Vadim Jigoulov

The Scriptures of Ancient Judaism: A Secular Introduction provides students with a scholarly exploration of the literature and themes of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible and cognate Near Eastern materials. The text features diverse interdisciplinary and methodological points of view from secular biblical scholars, offering readers a comprehensive, thoughtful, and accessible point of entry to the study of the ancient world and the religious heritage of Judaism. The text approaches the scriptures of ancient Judaism without religious bias or dogmatic intent. Rather, the book is designed to ignite interest in the history and literature of the ancient world and to present the latest scholarship related to the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. Students are introduced to Israelite religious traditions, their unique worldviews, and offered a primer on how to read ancient texts. Later chapters examine the histories and cultures of the ancient Near East and Jewish historiography. Legal texts, prophetic texts, biblical poetry and wisdom literature, and apocalyptic writings found within the Hebrew Bible and other related texts are analyzed. Providing students a rich and complete introduction, The Scriptures of Ancient Judaism is an ideal text for courses in biblical studies.

The Scriptures of Ancient Judaism: A Secular Introduction provides students with a scholarly exploration of the literature and themes of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible and cognate Near Eastern materials. The text features diverse interdisciplinary and methodological points of view from secular biblical scholars, offering readers a comprehensive, thoughtful, and accessible point of entry to the study of the ancient world and the religious heritage of Judaism. The text approaches the scriptures of ancient Judaism without religious bias or dogmatic intent. Rather, the book is designed to ignite interest in the history and literature of the ancient world and to present the latest scholarship related to the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. Students are introduced to Israelite religious traditions, their unique worldviews, and offered a primer on how to read ancient texts. Later chapters examine the histories and cultures of the ancient Near East and Jewish historiography. Legal texts, prophetic texts, biblical poetry and wisdom literature, and apocalyptic writings found within the Hebrew Bible and other related texts are analyzed. Providing students a rich and complete introduction, The Scriptures of Ancient Judaism is an ideal text for courses in biblical studies. Vadim Jigoulov holds a Ph. D. in Near Eastern studies from the University of Michigan. He is a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies at Morgan State University. Steven Leonard Jacobs holds a D. D. and D. H. L from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He is a professor of religious studies and the Aaron Aronov Endowed Chair in Judaic Studies at The University of Alabama. Jaco Gericke holds a Ph. D. in Old Testament studies from the University of Pretoria. He is an associate research professor at North West University.

"A Record of Interesting Choices: Tales of a Post-Soviet Man in the West" is a collection of entertaining and irreverent stories from a Russian immigrant living in the US. With his characteristic sarcasm and at times warm tone, Jigoulov writes on religion in America, the importance of German erotica in the Soviet space, the world of espionage, and the secrets of the Russian soul. Jigoulov reminiscences on growing up in the Soviet Union, his experiences in the Soviet intelligence services, and his involvement with American religious groups in Russia and the US. He also shares his humorous anecdotes of survival as an immigrant. After living in the US for over twenty years, the author reflects back at his life in the Soviet Union as a Westerner and writes about it in the language that would appeal to American readers.