Reverberations of Faith: A Theological Handbook of Old Testament Themes

Customer Reviews:

OT theology, clear and effective.......2007-09-23

Because the author, biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann, has chosen to list and expound Old Testament theological themes in alphabetic order, the entry for YHWH comes last. Yet in most of the 105 entries, YHWH (or LORD, where Brueggemann quotes the NRSV) appears at least once, in many instances several times. This speaks of the all-encompassing significance that that inscrutable name, reckoned to be too holy to utter, assumed in the life of the community and found a permanent place in the Hebrew Scriptures as the focus of faith. Like the leitmotif of a musical drama, YHWH sounds and resounds across the pages of this readable book of OT theology. Laid out dictionary-style in two columns per page, the discussions are anything but isolated dictionary definitions. Brueggemann writes, "I have attempted to reflect the complexities, depths, and interrelatedness of these entries, wherein one must entertain them all in order to sense fully any one of them." Thus, entries reverberate with other entries. He might have added that the recurring theme of YHWH intensifies the echoes. You may start anywhere, read two or three entries, and other themes will suggest themselves; these, in turn, will lead to still others. Don't be surprised if you find yourself back at one of the starting entries; read it again, by all means - chances are that it will now speak to you with added meaning and power. Brueggemann develops the OT implications of each theme, reflects on its NT or later Christian understanding where appropriate, and sometimes remarks on relevant present-day issues. In this last category, he can be trenchant, if brief, in his (implicit) criticism of, e.g., those who would use theological promise to justify a political agenda, or of "our human pretensions, all the claims of self-assured superpowers ..." His writing is simple and effective. For once, I feel comfortable using the hackneyed expression, "highly recommended."

Easy to work with.......2007-05-15

I have not red the whole book yet but I have red enough to say it is a brilliant book. easy to understand and learn a lot that I didn't know from the Old testament. using it mostly for preparations looking up different topics and words and I'm so glad for it, a very good and interesting book.

useful, insightful, scholarly, and engaging.......2004-02-28

Walter Brueggemann is a prolific writer and teacher of Biblical Theology. He has a remarkable knack for understanding the ancient Israelite context and meaning in Scriptural narratives, while applying them appropriately and powerfully in situations that relate to Christian faith and practice. Brueggemann is a brilliant scholar, so you are getting top notch material. But many of his books are user-friendly and oriented to the people in the trenches. This book, which is subtitled "A theological handbook of Old Testament themes" is no exception. It contains about 100 entries, arranged alphabetically. Each entry is a powerful theme from the Hebrew Scriptures, which is explained with clarity and insight. Some examples of entries are: Covenant, Day of the Lord, Faith, Forgiveness, Jerusalem, Land, Messiah, Neighbor, Redemption, Retribution, Sacrifice, Suffering Servant, Torah, Wilderness, Wisdom. As you can see, each one of these represents just the kind of theme that really matters when reading Scripture! Most entries are about 1 to 3 pages, and a few are 4-5. They will give you the basic ideas you need to know (with key passages noted), the historical context, a sense of the theology involved and why it matters, and sometimes ends with a paragraph or two giving a sense where there is a connection to the New Testament and Christian doctrine. Each entry ends with a bibliographic list of references for further study. I think this text is perfect for anyone involved in studying Hebrew Scripture (you can just keep it with you all the time!), as well as for teachers and preachers. Basically, it will do for anyone interested in the really important messages of the Bible and understanding their relevance in theology and faith. I assume, by the way, that most readers will be Christians, but I think it would be acceptable to Jewish readers as well, as there is no anti-Judaism or anti-semitism to be found in it.

Prof. Bruegge Actually Scores Again!.......2002-12-19

Since he gives Kathleen O'Connor the credit helping him choose discrete entries that all have interpretative coherence, Prof Bruegge has chosen topics "which reflect a focused theological center to his listing." In order to better connect our favorite Professor's preface comments to my personal point of seeing this new Theological Handbook of Old Testament Themes alongside some eight other copies of Bruegge's creations, I will relate two other Gems: The Commentary on GENESIS and his definitive later THEOLOGY Of The OLD TESTAMENT!

On becoming familiar with GENESIS, Interpretation Commentary, I was transported back to his numerous books focused on Psalms. When I stopped over in his classes at Columbia Seminary, I soon became entranced with his Survey of the Hebrew Bible and his session with THEOLOGY Of the OLD TESTAMENT, his signature work!

