Stories of rape, murder, adultery, and conquest raise crucial issues in the Hebrew Bible, and their interpretation helps societies form their religious and moral beliefs. From the sacrifice of Isaac to the adultery of David, narratives of sin engender vivid analysis and debate, powering the myths that form the basis of the religious covenant, or the relationship between a people and their God. Rereading these stories in their different forms and varying contexts, Alan F. Segal demonstrates the significance of sinning throughout history and today. Drawing on literary and historical theory, as well as research in the social sciences, he explores the motivation for creating sin stories, their prevalence in the Hebrew Bible, and their possible meaning to Israelite readers and listeners. After introducing the basics of his approach and outlining several hermeneutical concepts, Segal conducts seven linked studies of specific narratives, using character and text to clarify problematic terms such as "myth," "typology," and "orality." Following the reappearance and reinterpretation of these narratives in later compositions, he proves their lasting power in the mythology of Israel and the encapsulation of universal, perennially relevant themes. Segal ultimately positions the Hebrew Bible as a foundational moral text and a history book, offering uncommon insights into the dating of biblical events and the intentions of biblical authors.

Based on the best-selling two-volume World Religions: Eastern and Western Traditions, this concise, contributed second edition is a survey of faiths throughout the world. Renowned scholars trace the origins and evolution of the major traditions, explain their essential teachings, outline their practices, and examine their interactions with modern culture and society, while insightful introductory and concluding essays suggest countless avenues for further reflection and study. With extracts from each tradition's most important thinkers, both ancient and modern, along with timelines, maps, glossaries, guides to key geographic sites, annotated reading lists, vibrant color photographs, handy "Tradition at a Glance" summaries, and a brand-new chapter on new religious movements, A Concise Introduction to World Religions, Second Edition, offers a rich introduction to the subject.ENGAGING PEDAGOGY: A wealth of learning tools throughout help students appreciate and understand world religions:* "Focus" boxes provide insight into rituals or practices that are specific to each religion, such as going to temple in the Jain tradition, the daily routine of liturgical prayers for Sikhs, and taboo words for male and female Shinto priests in Japan.* "Tradition at a Glance" sidebars offer an insightful overview of each tradition--covering founders, noteworthy doctrines, and distribution of adherents--facilitate comparative analysis, and serve as quick review references.* "Major Branches of" boxes break down the internal divisions and sects within each faith.* Chapter timelines highlight key events in each religion's history. * Detailed maps depict locations of important reference points for each tradition.* "Sites" boxes indicate locations of special significance to each tradition.* "Document" boxes highlight key passages from each tradition's sacred texts.* End-of-chapter glossaries serve as quick-reference guides that help students learn and review key terms.INSTRUCTOR RESOURCES:Instructor's Manual:Chapter overviews and notesClassroom discussion questionsTest Generator:For each chapter:50 multiple-choice questions20 true/false questions10 short-answer questions5 essay questionsAnswer key with page references for all questionsPowerPoint-based Slides:Fully revised and updated for the second edition STUDENT STUDY GUIDE:Chapter summariesList of learning objectivesFor each chapter:20 multiple-choice questions5 short-answer questions10 research paper questions5 reflection questions List of 5-8 additional resourcesField trip guidelines

Explores concepts of the afterlife as understood in the three main Western religions, examining the views found in sacred and historical writings from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Renowned scholar Alan Segal offers startlingly new insights into the origins of rabbinic Judaism and Christianity. These twin descendants of Hebrew heritage shared the same social, cultural, and ideological context, as well as the same minority status, in the first century of the common era. Through skillful application of social science theories to ancient Western thought, including Judaism, Hellenism, early Christianity, and a host of other sectarian beliefs, Segal reinterprets some of the most important events of Jewish and Christian life in the Roman world. For example, he finds: --That the concept of myth, as it related to covenant, was a central force of Jewish life. The Torah was the embodiment of covenant both for Jews living in exile and for the Jewish community in Israel. --That the Torah legitimated all native institutions at the time of Jesus, even though the Temple, Sanhedrin, and Synagogue, as well as the concepts of messiah and resurrection, were profoundly affected by Hellenism. Both rabbinic Judaism and Christianity necessarily relied on the Torah to authenticate their claim on Jewish life. --That the unique cohesion of early Christianity, assuring its phenomenal success in the Hellenistic world, was assisted by the Jewish practices of apocalypticism, conversion, and rejection of civic ritual. --That the concept of acculturation clarifies the Maccabean revolt, the rise of Christianity, and the emergence of rabbinic Judaism. --That contemporary models of revolution point to the place of Jesus as a radical. --That early rabbinism grew out of the attempts of middle-class Pharisees to reach a higher sacred status in Judea while at the same time maintaining their cohesion through ritual purity. --That the dispute between Judaism and Christianity reflects a class conflict over the meaning of covenant. The rising turmoil between Jews and Christians affected the development of both rabbinic Judaism and Christianity, as each tried to preserve the partly destroyed culture of Judea by becoming a religion. Both attempted to take the best of Judean and Hellenistic society without giving up the essential aspects of Israelite life. Both spiritualized old national symbols of the covenant and practices that consolidated power after the disastrous wars with Rome. The separation between Judaism and Christianity, sealed in magic, monotheism, law, and universalism, fractured what remained of the shared symbolic life of Judea, leaving Judaism and Christianity to fulfill the biblical demands of their god in entirely different ways.