Free $16 eBook – A Cultural Handbook to the Bible by John Pilch (Free for a Short Time)

Free $16 eBook – A Cultural Handbook to the Bible by John Pilch (Free for a Short Time)

Description
The task of interpreting the Bible — which was written by and to people living in very different cultural contexts from contemporary Western society — can seem monumental. The opposite is also true: people can easily forget that studying the Bible is a type of cross-cultural encounter, instead reading their own cultural assumptions into biblical texts.

In A Cultural Handbook to the Bible John Pilch bridges this cultural divide by translating important social concepts and applying them to biblical texts. In short, accessible chapters Pilch discusses sixty-three topics related to the cosmos, the earth, persons, family, language, human consciousness, God and the spirit world, and entertainment. Pilch’s fresh interpretations of the Bible challenge traditional views and explore topics often overlooked in commentaries. Each chapter concludes with a list of useful references from cultural anthropology or biblical studies, making this book an excellent resource for students of the Bible.

Contents
Preface
One: The Cosmos
1. Hell
2. Heaven
3. Earth
4. Imaginary Mountains in Matthew
5. A New Sky and a New Earth
FURTHER READING
Two: Earth
1. Desert and Wilderness
2. Caves
3. Swamps
4. Snakes
5. Dragons
6. Mirrors and Glass
FURTHER READING
Three: Persons
1. Citizen
2. People Are not a Nation
3. “Visiting Strangers” and “Resident Aliens”: Insights from 1 Peter
4. Jesus and the Samaritans
5. Individuals? or Stereotypes?
6. Status by Gender and Age
7. Names
8. Photina: The Samaritan Woman
9. Naming the Nameless in the Bible
FURTHER READING
Four: Family
1. Virgin
2. Marriage
3. Family
4. Adultery
5. Rape
6. A Noble Death
7. Final Words
FURTHER READING
Five: Language
1. “How Do You Read?”
2. The Ten Words
3. The Art of Insult
4. The Power of the Curse
5. No Thank You!
6. “Who Touched Me?”
7. The Evil Eye
FURTHER READING
Six: Human Consciousness
1. Dreams
2. Seeing God
3. Jesus Walking on the Sea
4. Resurrection Appearances
5. Journeys to the Sky
6. Paul’s Call to be an Apostle
7. Paul the Apostle in Cultural Context
8. Divine Darkness
FURTHER READING
Seven: God and the Spirit World
1. God in Middle Eastern Perspective
2. God in the Parable of the Talents/Pounds
3. God and Lying Spirits
4. The Middle Eastern Jesus
5. Spirits: Other-Than-Human Persons
FURTHER READING
Eight: Entertainment
1. The Sound of the Flute
2. Singing in One Voice
3. “After They Had Sung a Hymn”
4. Solomon’s, the Best of all Songs
5. Games, Amusement, and Sports
6. The Bawdy Bible
7. Films that Illuminate the Bible