The Divine Drama ─ The Old Testament As Literature

The Bible - and particularly the Old Testament - is often called the world's least-read bestseller. Now, in a masterly work, John Dancy restores the Hebrew Scriptures to the reading list of the general educated public. People are often put off by the sheer bulk of the material and its uneven quality. Dancy has selected just under a third of the text of the canonical and apocryphal books, chosen for artistic merit and intrinsic interest rather than theological value. Literature of this stature should not be restricted to academics and believers.
To help the reader, the text is presented in highlighted boxes, with commentary on the same page in double-column layout so that attention need never be diverted from the original. The commentary concentrates on literary matters but provides technical explanations where needed. A sensitive introduction places the Hebrew writings in the historical context of the ancient Near East.