Holy War in Ancient Israel

This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable.. From the earliest days of Israels existence as a people holy war was a sacred institution undertaken as a cultic act of a religious community. The concept of holy war an intriguing and sometimes disturbing theme in the Old Testament is given its most articulate expression in this classic study by the distinguished German scholar Gerhard von Rad.. For Israel the most important feature of holy war was the demand for faith in Yahwehs saving acts. However von Rad argues it was not Yahweh alone who acted; rather because they envisioned Yahweh fighting in their behalf the Israelites themselves were inspired — and obliged — to fight even harder.. In this regard the actual events differed vastly from the picture given by the biblical narratives which downplay and often exclude the human factor and stress the exclusive warlike action of Yahweh thus equating holy war with absolute miracle.. So persuasive was von Rads work on the Old Testament understanding of holy war that it set the standard for all subsequent work on the subject. Appearing here in English for the first time this definitive study will prove valuable not only for students and scholars but for anyone interested in the theory of holy war and its development throughout biblical history.. Ben C Ollenburger professor of Old Testament at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries has written an introduction to the book. An annotated bibliography by Judith E. Sanderson assistant professor of Old Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary brings the work up to date with current research.