John J. Collins's A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible
is one of the most popular introductory textbooks in colleges and seminary
classrooms. Enriched by decades of classroom teaching, it is aimed explicitly at
motivated students, regardless of their previous exposure to the Bible or faith
commitments. This more compact version of Collins's renowned Introduction to
the Hebrew Bible is combined with even more student-friendly features,
including charts, maps, photographs, chapter summaries, and bibliographies for
further reading.Collins proceeds through the canon of the Old Testament and the
Apocrypha, judiciously presenting the current state of historical,
archaeological, and literary understanding of the biblical text, and engaging
the student in questions of significance and interpretation for the contemporary
world.The third edition is presented in a new and engaging format with new maps
and images. An index has been added to the volume for the first
time.