James Barr

This book applies, in a more specialist area, a similar treatment to that used by Professor Barr in The Semantics of Biblical Language, and like the earlier volume criticizes much of previous scholarship. In recent Old Testament studies, increasing reliance has been placed on the resources of languages other than Hebrew itself -Arabic, Aramaic, Accadian and Ugaritic. Scholars have used these languages as a source from which the meaning of unusual Hebrew words might be deduced. Professor Barr discusses the principles involved in this process. He considers such questions as the degree of coincidence in the vocabularies of cognate languages, the extent of homonymy in Hebrew, the history of the transmission of meanings in Hebrew and the value of the ancient translations.

Behind the academic and innocently descriptive title of this book is to be found one of the most explosive works of biblical scholarship to be published this century. Certainly many of those who read it on its first appearance were never the same again, and it signalled the end of what had hitherto been a flourishing literature on 'biblical theology'. 'In recent years,' Professor Bar wrote in his Preface, 'I have come to believe that one of the greatest dangers to sound and adequate interpretation of the Bible comes from the prevailing use of procedure, which, while claiming to rest upon a knowledge of the Israelite and Greek ways of thinking, constantly mishandle and distort the linguistic evidence of the Hebrew and Greek languages as they are used in the Bible. The increasing sense of dependence upon the Bible in the modern church only makes this danger more serious. The fact that these procedures have never to my knowledge been collected, analysed and criticized in detail was the chief stimulus to my undertaking of this task myself.' His conclusions were devastating and drew down on him a good deal of often hurt criticism: however, twenty years later, they still stand and the passage of time has made them more widely accepted. Certainly this book, issued for the first time in a paperback edition, is essential reading for any student of the Bible, if he is to learn from the mistakes of others.

A comprehensive study of word studies around time and eternity in Hebrew and Greek.

This is a pastoral rather than a controversial book. Its main aim is not to show fundamentalists that they are wrong, but rather to help those who have grown up in the world of fundamentalism or have become committed to it but in the end have come to feel that it is a prison from which they must escape.

In this book, Professor Barr presents a reading of the story of the Garden of Eden, not as a tale of the origins of sin and death, but as a tale of a chance of immortality, briefly accessible to humanity but quickly lost. Old Testament scholars have long been aware that the traditional reading of the story of Adam and Eve as the 'Fall of Man', though hallowed by St Paul's use of it, cannot stand up to close examination of the text. However, they have not succeeded in formulating an alternative interpretation which rivals the force of this traditional reading or is relevant to such a wide range of biblical and theological issues. Professor Barr's new interpretation has such force, and with its challenges to many conventional views it is likely to cause a considerable stir among traditionalists and to excite those dissatisfied with aspects of traditional thought. Central to the book is its stress on the role and prevalence of the idea of immortality, commonly thought to be a later Greek and un-biblical import into Christian thinking. Reflection on immortality also leads to a reconsideration of ideas about death in the Hebrew Bible; about Sheol. the Hebrew underworld; and about the soul. Professor Barr brings out the importance of time for the Hebrew Bible and the concept of length of days, showing that the threat is not so much death as such, but the manner and time of death. His study of chronology leads to a reconsideration of the story of Noah's ark, and the book ends by seeing resurrection and immortality as complementary, rather than conflicting, ideas.

The untold story of how British-French rivalry drew the battle-lines of the modern Middle East

Explore biblical theology with monographs from a diversity of experts. The Studies in Biblical Theology series includes a wealth of resources to help you understand the development of various doctrines, concepts, and terminology across the Old and New Testaments. Investigate the characteristics of worship in the early church with studies on its liturgy and sacraments. Fine-tune your understanding of Jesus' ministry by exploring his wilderness experience and the nature of his mission. Delve into detailed word studies, investigate Christological titles used by Paul, and come to a new appreciation of the Ten Commandments. These in-depth treatments will give you a better grip on key theological themes found throughout the Bible.

T. E. Lawrence s classic Seven Pillars of Wisdom made the Arab revolt a legend and helped turn him into the mythical Lawrence of Arabia. Setting the Desert on Fire is both a masterly account of the intrigue behind the revolt and its startling consequences for the present-day Middle East and a portrait of Lawrence that brings fresh insight to the true nature of the master mythmaker."

