Essentialto a proper understanding of the Old Testament is a knowledge of thepolitical, historical, and theological environment of the ancient NearEast. While there is an abundance of material explaining thisenvironment, primary source texts are often unavailable or inaccessibleto the beginning Old Testament student.This volume in the Encountering Biblical Studies series fills that void.Readings from the Ancient Near Easttakes the student through a wide variety of primary source texts fromthe ancient Near East that illuminate every book of the Old Testament.It is the companion volume toEncountering the Old Testament, coauthored by Bill Arnold and Bryan Beyer.Theeditors have compiled this volume with the beginning Old Testamentstudent in mind. The selections are intended to move a learner withlittle or no knowledge of the ancient Near East to a basic understandingof its significant texts and authors.Texts spanning more thantwo thousand years include Sumerian creation accounts, epic literaturefrom Mesopotamia, cultic ritual texts from Egypt, and propheticreferences from Syria.Readings from the Ancient Near Eastwill surely become a standard text for professors, students, pastors, Sunday school teachers, and serious lay readers.