Values are culturally specific. This handbook explains select biblical social values in their Mediterranean cultural contexts. Some examples of values are altruism, freedom, family-centeredness, obedience, parenting, and power. Though the English words for the values described here would be familiar to readers (e.g., altruism) the meanings of such words differ between cultures. In the Mediterranean world, for instance, altruism is a duty incumbent upon anyone who has surplus. It is interpersonal and group specific. In the West, especially in the United States, altruism is impersonal and universally oriented generosity that operates in a highly organized context. This handbook not only presents the Mediterranean meanings of these value words but also contrasts those meanings with Western ones.
"An already useful resource is strengthened in this third
edition. New entries (e.g., 'Collectivism'; 'Mouth-Ears') and an
updated bibliography for many of the entries make
the Handbook an up-to-date reference work. This
book will be valuable for undergraduates, for seminarians and
pastors, and for laypeople who seek to better understand the values
of the ancient Mediterranean world embedded in the pages of the
Bible, without which modern readers are sure to misunderstand the
writings contained in it."
--Eric Stewart, Associate Professor of Religion, Augustana College
(Illinois)
"This volume is a tested cultural and social-scientific resource
without parallel. Here is a hugely informative and reliable guide
to the motivating worldviews and values of the biblical authors and
their communities; an ideal handbook for both the pulpit and
the classroom; and an essential resource for preachers, scholars,
and visitors to the biblical world."
--John H. Elliott, Professor emeritus, University of San
Francisco
"The Handbook of Biblical Social Values, 3rd Edition is a
fitting tribute to John J. Pilch (1937-2016), a pioneer in
social-scientific interpretations of the Bible. This updated and
expanded edition is a must-have for any serious exegete of the
Scriptures. It provides users with cross-cultural scripts for
reading the Bible in its originating social contexts, provokes new
and surprising understandings of seemingly familiar passages, and
challenges the way we apply sacred texts today."
--Ritva H. Williams, Independent Scholar, St. Stephen's Lutheran
Church, Cedar Rapids, IA
"An already useful resource is strengthened in this third
edition. New entries (e.g., 'Collectivism'; 'Mouth-Ears') and an
updated bibliography for many of the entries make
the Handbook an up-to-date reference work. This
book will be valuable for undergraduates, for seminarians and
pastors, and for laypeople who seek to better understand the values
of the ancient Mediterranean world embedded in the pages of the
Bible, without which modern readers are sure to misunderstand the
writings contained in it."
--Eric Stewart, Associate Professor of Religion, Augustana College
(Illinois)
"This volume is a tested cultural and social-scientific resource
without parallel. Here is a hugely informative and reliable guide
to the motivating worldviews and values of the biblical authors and
their communities; an ideal handbook for both the pulpit and
the classroom; and an essential resource for preachers, scholars,
and visitors to the biblical world."
--John H. Elliott, Professor emeritus, University of San
Francisco
"The Handbook of Biblical Social Values, 3rd Edition is a
fitting tribute to John J. Pilch (1937-2016), a pioneer in
social-scientific interpretations of the Bible. This updated and
expanded edition is a must-have for any serious exegete of the
Scriptures. It provides users with cross-cultural scripts for
reading the Bible in its originating social contexts, provokes new
and surprising understandings of seemingly familiar passages, and
challenges the way we apply sacred texts today."
--Ritva H. Williams, Independent Scholar, St. Stephen's Lutheran
Church, Cedar Rapids, IA
John J. Pilch has been a visiting professor in the Odyssey
Program at Johns Hopkins University since 2011. Previously he was
professorial lecturer of biblical studies at Georgetown University.
He is the author of many articles and books on the culture of the
Bible, including The Cultural Dictionary of the Bible
(1999), A Cultural Handbook to the Bible (2012), and The
Cultural Life Setting of the Proverbs (2016).
Bruce J. Malina is Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Creighton
University. He is the author, coauthor, and editor of numerous
influential books on the New Testament. These include The Social
Gospel of Jesus (2001), The New Testament World (3rd
ed., 2001), and Social-Science Models for Interpreting the
Bible (edited with John J. Pilch, 2007).