The aim of this booklet is to given an account of the nature of the religion of the Old Testament, especially those aspects that differentiate it from other ancient religions. Fitting with the emerging historical-critical Zeitgeist, Marti follows the usual division of Israelite religion into nomadic, peasant, prophetic, and legal religions. Various accoutrements and components of the religious life of antiquity are considered throughout this somewhat contrived course of Israel’s religious development. Written when Assyriology was just beginning to come into its own, Marti still finds the Graf-Wellhausen hypothesis a compelling explanation for the form of the biblical material. An index provides a handy tool for locating specific topics covered in this volume. Students of ancient religion will not be disappointed with this contribution to the discussion by Marti.

Karl Marti (1855-1925) was a German biblical scholar who taught at the Universities of Bern and Berlin. He was editor of the acclaimed Kurzen Hand-Commentar zum Alten Testament.