April 2, 2007

MINNEAPOLIS – Jews and Christians not only share much, but also can, will, and ought to contest with one another not only around matters of theology and biblical interpretation, but also at the level of faith-informed politics and social policy. In Contesting Texts: Jews and Christians in Conversation about the Bible, a collection of essays demonstrate that Jews and Christians can speak together about what they hold in common, and the differences they value, in a climate of mutual respect and in a spirit of esteem and affection.

The editors of this important volume, Melody D. Knowles, Esther Menn, John Pawlikowski, O.S.M., and Timothy J. Sandoval, draw together writings by distinguished Jewish and Christian biblical scholars and theologians as they explore the points of difference that distinguish each community as it reads the Bible, and the resources the Bible provides for shared hope and work in the world.

"Forthright and compelling, these essays by first-rank historians and theologians explore the ways that the Bible has served as both bridge and battleground between Christians and Jews. Acknowledging difference rather than concentrating on sameness, these scholars call members of both faith communities to the moral and spiritual goal of honest dialogue and mutual respect." – Paula Fredriksen, William Goodwin Aurelio Professor of the Appreciation of Scripture, Boston University

Table of Contents:
· Jews, Christians, and the Bible
· Texts of Violence: Early Jewish and Christian Interpretations
· Claiming the Texts as Jews and Christians: Reliving a Common Tradition
· Religious Identity and the Other in the New Testament
· Looking to the Present and the Future

Features:
· Contributors are renowned Jewish and Christian scholars
· Includes a comprehensive reading list on Jewish-Christian dialogue
· Engages Dabru Emet, the recent American-Jewish statement on biblical interpretation

Contributors: David Novak, Barbara Rossing, Steven Weitzman, Hindy Naiman, Ralph Klein, Barbara Bowe, Larry Edwards, Sarah Tanzer, Walter Brueggemann, Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, and David Sandmel.

Editors: Melody D. Knowles is Associate Professor of Hebrew Scripture at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois. Esther Menn is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. John Pawlikowski, O.S.M. is Professor of Social Ethics at the Catholic Theological Union and Director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies Program at CTU in Chicago. Timothy J. Sandoval is Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible at Chicago Theological Seminary.

Contesting Texts: Jews and Christians in Conversation about the Bible, Edited by Melody D. Knowles, Esther Menn, John , Pawlikowski, O.S.M., and Timothy J. Sandoval, Item Number: 978-0-8006-3842-9, Details: 6" x 9," hardcover with jacket, 248 pages, Price: $29.00 /CAN $35.00 /UK £16.99, Publisher: Fortress Press.

To order Contesting Texts: Jews and Christians in Conversation about the Bible please call Fortress Press at 1-800-328-4648 or visit the Web site at http://www.fortresspress.com/.

Fortress Press