From 1993 to 2006, Pilch (Johns Hopkins U.) wrote a bimonthly article in The Bible Today discussing how modern social science research into the Middle East can illuminate aspects of the Bible. The articles from 1993 to 1997 were published as The Cultural Dictionary of the Bible by the Liturgical Press in 1999, and were favorably received. The rest of the articles--from 1998 to 2006--are presented here, arranged thematically in sections on the cosmos, Earth, persons, family, language, human consciousness, God and the spirit world, and entertainment. Names, subjects, and passages are indexed. Annotation 2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
