The SBL Archaeology and Biblical Studies Series

One of the most severe gaps that Logos has is histories of other ANE cultures. There are a few, but none of the major histories are available. The SBL Archaeology and Biblical Studies series would help with that, and since the series is published by the SBL with whom Logos already has a relationship, it shouldn't be too hard to get licensed. They are also already available in digital format via Kindle.

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DMB

Excellent suggestion, Joseph.

Though I wonder. Are surrounding 'cultures' a slippery slope that's dangerous to even mention? I love Ktav's Akkadian/Hebrew lexicon if only because it demonstrates what Hebrews would be encountering in their daily lives ... trade, the tremendous demands of hosting visitors (eg Abraham, Lot), etc. This fall, I happily spent $2k on CAD hardcopy even though it's digitally free, just for the joy of easy access.

I remember a morning excitedly showing my preacher father the Elephantine fragments in Libby. He smiled, unimpressed. But I argue, for folks a little suspicious of the Bible, this type of cold information is perfect apologetics. It certainly was for jews arguing 'God' with greeks, in the 2nd Temple period, and a Paul pursuing the Good Tidings.

Myke Harbuck

Yes! I'm drooling!!

You should add this as a resource suggestion at feedback@faithlife.com.

Veli Voipio

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1134724#Comment_1134724

[Y]

Milkman

[Y]

mm.

DMB

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1134683#Comment_1134683

Just to illustrate why these type resources are useful, today's akkadian 'word of the day' involved how to deal with 'ghosts' .... how to address them, feed them, and give them a libation. Of course, the Old Testament has both ghosts and dead-feeding, but I always wondered if libations for the dead were like Napa Valley wine? Turns out, just water (at least in the example).

Joseph Turner

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1134683#Comment_1134683

Though I wonder. Are surrounding 'cultures' a slippery slope that's dangerous to even mention?

As you make clear from the rest of your post and subsequent one, the surrounding cultures clearly influenced the culture of Israel. The Israelites constantly strove to be like the other nations, demonstrated by decisions such as demanding an earthly king and worshipping the gods of the nations.

Even if the Israelites weren't influenced by the other nations, which is simply not true, it is still useful to understand the cultures with whom the Israelites interacted. Again, this is a place where Logos is short on resources. The Denver Annotated Old Testament Bibliography includes the following histories:

*Arnold, Bill T., and Brent A. Strawn eds. The World around the Old Testament. Baker Academic, 2016. Leading scholars provide excellent review of the thirteen major people groups connected with the Israelites.

Briant, Pierre. From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2002. At more than 1,000 pages this corrected English translation represents the best synthesis on the Persian Empire.

Collins, Billie Jean. The Hittites and Their World. Society of Biblical Literature, 2007. An up-to-date review of the history and society of ancient Anatolia. [Available from Kindle].

Hallo, W.W., and W.K. Simpson. The Ancient Near East: A History. 2nd ed. Wadsworth, 1997. One of the most widely used brief histories.

*Van de Mieroop, Marc. A History of the Ancient Near East: ca. 3000-323 BC. 3rd ed. Wiley-Blackwell, 2016. The most readable and current survey of the subject. [Available from Kindle].

*Younger, Jr., K. Lawson. A Political History of the Arameans: From Their Origins to the End of Their Polities. SBL, 2016. The most thorough critical study of the origins and history of the Arameans. [Available from Kindle].

As you can see, only one of them is available in Logos. There are so many more that would help to elucidate the biblical world, but they are not available in Logos. It wouldn't be so bad, as a Kindle book would work for simply reading the histories, except for the fact that we have so many primary sources for those cultures, which could be linked to the histories if available, making them more useful in the Logos ecosystem.

DMB

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1134902#Comment_1134902

Though I wonder. Are surrounding 'cultures' a slippery slope that's dangerous to even mention?
As you make clear from the rest of your post and subsequent one, the surrounding cultures clearly influenced the culture of Israel. The Israelites constantly strove to be like the other nations, demonstrated by decisions such as demanding an earthly king and worshipping the gods of the nations.
Even if the Israelites weren't influenced by the other nations, which is simply not true, it is still useful to understand the cultures with whom the Israelites interacted. Again, this is a place where Logos is short on resources.

The 'slippery slope' refers to the early Meso-discoveries that looked very much like Genesis, followed by Ugarit-word-matching. Even a well-informed Bible class these days gets quietly nervous at the mention of similarities .... questioning the Word of God!! And given the Evangel-base at FL, one would need to point out the (many) practical uses, to expand the category.