Students and scholars in the field of biblical studies will be familiar with numerous Introductions presenting the Hebrew Bible from a wide range of perspectives and methodologies. One may therefore wonder whether there is any need for yet another Introduction such as the one presented here. It goes without saying that the present book shares many things with previous Introductions; at the same time, its aim, scope, and source of inspiration are very different from those of for the standard Introductions, and I believe that these new aspects not only justify its publication but will also make it attractive to a quite varied readership.