Bücher veröffentlicht von Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

The collected proclamations ascribed to two little-known post-exilic prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, represent a bridge between the traditions of classical Israelite religion and the dramatic changes essential to the preservation of the fragile Restoration community. Carroll Stuhlmueller's section-by-section, verse-by-verse analysis and exposition focus on the prophetic word as addressed not only to Israel in this "time of small beginnings" but also to the Church today. His primary concern is the theological message of the prophets, yet ever with an eye toward their historical context, literary form, and cultural setting.

The book of Joel is one of the Old Testament prophetic books, but it also has a clear and close association with lament literature. Graham Ogden takes seriously the book's lament setting, exegeting it entirely from within that framework. In his commentary on the book of Malachi, Richard Deutsch examines the religious, moral, and social aspects of the early postexilic Jewish community that the prophet was addressing in this brief book.

Neither Habakkuk nor Zephaniah is very well known or understood by our generation. These Old Testament prophets, who were contemporary with Jeremiah, interpreted events leading up to the total destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian "king of kings and lord of lords," in 597 and 587 B.C. Writing from within a Socialist society, Mária Eszenyei Széles offers a unique perspective on Habakkuk and Zephaniah -- a profoundly moving interpretation of the mystery of God's apparent absence or weakness when his own people meet with intolerable suffering at the hands of a cruel totalitarian regime.

"Isaiah provides us with a picture," writes George A. F. Knight, "a pattern of revelation, hewn out of the facts of history." This book serves as a sequel to the author's Servant Theology (the International Theological Commentary volume on Isaiah 40-55) with appropriate attention to significant critical issues. Emphasizing Israel as "a light to the nations," Knight is concerned throughout with the theological issues of contemporary, international scope. He sees Isaiah as addressed to the social, historical situation not only of its own day but of this day as well, with significance for Jews and Muslims as well as Christians -- "a book meant for all who come after."

This commentary concerns writings which emerged from three successive stages in Judah's decline and captivity -- the century of fear engendered by the Assyrian menace (addressed in Nahum), the shock and disorientation that followed the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem (Obadiah), and the necessary dilemma of adapting yet maintaining their uniqueness in an alien setting (Esther). All three books reflect the efforts to maintain faith despoite continued assaults on traditional views of the nature of God and the Covenant.

Although little studied by most Christians, the book of Numbers offers a rich storehouse of material for reflection on the relationship between God and the human community. This excellent commentary highlights this theme in the context of interpreting the many strange and obscure stories and laws of Israel's wilderness journey.