Reverberations of Faith has become a specific number of Seven topics which are the more longer from ninety ++ : Deuteronomic Theology, Exodus, Image of God, The Persian Empire, Priestly Tradition, Suffering and Theodicy. In the Image of God he moves from being "astonished in the priestly creation narrative of GENESIS" to New Testament texts of John 14, Corinthians and Colossians. He lists ten pages of Scripture references with far more from Exodus, Deuteronomy and Psalms!

Not only is Bruegge a first class writer and research artist, he displays his fantastic memory in every class. He continually is moving from one scripture to another with his endless naming of resources for future study of Memorable Themes. From years of multiplied classes, I have discovered the unforgettable example of the consumate teacher! This ranks in the top of his long list of all-inclusive books for layman and scholar.
Retired Chaplain Fred W. Hood

Great Themes of Scripture: Old Testament (Great Themes of Scripture Series)

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Great Old Testament Overview
Great Themes of Scripture, Old Testament

Great Themes of Scripture: Old Testament (Great Themes of Scripture Series)
Richard Rohr , and Joseph Martos
Manufacturer: Saint Anthony Messenger Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0867160853

Customer Reviews:

Great service.......2007-04-11

The book I received was delivered in a timely fashion and was in great shape. I will use this vendor again should the need arise.

Great Old Testament Overview.......2003-01-07

Building upon a series of lectures given in the early seventies, Rohr and Martos expand on the ideas to look at the books of the Old Testament from a more macro view. From this stepped back view, the authors show how the books fit together, and how the parts of books such as Exodus build a contextual history of the times and how people are brought together with God. Rohr rejects fundamentalist or biblical literalist readings of the Old Testament, choosing to look at what the stories of the bible meant to those who originally wrote and shared the stories, and how they interact with our relationship with God today. This is one of the best series to lay out a good basis for studying the Old Testament and to understand what the bible is trying to tell us. A succinct volume that can be read again and again, it continues to bringing us into a greater understanding of faith and the Bible.

Great Themes of Scripture, Old Testament.......2000-05-25

This book presents an overview of the great themes which are common in many Old Testament books. The book is easy to read yet inspires the reader to see in these ancient writings deep truths which are still relevant today. Most powerfully the authors site multitudinous examples of God's abounding love for mankind. It is very inspirational.

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Much better than the previous volume. . .

Micah-Malachi (Word Biblical Themes)
Ralph L. Smith
Manufacturer: W Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 31, Hosea-jonah (stuart), 583pp
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 5, Numbers (budd), 446pp
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 26, Jeremiah 1-25 (craigie/kelley/drinkard), 438pp
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 24, Isaiah 1-33 (watts), 513pp
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 10, 1 Samuel (klein), 339pp

ASIN: 0849907918

Book Description

A companion series to the Word Biblical Commentary, the Themes seek to distill the theological essence of the last seven biblical books of the Old Testament as interpreted in the more technical commentary series and to serve it up in ways that will enrich the preaching, teaching, worship, and discipleship of God's people.

Customer Reviews:

Much better than the previous volume. . ........2004-03-18

. . ."Micah - Malachi" is a good, solid Protestant (but not dogmatically so) commentary which concentrates strongly on the integrity of the text. I used this book as a secondary reference for a Minor Prophets course I'm teaching and found it quite readable and useful. I was particularly pleased with Micah and Nahum.

Recommended.

Themes in Old Testament Theology
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making sense of the old testament's themes

Still Valuable Semi-Introduction

Helpful and recommended

Insightful overview

A Relational Loving God

Themes in Old Testament Theology
William A. Dyrness
Manufacturer: InterVarsity Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Faith of Israel, The,: A Theological Survey of the Old Testament

Toward an Old Testament Theology

The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story

Old Testament Theology

Old Testament Theology: Basic Issues in the Current Debate

ASIN: 0877847266

Book Description

Studying the New Testament without a background in the Old is like listening to only the last movement of a great symphony. Unless we begin at the beginning, we miss the sense of developing themes and their subtle variations. To fully appreciate the music of the Bible, we need to listen to its early movements.William Dyrness helps us by providing a set of program notes to important Old Testament themes: the self-revelation of God, the nature of God, creation and providence, man and woman, sin, covenant, law, worship, piety, ethics, wisdom, the Spirit of God, prophecy and the hope of Israel. By attuning our ears to these themes, Dyrness sets us on a course of enriching study and increased understanding.

Customer Reviews:

making sense of the old testament's themes.......2007-01-22

this is a helpful book dealing with the many themes found in the old testament. If you are trying to come to grips with the main concepts of the old testament, give this work a try.

