Lucidly written by leading biblical scholars Michael D. Coogan and Cynthia R. Chapman, this balanced, engaging, and up-to-date introduction to the Hebrew scriptures distills the best of current scholarship. Employing the narrative chronology of the Bible itself and the history of the ancient Near East as a framework, Coogan and Chapman cover all the books of the Hebrew Bible, along with the deuterocanonical books included in the Bible used by many Christians. They work from a primarily historical and critical methodology but also introduce students to literary analysis and other interpretive strategies.FEATURES* Chapter pedagogy includes chapter previews and summaries, key terms, a glossary, questions for review and discussion, and suggestions for further reading* Two introductory chapters–one on the composition of the Old Testament and one on the history and geography of the ancient Near East and how it influenced the Hebrew Bible–provide students with the context necessary to analyze the biblical texts* Strategically placed text boxes address issues that often puzzle readers of the Bible, provide models of interpretation of particular texts, and discuss their significance for Judaism and Christianity* A strong visual program includes charts, photographs, line drawings, maps, and a color insert on Jerusalem in biblical times A FREE 6-month subscription to Oxford Biblical Studies Online (www.oxfordbiblicalstudies.com)–a $180 value–is included with the purchase of every new copy of the text.