Nathan MacDonald Book order

Are the rituals in the Hebrew Bible of great antiquity, practiced unchanged from earliest times, or are they the products of later innovators? The canonical text is clear: ritual innovation is repudiated as when Jeroboam I of Israel inaugurate a novel cult at Bethel and Dan. Most rituals are traced back to Moses. From Julius Wellhausen to Jacob Milgrom, this issue has divided critical scholarship. With the rich documentation from the late Second Temple period, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, it is apparent that rituals were changed. Were such rituals practiced, or were they forms of textual imagination? How do rituals change and how are such changes authorized? Do textual innovation and ritual innovation relate? What light might ritual changes between the Hebrew Bible and late Second Temple texts shed on the history of ritual in the Hebrew Bible? The essays in this volume engage the various issues that arise when rituals are considered as practices that may be invented and subject to change. A number of essays examine how biblical texts show evidence of changing ritual practices, some use textual change to discuss related changes in ritual practice, while others discuss evidence for ritual change from material culture.

MacDonald explores the complex relationships between prophetic oracles, specifically arguing that Ezekiel 44 responds to Isaiah 56, challenging traditional interpretations. This re-evaluation impacts the dating of Ezekiel 44 and its connections to Leviticus and Numbers, shedding light on the origins of the priesthood and the Levite-priest distinction.

Covenant and election are two theological concepts that dominate the landscape of the Hebrew Bible. If they became the main structuring concepts of the Hebrew Bible, they were not so from the beginning. Their centrality was the result of their utilization by exilic and post-exilic scribes and tradents to focus Israel's traditions into a coherent structure as fitted the revelation of one God. The essays in this collection examine covenant and election across the biblical literature, from the priestly document through Deuteronomy to Jeremiah and the book of Chronicles. They show how the ideas were shaped and refined under the conditions of national disaster and rebuilding.

Discussion of early Jewish monotheism has focused on its origins in earlier Israelite religion, while its development in late prophetic and early apocalyptic literature has received little attention. Yet the reflections of the concept of monotheism in these works are much more diverse than is generally recognized. This literature reflects a lively debate over the implications of Yhwh's supremacy, which extend to the full range of religious and socio-political experience. The authors of this volume explore that diversity by focusing on how particular texts and themes embody and shape the emerging concept of monotheism. Tackling issues ranging from divine violence to dualism, international relations to idolatry, these studies not only emphasize the diverse ways in which Yhwh's supremacy is portrayed in late prophetic and early apocalyptic literature, but also illustrate the necessity of adopting a range of methodological approaches to the problem.

Exploring the dietary habits of ancient Israelites, this book delves into a complex topic by analyzing biblical, archaeological, anthropological, and environmental evidence. Nathan MacDonald uncovers the specifics of what these people consumed and evaluates the health implications of their diets, providing a comprehensive understanding of food in biblical times.

Nathan MacDonald examines the meaning and significance of "monotheism" in ancient Israel, through an analysis of specific texts in Deuteronomy. He takes a different approach to the debate about monotheism that has been raging in Old Testament studies for the last twenty years, and raises important questions for that debate. Contents The Origin and Meaning of "Monotheism"; Yhwh, Our God, Yhwh is Confessing "Monotheism"; So Love Yhwh, Your "Monotheism as Devoted Love; Recite Remembering "Monotheism"; Hear O "Monotheism" and Election; Bind Them as a "Monotheism" and Idolatry; Bread not Stone.