Recommended Resources

The following is a list with some links to free PDF versions online of books that I own and read. Please note: I do not in any way fully endorse any of these books or authors, their writings simply have provided insight into Scriptures for me. As with everything, a mature level of discernment should be used with each resource.

Available for download on external websites:

Ancient Near East 

• The Menorah, the Ancient Seven-armed Candelabrum by Rachael Hachlili
• Graded Holiness: A Key to the Priestly Conceptions of the World by Phillip Peter Jenson
• Law and the Administration of Justice in the Old Testament and Ancient East by Hans Boecker
• Law and Order in Old Testament Times by D.J. Wiseman
• Law and Covenant in Israel and the Ancient Near East by George E. Mendenhall
• Works of Henry Clay Trumbull
  • The Blood Covenant
  • The Threshold Covenant
  • The Covenant of Salt
  • Our Misunderstood Bible
  • Kadesh Barnea
• Israelite Covenants in Light of Ancient Near Eastern Covenants (1 of 2) by Lopez
• Israelite Covenants in Light of Ancient Near Eastern Covenants (2 of 2) by Lopez
• Covenant Treaty Formats of the Ancient Near Eastern Kingdoms and Yahweh's Treaty
• Of Hems and Tassels by Jacob Milgrom
• Various works on ANE Covenants and Context by Meredith Kline

First Century Context

• Jewish Believers in Jesus by Skarsaune and Hvalvik
• Rethinking Jewish Christianity by Daniel Boyarin
• Jewish Sources in Early Christianity by David Flusser
• From Sabbath to Sunday: A Historical Investigation of the Rise of Sunday Observance in Early Christianity by Samuele Bacchiocchi
• Mishnah, Tosefta, Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds in English/Hebrew by David Instone-Brewer
• Two Powers in Heaven: Early Rabbinic Reports about Christianity and Gnosticism by Alan Segal
• Commentary on Romans (NICNT) by Douglas Moo
• The Temple - Its Ministry and Services by Alfred Edersheim
• Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah by Alfred Edersheim
• Paul within Judaism edited by Mark Nanos
• Paul Was Not a Christian by Pamela Eisenbaum
• Backgrounds of Early Christianity by Everett Ferguson
• Jesus the Pharisee by Harvey Falk
• The Mystery of Romans by Mark Nanos
• Honor and Shame in the Gospel of Matthew by Jerome Neyrey
• Honor, Patronage, Kinship, and Purity by David DeSilva
• The Jewish Gospels by Daniel Boyarin
• The Messiah Texts by Raphael Patai
• Beyond Retribution by Marshal

Various Works Pages

• Various works of Meredith Kline (excellent articles on various ancient Near Eastern research subjects)
• Various articles by Joshua Berman (rabbi and ancient Near East professor at Bar-Ilan University in Israel)
• Various articles by Yitzhaq Feder (professor at a university in Israel, focuses on purity and sacrifices)
• Various articles by Bernard Levinson (professor in classical and ancient near eastern studies at U of M, focuses on legal concepts and law in ancient Israel)

Available through Amazon.com or Logos.com

• Leviticus Continental Commentary by Jacob Milgrom
• Everyday Law in Biblical Israel by Raymond Westbrook
• Blood Expiation in Hittite and Biblical Ritual by Yitzhaq Feder
• Social Justice in Ancient Israel and in the Ancient Near East by Moshe Weinfeld
• Shalom: The Bible's Word for Salvation, Justice and Peace by Perry Yoder

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