Includes bibliographical references and indexes

I. Prolegomena. History and Methods of Comparative Study -- II. Pentateuch. Creation Accounts -- Flood Stories -- Court Stories -- Birth Accounts -- Law Collections -- Ritual Texts -- Treaty, Oath, and Covenant -- III. Former Prophets. The Divine in History -- Temple-Building Accounts -- Annual Chronicles -- Comparative Historiography -- IV. Latter Prophets. Prophetic Symbolic Acts -- Oracles of Well-Being -- Oracles Against the Nations -- Compilation of Prophetic Texts -- Divine Abandonment -- Praise and Polemics for Baal -- V. Writings. Proverbs and Wisdom Instructions -- Responses to Human Suffering -- Prayers Regarding Wrongdoing -- Hymns of Praise with Solar Imagery -- Prayers of Lament -- City Laments -- Persian Edicts -- Autobiographies

"This study considers the historical, cultural, and literary significance of some of the most important Ancient Near East (ANE) texts that illuminate the Hebrew Bible. Christopher B. Hays provides primary texts from the Ancient Near East with a comparison to literature of the Hebrew Bible to demonstrate how Israel's Scriptures not only draw from these ancient contexts but also reshape
them in a unique way. Hays offers a brief introduction to Comparative studies, then lays out examples from various literary genres that shed light on particular biblical texts. Texts about ANE law collections, treaties, theological histories, prophecies, ritual texts, oracles, prayers, hymns, laments, edicts, and instructions are compared to corresponding literature in the Pentateuch, Prophets, and Writings of the Hebrew Bible. The book includes summaries to help instructors and students identify key points for comparison. By considering the literary and historical context of other literature, students will come away with a better understanding of the historical, literary, and theological depth of the Hebrew Bible"--|cProvided by publisher