'What did people such as priests and prophets do in Israel? How were they chosen and trained? How did ordinary people's relationship with God work out? This volume is a fine user-friendly guide to what we can learn about such questions from the Bible, from archaeology and from current scholarly theory.' John Goldingay, Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary Exploring the Religion of Ancient Israel consists of two parts. The first explores the major religious offices mentioned in the Old Testament, including prophets, priests, sages and kings. As well as considering what these key people said and did, the author traces the process someone might have gone through to become recognised as a prophet, priest or sage, and where you would have had to go in ancient Israel if you wanted to locate someone who held one of these offices. In the second part the focus is on the religious beliefs and practices of the "common" people as this was the group that made up the vast majority of ancient Israel's population.

A comprehensive and balanced introduction to the religious and social world of ancient Israel

About the Author
Aaron Chalmers is Dean of the Faculty of Ministry Practice and Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies, Tabor Adelaide - a multi-denominational, evangelical college located in Adelaide, South Australia.

Reviews
Chalmers has provided students with a solid first step for navigating the complexities of the religion of ancient Israel. His sensitive distinctions between state religion (involving the experts) and family religion (as practiced by the common people) evidence his awareness of the current conversations and will be particularly helpful for those desiring to read the Old Testament in more informed ways. -- John Walton, Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, Wheaton College
Chalmers accomplishes his goal to provide an accessible introductory text to the religion of ancient Israel for the beginning student or non-specialist. Exploring the Religion of Ancient Israel is well balanced and researched. Chalmers navigates well between various extremes and. . .effectively brings out the nitty-gritty of 'real life' in ancient Israel. -- Journal for the Evangelical Study of the Old Testament
What did people such as priests and prophets do in Israel? How were they chosen and trained? How did ordinary people's relationship with God work out? This volume is a fine user-friendly guide to what we can learn about such questions from the Bible, from archaeology and from current scholarly theory. -- John Goldingay, Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary



Book Information
ISBN 9780281064816
Author Aaron Chalmers
Format Paperback
Page Count 176
Imprint SPCK Publishing
Publisher SPCK Publishing
Weight(grams) 367g