_______________ ‘Packs as much punch as one of Lawrence's train-blowing explosives' - Sunday Times ‘Barr's cogent, vividly written book puts Lawrence centre stage but does not lose sight of the uprising's larger historical context' - Financial Times ‘[Barr] introduces fresh materials to give new context to Lawrence and the present difficulties in Iraq' - The Times _______________ The full story behind the desert revolt made famous by T.E. Lawrence in Seven Pillars of Wisdom and the film Lawrence of Arabia It is 1916. The Allies are struggling in the Great War. The Ottoman Sultan calls for a pan-Islamic jihad against all non-Muslims except Germans. But Sharif Husein, ruler of the holy city of Mecca, is smarting under Turkish rule, fomenting Arab nationalism and lobbying the British to support him. It seems to the British a good idea secretly to encourage an Arab revolt. Setting the Desert on Fire is a masterly account of this key moment made legendary by T. E. Lawrence, but here filled with a wide range of characters including the British Prime Minister Lloyd George, whose desire to capture ‘Jerusalem by Christmas' had consequences that reverberate to this day.

The end of the millennium sees biblical study in a state of transition. The traditional position of historical approaches is widely questioned and `historical criticism' is regarded as passé. There is a search for approaches - literary or sociological - that are less tied to history. On the other hand there is a more radical approach to the history of Israel, that sees true history as distinct from the biblical narrative and dependent on sources other than the Bible. Biblical narratives thus express not the actual events but the ideological and religious aspirations of writers in much later times. `Ideology' has become one of the key words, but is used in very divergent ways. All this is linked with the intellectual movement known as post-modernism. Some connections between post-modernism and theology are suggested by Professor Barr in the final chapter. This book is important because it tries to bring together various threads of these different movements and to state a position from which we may advance into the new millennium.

Barr views Old Testament theology and New Testament theology as sub-sections of 'biblical theology' as opposed to 'doctrinal' or 'philosophical' theology. e Barr guides the reader through the various supportive and opposing arguments with his own conclusion that elements of biblical theology still have validity in theological scholarship.

This volume brings together seven essays which are representative of the author's style, approach to and outlook on contemporary biblical topics. Characterized throughout by openness of thought and iconoclasm, this collection serves as an introduction to one of the most important issues - the authority of the Bible - facing churches today, as well as the author's thoughts as a whole.

In this expanded version of James Barr’s classic work, three additional articles by the author are added. They are (1) “Philology and Exegesis: Some General Remarks, with Illustrations from Job,” (2) “Ugaritic and Hebrew sbm?” and (3) “Limitations of Etymology as a Lexicographical Instrument in Biblical Hebrew.” The text of the original edition (Oxford University Press, 1968) remains unchanged. In addition to the seventy-five pages of additional material, this expanded version concludes with a postscript by Professor Barr, placing the articles within the context of the book.

The end of the millennium sees biblical study in a state of transition. The traditional position of historical approaches is widely questioned and 'historical criticism' is regarded as passé. There is a search for approaches literary or sociological that are less tied to history. On the other hand there is a more radical approach to the history of Israel, that sees true history as distinct from the biblical narrative and dependent on sources other than the Bible. Biblical narratives thus express not the actual events but the ideological and religious aspirations of writers in much later times. 'Ideology' has become one of the key words, but is used in very divergent ways. All this is linked with the intellectual movement known as post-modernism. Some connections between post-modernism and theology are suggested by Professor Barr in the final chapter. This book is important because it tries to bring together various threads of these different movements and to state a position from which we may advance into the next millennium.

A major overview and provocative analysis from a premier Old Testament scholar.

Do people know about God just by being human beings? Or do they need special divine assistance, through the Bible and the church? `Natural Theology' is the idea that human beings `by nature', that is just through being human, know something of God; or that perhaps they gain such knowledge from observing the world we live in. Its opposite is `revealed theology', or the knowledge of God communicated only through special channels - through Jesus Christ, through the Bible, through the church. Natural theology was long accepted as a basic ingredient in all theology, but in the twentieth century it was rejected by important theologians, especially Karl Barth. His views denied all natural theology and placed greater emphasis on the Bible. But what if the Bible itself uses, depends on, and supports natural theology? In this book, Professor Barr pursues these questions within the Bible itself and within the history of ideas, earlier and more recent; and he looks at their implications for religion and theology in the future.

The Sprunt Lectures delivered at Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, Virginia, February 1982. The men of the Bible did not themselves have a Bible to be their supreme guide and authority. This book discusses the way in which the canon of scripture was formed and the effects that it has.