The Context of Scripture (3 vols.)

Now that it is complete, this major publication project will clearly replace James B. Pritchard's long-standard Ancient Near Eastern Texts. The three volumes of The Context of Scripture offer improved renderings of familiar texts, introduce more recently published texts to a wider audience, and shed new light on the Bible by means of detailed introductions and copious annotations. Yet one can happily read the texts without ever consulting the footnotes. The Context of Scripture will no doubt stimulate the reading of the Bible in its ancient context, resulting in a better understanding of what Israel shared with her Near Eastern neighbors, and how she differed from them.

—Alan Millard, Biblical Archaeology Review, 2004

All students and scholars of the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East will be grateful for this impressive and authoritative work. It is wonderful to have so much of ancient Near Eastern literature in one collection, translated by the best scholars in the field.

—Ronald S. Hendel, Bible Review, 1998

…this volume will prove an indispensable tool for all who seek to intepret the Old Testament within its cultural and linguistic environment.

—Daniel L. Block, Review and Expositor

…the three volumes in COS will be reliable and frequently used companions of Old Testament scholars in the next fifty years. Biblical commentaries and journal articles will regularly refer to them.

—Ralph W. Klein, Currents, 2001

…an up-to-date and indispensable collection of Near Eastern literature.

—William M. Schniedewind, Religious Studies Review, 2001

Given the high quality of this compendium, one of the editors' hopes for this series would seem to be well founded, namely, that The Context of Scripture will become a standard reference work in college, seminary, and university libraries well into the twenty-first century.

—Gary N. Knoppers, Review of Biblical Literature, April 2000