These clearly written introductions offer a student-friendly approach that is rooted in up-to-date scholarship and actual classroom experience. Particularly aimed at students of theology, the Exploring the Bible Series introduces: Jewish and Roman background; literary genres and forms; conventional as well as new approaches to the study of Scripture; debated issues such as authorship, date and setting; content and major themes of each book of the Old and New Testament; the intersection of biblical criticism with contemporary issues of faith and culture. Each volume in the Exploring the Bible Series brims with helpful features to facilitate learning, like: clearly stated goals for each chapter; "What Do You Think" boxes posing issues to consider; "Digging Deeper" boxes exploring select topics in greater detail; boxed summaries highlighting essential facts; practical study aids; charts visually organizing complex material such as chronologies and genealogies; maps giving quick geographical and spatial orientation to events; topics for essays or research papers suggested for each chapter; "Further Reading" giving annotated bibliographies for each chapter, classified by introductory or intermediate levels; quotations from relevant ancient texts such as Josephus; double-column formatting for easy reading; glossary of terms to aid beginning students; subject and Scripture indexes for quick access to topics. - Publisher.