Scribes and Schools: The Canonization of the Hebrew Scriptures (Library of Ancient Israel)

Philip R. Davies investigates the ways that the ancient world produced canons and textual collections, with special attention to the social practices embodied by scribes, schools, archives, and libraries. The result is a constructive proposal for how the Old Testament arose in its many parts and grew to status as an accepted document, even as a religious object. This book is a significant contribution to the understanding of scribal activity and its effect on Israel's texts, and it is sure to be as controversial as it is elucidating.