Still Valuable Semi-Introduction.......2006-12-16

If you are looking for a concise overview of Old Testament theology from a conservative Protestant perspective, this book by William Dyrness might fit the bill. Dyrness discusses the material thematically, with attention paid to the historical progression of various concepts. The approach is quite conservative, particularly as concerning the dating of texts, sources, and the like.

I should mention that this book presupposes a fair amount of knowledge of the history of ancient Israel as well as theology, so it isn't for those lacking a basic knowledge of these subjects. The book was published in the late 70s, making it a bit dated, but the subject matter is, as they say, timeless.

Helpful and recommended.......2005-07-23

I recently began looking at the Old Testament with greater vigour.

My focus has historically been on the New Testament, as I venture is the case for most Bible reading and studying Christians. Sure, I reference the O.T. when reading the N.T., and spend time in the Psalms and other well-known passages like Isaiah 52 and 53, Daniel, Job, (particularly the first few and final few chapters), Genesis and Exodus, etc. And I read through the O.T. regularly. However studying the O.T. is another thing.

I just wanted to advise you laymen out there who have a similar desire to dig in to the other two-thirds of God's Word that this book was a significant help to me. It 'broad-brushed' the issues in such a way as to make it a most enlightening read.

Insightful overview.......2005-05-13

In this well-written overview of Old Testament themes, Dyrness seeks to redress an imbalance he sees in modern evangelical theology that emphasizes the New Testament almost to the exclusion of the Old. In contrast to this practical minimization of the relevance of the Old Testament in the modern church, he declares that "there is real movement of God toward humankind and a real fellowship between them" (18) in the Old Testament. As he explores such overlapping themes as God's self-revelation, sin, the covenant, piety, worship and the hope of Israel, Dyrness draws attention to this movement of grace and fellowship between God and humanity. Although he is a systematic theologian by training, he takes the Old Testament at its own words, rather than trying force a systematization on it. In so doing, he generally avoids sectarian dogmatism, although on rare occasions something he says could be controversial for an evangelical Christian (e.g., his dismissal of theistic evolution (79)). What shines through on nearly every page, however, is his erudition and deep insight into Old Testament theology. I highly recommend this books to students of the Bible.

A Relational Loving God.......2000-04-07

A theology of the Old Testament has always been an encyclopedic subject to tackle for theologians. The wide variety of theological themes are as diverse as day and night, and yet they are as connected with each other as light and shadow - one theme leading to another. William Dyrness' book does just that. Although he does cover many different themes from the Old Testament, his treating seems to flow together in harmonious song. It is not difficult to perceive that Dyrness sees the God of Israel as one who has an affinity for relationship with His people. This appears to be one of the major threads that unifies not only the author's book but that of the Old Testament itself. It was interesting to read that Israel's God, as opposed to the contemporary pagan gods of the day, identifies Himself not through His territory - this is assumed - but through His relationship(s) with human-beings and the events which characterize His dealings with them. It is through these relationships that God reveals himself to humanity. Therefore, the author suggests that God's revealing Himself through major encounters with humankind is " . . . clearly the foundation upon which the patriarchal history rests." (29) God in the Old Testament is identified through His activity among men, not by some forensic definition alone. God is intricately involved among the people of whom He has chosen to reflect His holiness in the earth. The author goes on to say that at issue is not God's existence but man's faith. It is this faith that allows man to enter into relationship with God. In this relationship which is characterized by a Suzerain covenant, "there is a particular behavior that is appropriate. . . ." (28) This is expressed through God's will which " . . . was revealed at Sinai" and is the basis of all judgement concerning the relationship. (56) Although many of the contemporary pagan gods were feared of bringing destructive judgement upon a less than obedient constituency, the God of Israel's judgement is different. God is the true judge whose judicial appraisals become redemptive in nature - again, the relationship aspect of God is present even in His judgement. The author expresses the difference between the pagan myths of creation and the creator God of the Old Testament. Unlike the pagans, the Hebrews saw this God as being intricately involved with all of His creation. It is not a myth for the Hebrew but history taking its natural course. Therefore, nature is not seen as existing independent of God. He (Dyrness) is careful to express the Old Testament's belief of God's somewhat metaphoric interaction with nature which is against pantheism. (74) I was somewhat dismayed at this statement however. What exactly is metaphoric (or not) about God's interaction with His creation? The author does not appear to clearly outline his meaning here. Even so, God's creation of human-beings is completely different from all other creation in-that "their fundamental relationship lies with God, and within that relationship lies their fundamental independence of the creation." (80). They are separate and above all other created life based upon their ability to interact with God upon a superior relational level. Humans are considered souls created wholly by God and do not carry souls around in hollowed bodies - both are the entire package. However, this creation abused God's friendship and stepped outside of its proscribed boundaries. Dyrness suggests that the term "your eyes will be opened" shows that they would see things differently from the moment they ate of the fruit. They would see beyond that which God limited them to see. It would seem that God seeks to re-affirm this "limited" eyesight through the expression of His will - the law. Even though it was promised that Adam and Eve would die after they sinned, the Old Testament still assumes a theme of resurrection after death. This hope, suggests the author, is founded in the O.T. belief that God is the unique progenitor of life and faith in Him gives life. Those who would be partakers of this life beyond that of human (earthly) existence must walk in the way of the righteous which in-turn brings forth the fruit of a life that - like Job - will be "vindicated" by the one who judges righteously. "Here the faith of the OT reaches to the very threshold of God's further revelation in Christ." (241). Here is a faith that is completely founded upon a trusting relationship with God; so much so that one's life is given over to Him in the belief that He will justly preserve it. All other avenues of preservation are discarded and God's original purpose for self-revelation is finally attained - the redemption of humanity. I must admit I did not believe that this book would be as enlightening as it was. Although small for a complete theology on the O.T. it is credible and biblical in its findings. I enjoyed the author's style of writing and would seek to find other books from his pen.

