J. David Pleins presents a sociological study of the Hebrew Bible, seeking to uncover its social vision by examining biblical statements about social ethics. He

Revised version of the author's thesis (Ph.D.)--University of California, Los Angeles.

PART 1: EXAMINING TEXTS 1. Social Drama in the Psalms of Individual Lament 2. Kingship in the Book of Psalms 3. Abusing the Bible: The Case of Deuteronomy 15 4.

CONTENTS PART 1: THE ORIGINS OF ANCIENT ISRAEL Early Israel as an Anti-Imperial Community The Origins of Israel as a Textual Models for Envisioning Early Israel

This brief volume brings together three of Norman Gottwald's classic essays that address issues of social class and ideology as they pertain to the interpretati