We’ve talked in previous episodes about how the best way to understood the original context of the biblical writers is to immerse yourself in the worldview of the civilizations with which the biblical writers had regular contact. We’ve already spent several episodes on my recommendations for accessing the texts of the ancient Near East and Second Temple period – the intellectual output of the civilizations and cultures that form the original contexts of the Old and New Testaments. In this episode and the next, I want to recommend the best books and reference sources for understanding the religion and culture of the ANE and Second Temple period. Scholars who are steeped in this material have produced many essays explaining the worldview of these civilizations and how that worldview matters for biblical study and interpretation. My goal is to direct you to the best of those resources. As is our pattern, we’ll devote this episode to the ANE, the context for the OT, before moving to the Second Temple period, the context for the NT, in the next episode of the podcast.
Books and Reference Works on Ancient Near Eastern Texts and Worldview
Most Recommended Reference Works for OT Study in Ancient Near Eastern Context
Sasson (ed.), Civilizations of the Ancient Near East/4 Volumes Bound in 2 Books (v. 1 & 2)
Baker (ed.), Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series)
digital version
Williamson (ed.), Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series)
digital version
Enns (ed.), Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series)
Boda (ed.), Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets (IVP Bible Dictionary)
van der Toorn, Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, Second Edition
digital version
Monographs
Ancient Near East
History and Culture:
Hoerth, Mattingly, Yamauchi (eds), Peoples of the Old Testament World
White, Everyday Life in Ancient Egypt
von Soden, The Ancient Orient: An Introduction to the Study of the Ancient Near East
Bertman, Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia
Mertz, Red Land, Black Land: Daily Life in Ancient Egypt
Van de Mieroop, A History of Ancient Egypt (Blackwell History of the Ancient World)
Van de Mieroop, A History of the Ancient Near East ca. 3000 – 323 BC [Blackwell History of the Ancient World Ser.]
Ancient Mesopotamian Religion (Sumer, Assyria, Babylon):
Schneider, An Introduction to Ancient Mesopotamian Religion (History of Religion)
Bottero, Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia
Jacobsen, The Treasures of Darkness: A History of Mesopotamian Religion
Black, Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary
Ancient Egyptian Religion:
Pinch, Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt
Pinch, Egyptian Myth: A Very Short Introduction
Teeter, Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt
Assmann, The Search for God in Ancient Egypt
Old Testament Israel:
The Old Testament Worldview in Ancient Near Eastern Context (General):
Walton, Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible
digital version
Walton, The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate
Israelite Religion:
Miller, The Religion of Ancient Israel (Library of Ancient Israel)
Smith, The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel (Biblical Resource Series)
digital version
Hess, Israelite Religions: An Archaeological and Biblical Survey
digital version
Mettinger, In Search of God: The Meaning and Message of the Everlasting Names
Culture and Life in Ancient Israel:
Wells, Everyday Law in Biblical Israel: An Introduction
de Vaux, Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions (Biblical Resource)
Dever, The Lives of Ordinary People in Ancient Israel: When Archaeology and the Bible Intersect
Ebeling, Women’s Lives in Biblical Times
