Cover -- Copyright -- Contents -- Illustrations -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Part I: Land -- 1. Land tenure -- 2. Communal land -- 3. The myth of the helpless peasant -- 4. New perspectives on land passages -- Part II: Credit -- 5. Agricultural credit -- 6. Debt and patronage -- 7. Debt in the Bible -- Part III: No crisis in Yehud -- 8. Life in Yehud -- 9. Financing production and commerce -- General conclusion -- Glossary -- Bibliography -- Index of biblical passages -- Index of authors -- Index of subjects
Summary
Land, Credit and Crisis presents a new understanding of the financial culture of the Bible. Biblical Palestine was characterized by an over-abundance of arable land combined with a chronic lack of manpower and agricultural credit - circumstances which lead to much prophetic fulminating against merchants and the rich. The book reveals how the financial instruments and institutions of the time reflected a tough economic realism and argues that the image of the biblical prophet as a champion of social justice must be revised
