Appendices

Printable Sheets, Inspiration, and Glossary

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Literary Inspiration

The Bible (any solid translation; ESV/NRSV/NIV/KJV) — core text and tone.
1 Enoch: A New Translation — James C. VanderKam & George W.E. Nickelsburg. Second Temple angelology/divine council.
The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation — Michael Wise, Martin Abegg Jr., Edward Cook. Sectarian law, purity, apocalyptic voice.
Jubilees — translated by James C. VanderKam. Reframed Genesis/Exodus timeline and covenant themes.

The Oxford History of the Biblical World — ed. Michael D. Coogan. Big-picture context, maps, essays.
Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions — Roland de Vaux. Classic on social/religious structures.
On the Reliability of the Old Testament — K. A. Kitchen. Conservative synthesis of text + archaeology.
The Bible Unearthed — Israel Finkelstein & Neil Asher Silberman. Archaeology-forward counterpoint.
The Archaeology of Ancient Israel — ed. Amnon Ben-Tor. Site-by-site surveys.
Life in Biblical Israel — Philip J. King & Lawrence E. Stager. Daily life: housing, foodways, craft.
Daily Life in Biblical Times — Oded Borowski. Work, agriculture, household economy.
Ancient Near Eastern History and Culture — William H. Stiebing Jr. (rev. ed. with Susan Helft). Clear overview from Sumer to Persia.
The Ancient Near East: History, Society and Economy — Mario Liverani. Scholarly, sweeping.

Egypt, Canaan, and Israel in Ancient Times — Donald B. Redford. Cross-border politics and migration.
The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt — ed. Ian Shaw. Pharaohs to Late Period in one volume.
The Canaanites — Jonathan N. Tubb. Culture, religion, material life.
The Philistines and Their Material Culture — Trude Dothan. Definitive on Philistine archaeology.
The Phoenicians — Glenn E. Markoe. Trade networks, cities, crafts, religion.
Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Empire — Eckart Frahm. Imperial pressure on the Levant.
Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization — Paul Kriwaczek. Urban power and myth.

The Context of Scripture (3 vols.) — eds. William W. Hallo & K. Lawson Younger Jr. Treaties, laws, inscriptions for scene dressing.
Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament (ANET) — ed. James B. Pritchard. Classic anthology (older but useful).
Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible (DDD) — eds. K. van der Toorn, Bob Becking, P. W. van der Horst. Names/spirits with references.
Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament — John H. Walton. Parallels, worldview, temple cosmology.
The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament — John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews, Mark W. Chavalas. Fast, GM-friendly context.
Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax — Bruce K. Waltke & M. O’Connor. For naming, idioms, and flavor.
Basics of Biblical Hebrew — Gary D. Pratico & Miles V. Van Pelt. Gentle on-ramp if you want to dabble.

The Prophetic Imagination — Walter Brueggemann. Justice/mercy voice for scenes and stakes.
Sinai and Zion: An Entry into the Jewish Bible — Jon D. Levenson. Covenant, kingship, temple.
Covenant and Creation — William J. Dumbrell. How covenant frames history.
The Mission of God — Christopher J. H. Wright. Ethical implications of Israel’s vocation.
The Lost World of the Israelite Conquest — John H. Walton & J. Harvey Walton. Difficult texts, moral frames (use critically but thoughtfully).
The Unseen Realm — Michael S. Heiser. Divine council model useful for your supernatural cosmology.

Warfare in the Ancient Near East to 1600 BC — William J. Hamblin. Tactics, logistics, kit.
From the Maccabees to the Mishnah — Shaye J. D. Cohen. Later period, but excellent on institutions.
Law Collections from Mesopotamia and Asia Minor — Martha T. Roth. Hammurabi, Hittite, Assyrian codes for “gate” scenes.