From Pentateuch to Revelation, the Bible bears the marks of the ancient Near Eastern cultures in which its authors lived and wrote. Recognizing that an appreciation of its cultural and literary context is essential to an accurate interpretation of the scriptural record, this unusually helpful volume brings together a series of concise and stimulating studies designed to aid the student in achieving a clearer understanding of the Bible's meaning. Contributed by 25 leading biblical and literary scholars, the essays address questions of interest to both disciplines - among them such topics as the reception and transformation into literature of God's revelation; the context of literary history; textual and form criticism; and various approaches to a literary criticism of the Bible.