Opening the Books of Moses - BibleWorld Author:Diana V. Edelman, Philip R. Davies, Christophe Nihan, Thomas Römer This first volume in a six volume series within the BibleWorld series forms an introduction, setting out the background information about the contents, creation, dating and audience of the Pentateuch, including a section on the Samaritan Pentateuch, a sketch of Jewish areas in the Persian period and a list of the major themes to be handled in th... more »e subsequent five volumes. These themes include 1) Torah, 2) geography, 3) ethnicity, 4) Yahweh and other deities, 5) theories of cult in the Pentateuch, 6) treaty, loyalty oath and royal grant, and 7) Moses. The volume is aimed at undergraduates but it will also serve graduates and scholars. Although it is intended to introduce the forthcoming series, it is a volume that can stand alone as a very useful resource. The remaining five volumes on individual books comprising the Pentateuch will differ from ordinary commentaries in that they will approach the literary and ideological aspects of texts by focusing on key themes, how they are addressed within each book of the Pentateuch and what they imply about the issues and trends within the society at the time the books were created.« less