kinds of issues (violence, patriarchy, tribalism) that may inhibit our ability to receive this text as inspired Scripture. This volume makes clear that the power of this biblical narrative derives in large part from its unvarnished portrayals of human foibles and failures-and of God's steadfast commitment to a relationship with humankind nonetheless.A native of Ft. Payne, Alabama, and educated in the public schools of Orange County, Florida, and Dekalb County, Alabama, Mark E. Biddle holds degrees from Samford University, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Rueschlikon Baptist Theological Seminary, and the University of Zurich. In addition to editing the Reading the Old Testament series, he is the author of Deuteronomy in the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary series.Praise for Reading Judges