Heart of the Old Testament, The,: A Survey of Key Theological Themes

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Heart of the Old Testament

Heart of the Old Testament, The,: A Survey of Key Theological Themes
Ronald Youngblood
Manufacturer: Baker Academic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0801021723
Release Date: 1998-09-01

Book Description

Traces nine key theological strands through the Hebrew Scriptures and shows how they link to the New Testament. Highly accessible, profoundly insightful.

Customer Reviews:

Heart of the Old Testament.......2007-03-10

This book helped me to better understand the theological and historical significance of the Old Testament. It was interesting and detailed and will help me to be a more discerning reader of the Bible. The connection between the Old and New Testaments is much clearer and defined. I highly recommend this book.

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Good Commentary

Daniel (Word Biblical Themes)
John Goldingay
Manufacturer: W Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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NIV Application Commentary : Daniel
Daniel (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries)
Daniel: A Commentary on the Book of Daniel (Hermeneia: a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible)
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 9, Ruth-esther (bush), 528pp
Daniel (New American Commentary)

ASIN: 0849907942

Book Description

The Word Biblical Commentary delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars of our day who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. This series emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology. These widely acclaimed commentaries serve as exceptional resources for the professional theologian and instructor, the seminary or university student, the working minister, and everyone concerned with building theological understanding from a solid base of biblical scholarship.

Customer Reviews:

Good Commentary.......2007-02-17

Goldingay does a great job in his commentery giving the ready pleanty of material for study and scripture expounding.

The New Testament Development of Old Testament Themes

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The New Testament Development of Old Testament Themes

The New Testament Development of Old Testament Themes
Frederick Fyvie Bruce
Manufacturer: Eerdmans Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

The New Testament Development of Old Testament Themes.......2006-06-01

"This is that which was spoken by the prophet." As the Apostle Peter spoke these words on the day of Pentecost, he began not only the first public proclamation of the gospel, but also a controversy which has occupied Christians to the present. While many scholars study the Old Testament in light of its fufillment in the New Testament, others deny any continuity between the two.

F.F. Bruce holds the former view, although he is careful to avoid going too far in finding countless New Testament events foretold in the Old. Rather, it is his purpose here to examine a few of the major themes, motifs, or images which are used as vehicles of revelation in the Old Testament and consider how the New Testament writers continue to use them to present the perfected revelation in Christ. He has selected in particular those which relate to the rule of God, the salvation of God, and the servant of God.
--- from book's back cover

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Old Testament Themes
Victor H. Matthews
Manufacturer: Chalice Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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New Testament Themes
Disciplining Hermeneutics: Interpretation in Christian Perspective
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ASIN: 0827227124

Book Description

Victor Matthews explores four dominant themes in the Hebrew Bible: covenant, remnant, universalism, and wisdom.

1 Enoch and Sirach: A Comparative and Conceptual Analysis of the Themes of Revelation, Creation and Judgment

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1 Enoch and Sirach: A Comparative and Conceptual Analysis of the Themes of Revelation, Creation and Judgment
Randal A. Argall , and Argall
Manufacturer: Scholars Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Antichrist Theme in the Intertestamental Period (Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha)

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Antichrist Theme in the Intertestamental Period (Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha)
Geert Wouter Lorein
Manufacturer: Sheffield Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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