Ancient Texts for the Study of the Hebrew Bible: A Guide to the Background Literature Paperback - 2017

From the rear cover

"Frustrated over the lack of comparative bibliographic resources at his disposal in graduate school, [Sparks] has ventured to write a massive introduction to and overview of the Hebrew Bible in its ancient Near Eastern literary context. One is immediately struck with Sparks's extensive background in ancient Near Eastern civilizations, which makes him well suited to write a book such as this. . . . Sparks is to be congratulated for compiling such a useful reference tool; it will be of great use to biblical and ancient Near Eastern scholars alike."
--Catholic Biblical Quarterly

"This book is essential for everyone dealing with the Hebrew Bible in its ancient context. . . . It is a thorough introduction to the variety of genres in ancient Near Eastern literature and their relevance for the Hebrew Bible. The chapters can be consulted individually for an orientation to specific literary forms, for exemplars from specific locations, or for individual texts, as well as for contemporary scholarship on any aspect of the preceding. In short, all future comparative scholarship will take this book as its starting point."
--John L. McLaughlin, Review of Biblical Literature

"Sparks's fifteen chapters provide a genre-based discussion of ancient Near Eastern texts that in some way contribute to the study of the world, the literature, and the text of the Hebrew Bible. . . . While the primary audience for Sparks's book is students, it will also serve as a helpful reference guide for biblical scholars."
--Old Testament Abstracts

"For generations, specialists have begged for a book that would convey the literary richness of the ancient Near East to students of the Bible and of the classics. Sparks's handy reference guide is now here to fill that need: elegant in presentation; judicious in contents, with precise summaries of opinions; and helpful bibliographically."
--Jack M. Sasson, Vanderbilt University

"Students and scholars of every level will save days of catalog and preparation time for any one project just by having this ready to hand."
--Daniel Fleming, New York University