Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents: The Hebrew bible: An Overview: The Hebrew bible: A Composite portrait of God and the divine-human relationship -- The Process of formation: The Transmission, canonization, and translation of the Hebrew bible -- The Biblical world: Culture and religion -- The Ancient near East: The Environment that produced the bible -- The land and archaeology of ancient Israel: Historical origins of the covenant people -- The God of Israel: An Evolving portrait -- The Torah: Who wrote the "Books of Moses"? -- The Five books of Torah (Divine Instruction) -- In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis -- Freedom and responsibility: The Book of Exodus -- Regulating the divine-human bond: The Book of Leviticus and Numbers -- A Mosaic legacy: The Book of Deuteronomy -- The Prophets (Nevi'im) I: Introduction to the Deuteronomistic history -- The Book of Joshua -- YHWH's warriors: The Book of Judges -- The Birth of the monarchy: The Books of 1 and 2 Samuel -- Parallel stories of Israel and Judah: The Books of 1 and 2 Kings -- The Prophets (Nevi'im) II: The Nature and function of Israelite prophecy: Spokespersons for God -- Prophets to the Northern kingdom: The Books of Amos and Hosea -- The Assyrian crisis: Isaiah of Jerusalem, Micah, Zephaniah and Nahum -- The Babylonian threat: The Books of Jeremiah, Habbakuk, and Obadiah -- Prophets in exile: The Book of Ezekiel and second Isaiah -- After the exile: Israel's last prophets - Haggai, Zechariah, third Isaih, Joel, Malachi and Jonah -- The Writings (Kethuvim): Introduction to the writings: Reevaluating Israel's life with God -- The Postexilic readjustment: The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah -- Worshiping at the second temple: Hebrew poetry and the book of Psalms -- Israel's wisdom writers: The Books of Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes -- Four books of the Megillot (Festival scrolls): Ruth, Lamentations, Song of Songs and Esther -- Reinterpreting Israel's history: The Books of 1 and 2 Chronicles -- Keeping Torah in a hostile world: The Diasporah, the Maccabean revolt, Apocalyptism and the visions of Daniel -- Additions to the Hebrew bible: The Deuterocanonical and extracanonical books -- The "Second Canon": Books of the Apocrypha -- The Pseudepigrapha: Noncanonical writings of the late biblical period -- From the Maccabees to Jesus of Nazareth: Victory, defeat, and the emergence of postbiblical Judaism and early christianity