Studies in Hebrew Language, Intertextuality, and Theology

“Dr. Mark Rooker has produced a valuable series of studies on Scripture and its language – marked by serious scholarship, ground-breaking perspectives in the diachronic study of Hebrew, and by a nuanced and reasoned conservative Christian perspective. Scholars and students from various backgrounds will read his remarks on the historical nature of Hebrew with profit, especially his perspectives on the re-use of themes and topics within the canon. The author engages his subjects with lucidity, and often boldly rethinks a number of accepted opinions. Much to be recommended.” – Professor Michael Fishbane, The University of Chicago

“With this volume Professor Rooker has provided the community of evangelical Christian scholarship with a resource within the seminary classroom and the private study. Seminary students will benefit particularly from Rooker’s articles on foundational Old Testament issues: textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible, the Genesis creation and flood accounts, the legitimate role of OT law in a Christian’s life, and the conquest of Canaan. Readers will find particular value in his linguistically informed discussion of the date of the book of Isaiah. This book can be profitably read by all serious students of the Old Testament.” – Bob Bergen

“Technical scholars and graduate students interested in supplementing specific elements of their own research will use the book.” – Paul R. House, Wheaton College

“Many ancient works that are the subject of intense scholarly study are composed in a language or dialect that needs little if any diachronic attention paid to it. Even New Testament Greek texts had only a small window of time in which they were composed and so need little if any attention devoted to them by way of a diachronic study ... Anyone gazing at such a text would expect to find differences in the composition of the language over such a long period of time. Such is the value of Professor Rooker's book ... This work is valuable in that it provides a solid means of evaluation both the Hebrew text and the theories surrounding its composition, exposition, and meaning. He takes the text seriously and utilizes it in a studied evaluation of its parts in relationship to each other and the language of the text as it was found and used over the different developmental stages of the language. His technique and evaluation are timely in many important ways, and he provides solid tools useful for those digging into the biblical text and its meaning." Shawn Madden, Faith & Mission (A Journal of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary), Spring 2005

"Required reading." - The Master's Seminary Journal

Preface
Part One: Hebrew Linguistics
1. The Diachronic Study of Biblical Hebrew
2. Ezekiel and the Typology of Biblical
Hebrew 3. Diachronic analysis and the Features of Late Biblical Hebrew
4. Dating Isaiah 40-66: What Does the Linguistic Evidence Say?
5. Old Testament Textual Criticism Part Two: Hebrew Intertextuality
6. The Use of the Old Testament in the Book of Ezekiel
7. The Use of the Old Testament in the Book of Hosea
Part Three: Hebrew Theology
8. Genesis 1: 1-3: Creation or Re-Creation? Part 1
9. Genesis 1: 1-3: Creation or Re-Creation? Part 2
10. The Genesis Flood
11. The Law and the Christian
12. The Conquest of Canaan
Bibliography
Indices