The World of Biblical Israel

By: Cynthia R. Chapman, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Cynthia R. Chapman

From Genesis to Job, the Hebrew scriptures contain some of the most influential stories in Western civilization. But what do these stories tell us about daily life in ancient Israel? And why do they still speak to us today?

In 24 captivating lectures, Professor Chapman introduces you to the stories of the Judeans in exile and grounds them in their historical context, giving you a grand vision of history as presented in the scriptures. She compares the history in the Bible to the archaeological record so that you come away with a complete picture of life in biblical Israel.

Discover the complete literary power of the scriptures by investigating many of the Bible's key historical moments, from the origins of the Israelites in the Torah to the Babylonian Captivity and the resettlement under the Persian Empire, which is the very heart of the Hebrew scriptures. Learn how the exilic period motivated the community to reexamine its relationship to its God, its land, its religious practices, and its legacy to the children who would become the new Israel.

But you'll tackle more than the sweep of history. From the family compounds to the battlefields and from the kitchens to the temples, Professor Chapman puts flesh on the bones of the biblical stories. Spiritually engaging and historically fascinating, this course is unlike any other, and it will give you a new appreciation both for ancient history and for the foundation of the three Abrahamic faiths.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2013 The Great Courses (P)2013 The Teaching Company, LLC

Great Introduction to Complex and Confusing Information

This does an outstanding job of dealing with the touchy subject of the etiological mythopoeism of the Abrahamic religions. Far too often, attempts at treating this topic fail to acknowledge the fictional basis for the Torah of Judaism and the Holy Bible of Christianism. If they do address it, they do so crudely and without respect to the traditions of those faiths.

The archeology and ongoing scholarship of the mundane aspects of the lives of people living Ancient Israel are well attested here, and, again, treated respectfully.

The speaker is easy to listen to, and is an accomplished scholar. I recommend this Great Course.

OK but not what I hoped for

I was hoping for a lot more insight to normal daily life in the region prior to the first century. There is detail of this kind on and off but the focus seems to be about the writing and the writers of the Hebrew Bible and whether or not a person should believe any of it.

An Insight That Is Helpful

It can be taken as a fresh delving into biblical history for those novice learner of the Bible. Definitely this book encourages me to search more deeply to other aspects of Bible history.

Hard to listen to.

Didn't get through it. Hard to listen to someone reading a lecture. Her use of so many big words sounds like she's trying to prove that she knows her topic.

Superb in every respect

This is a secular review of the early history of Israel and the Jews. It is well-done and a pleasure to listen to.