The Wealth of Nations

A Tradition-Historical Study

by Michael J. Chan

Book cover: The Wealth of Nations

Extent: 273 pages

Publisher: Mohr Siebeck

Subjects: Ancient Near East, Biblical Studies

Series: Forschungen zum Alten Testament 2.Reihe

Series volume number: 93

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(July 2017)

ISBN: 9783161540981

Price: $130.00

In stock

Michael J. Chan argues, on a methodological level, for the deeper integration of iconographic materials into the task of tradition history–a method that has tended to focus on textual evidence alone. Following the work of O.H. Steck, however, “tradition” is understood in more flexible terms, to refer to inherited concepts and constellations, which can exist across multiple media. The author undertakes a tradition-historical study of the “Wealth of Nations Tradition”–a series of texts in which the foreign nations of the earth bring their wealth to Zion. The Wealth of Nations tradition is found throughout the ancient Near East. Michael J. Chan shows that in some cases, the biblical texts reflect this tradition with little to no modification while in others the tradition is recast in creative and disruptive ways.

  • By (author) Michael J Chan

"Beyond the field of Near Eastern studies, theologians and historians of economics who are used to reading technical biblical studies may benefit from this exhaustive treatment of this ancient theme." --Journal of Markets and Morality, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Fall 2018)