The only large-scale critical introduction to Western Marxism for biblical criticism. Roland Boer introduces the core concepts of major figures in the tradition, specifically Althusser, Gramsci, Deleuze and Guattari, Eagleton, Lefebvre, Lukács, Adorno, Bloch, Negri, Jameson, and Jameson. Throughout, Boer shows how Marxist criticism is relevant to biblical criticism, in terms of approaches to the Bible and in the use of those approaches in the interpretation of specific texts. In this second edition, Boer has added chapters on Deleuze and Guattari, and Negri. Each chapter has been carefully revised to make the book more useful on courses, while maintaining challenges and insights for postgraduate students and scholars. Theoretical material has been updated and sharpened in light of subsequent research and a revised conclusion considers the economies of the ancient world in relation to biblical societies.

Introduction: Touchstones for Marxist Criticism1. Louis Althusser: The Difficult Birth of Israel in Genesis2. Antonio Gramsci: The Emergence of the 'Prince' in Exodus3. Deleuze and Guattari: Scapegoats and Resistance4. Terry Eagleton: The Class Struggles of Ruth5. Henri Lefebvre (and David Harvey): The Production of Space in 1 Samuel6. Georg Lukács: The Contradictory World of Kings7. Theodor Adorno: The Logic of Divine Justice in Isaiah8. Ernst Bloch: Anti-Yahwism in Ezekiel9. Antonio Negri: Job: Bending Transcendence to Immanence10. Fredric Jameson: The Contradictions of Form in the Psalms11. Walter Benjamin: The Impossible Apocalyptic of DanielConclusion: Marxism and the Sacred Economy