Cultural Setting

[SQLservant]

Hi all,

I'm looking for a good, accurate archaeological resource (book or website) on the cultures, customs, beliefs, etc. of the authors and audiences of Scripture.

What resources do you like for this? Do you read Philo and Josephus? Are there definitively good compilations of information out there?

 

[pshun2404]

I would suggest you start with the works of Dr. W. F. Albright, Dr. Joseph Free, Sir William Ramsey, Professor Millar Borrows, and Professor Jack Finnigen. That should keep you busy for a few years and lead you into much more.

Paul

 

[ebedmelech]

The Works of Josephus(I have it), as well as Tacitus are very good. The Oline Library of Liberty is a good site for history.

You can access both online!

Josephus link:
The Works of Flavius Josephus

Tacitus link:
Online Library of Liberty - Publius Cornelius Tacitus

Try the site Bible Study Tools:
Bible Study Tools Online – Verses, Commentaries, Concordances, Verses, Parallel Versions

They have "The Works of Josephus" also.

 

[cyberlizard]

for archeology you could try Bringing the Ancient World to Life - Biblical Archaeology Society

book wise, these are what I would recommend.


Judaism in the New Testament by Jacob Neusner

The Parables by Brad Young

The social world of Jesus and the Gospels by Bruce Malina

Judaism: Practise and belief (66bce-66ce) by E P Sanders

The Ancient Synagogue by Lee Levine


Steve

p.s. all of these are academic books on my easy read list. I would recommend these as starting blocks and all can be picked up quite easy (except for the book by Ed Sanders which retails on Amazon at $400, luckily I got my copy on eBay for the equivelent of $20. How lucky am I.)

 

[SQLservant]

Thanks for all the replies!

 

[Scottish Monk]

Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary Old and New Testaments, 9 vols.

 

[TheGMan]

Your primary sources are basically Josephus, Philo and the Qumran scrolls - none of which really represent mainstream Second Temple Jewish thought, and certainly not the specifically Galilean context in which Jesus taught. Basically, you need to read around the secondary literature. But the sources are scant enough that modern scholars, legitimately, come to a wealth of interpretations.