Wealthwatch: A Study of Socioeconomic Conflict in the Bible

Synopsis: The purpose of this book is to help postmodern Westerners understand what the Bible has to say about wealth and possessions basing itself on the presumption that (a) nobody can understand themselves apart from some recognition of their spiritual roots and (b) that these roots sink deeper into the pages of the Bible than most Westerners realize. Focusing upon that part of the Bible most widely recognized to be its ideological core--that which is called Torah by some Pentateuch by others--it interprets this great text against other great texts in its literary-historical environment including (a) some epic poems from Mesopotamia (b) some Jewish texts from Syria-Palestine and (c) some Nazarene parables from the Greek New Testament. Endorsements: This remarkable book by Michael Moore asks what the Bible and other ancient texts have to say about important socioeconomic questions involving wealth: its acquisition and protection; deprivation and slavery; corruption and hedonism; and even relations between management and labor. This is a thoughtful and eminently readable study that nicely lays out the big problems entailed by wealth and looks at how ancient literature offers critiques of wealth practices and related social problems. Moore offers insights and wisdom from the Bible and other ancient classics to anyone trying to think about and evaluate modern values in a culture that all too often seems sadly obsessed with money. -Mark S. Smith Skirball Professor of Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies New York University Michael Moore has written an extraordinarily wide-ranging widely-read lively swashbuckling and illuminating book on a topic of huge importance in our world--indeed (as he shows) in any world. It will give you new understanding of the Bible it will not bore you and the footnotes alone are an education. -John Goldingay David Allan Hubbard Professor of Old Testament Fuller Theological Seminary A thoroughly researched review of socioeconomic conflicts in the Bible and its contemporary world in continuity with present conflicts featuring corruption addiction and our ongoing (debt-) slavery prompted by the breakdown of the family economic unit (divorce) and catastrophic medical bills. Drawing upon familiar Biblical stories and motifs-including the emphasis on sharing and the rejection of sheer acquisitiveness-Moore challenges present-day readers and leads them to change their perceptions and actions. -Herbert Huffmon Professor of Old Testament Studies Drew University Author Biography: Michael S. Moore is a faculty associate at Arizona State University and Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the author of The Balaam Traditions (1990) and Faith Under Pressure (2003).