A Survey of the Old Testament / Edition 3

A Survey of the Old Testament / Edition 3

ISBN-10:
0310280958
ISBN-13:
9780310280958
Pub. Date:
02/05/2009
Publisher:
Zondervan Academic
ISBN-10:
0310280958
ISBN-13:
9780310280958
Pub. Date:
02/05/2009
Publisher:
Zondervan Academic
A Survey of the Old Testament / Edition 3

A Survey of the Old Testament / Edition 3

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Overview

An indispensable guide for exploring the literary, historical, and theological issues behind the Old Testament.

The purpose of studying the Old Testament is to understand God and his redemptive work more fully. However, this goal is complicated by the fact that it was transmitted through a very different language and culture from our own. A Survey of the Old Testament addresses background information, purpose, message, structure, and major themes of the Old Testament to help readers understand its message and relevance.

Chapters introducing each major section of the Old Testament are included, as are chapters dealing with issues of interpretation, hermeneutics, theology, geography, archaeology, history, formation of the Old Testament canon, and the Old Testament's relationship to the New Testament.

Features included for each book of the Old Testament:

  • Writing of the Book
  • Background
  • Outline of the Book
  • Purpose and Message
  • Structure and Organization
  • Major Themes
  • Questions for Further Study and Discussion
  • Further Reading

Complete with full-color maps, photos, timelines, and charts, this widely acclaimed textbook is a useful and readable tool for undergraduate students and other readers who wish to better understand the Old Testament and God's redemptive work.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780310280958
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
Publication date: 02/05/2009
Edition description: Third Edition
Pages: 800
Sales rank: 617,010
Product dimensions: 7.60(w) x 9.20(h) x 2.10(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Andrew E. Hill (Ph D, University of Michigan) is professor emeritus of Old Testament studies at Wheaton College in Illinois. He has contributed to or authored several books, including Old Testament Today, with John Walton; The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary, with Gary M. Burge; and 1 and 2 Chronicles in the NIV Application Commentary series. He has contributed to several academic journals including Hebrew Annual Review, Journal of Biblical Literature, and Vetus Testamentum.


John H. Walton (Ph D, Hebrew Union College) is professor emeritus of Old Testament at Wheaton College Graduate School. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including Old Testament Today, with Andrew E. Hill; volumes on Job and Genesis in the NIV Application Commentary series; the six-volume Lost World series; and Genesis 1 as Ancient Cosmology. He was also coeditor, with Craig Keener, of the ECPA 2017 Bible of the Year winner, the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible.

Read an Excerpt

A Survey of the Old Testament


By Andrew E. Hill John H. Walton

Zondervan

Copyright © 2000 Zondervan
All right reserved.

ISBN: 0-310-22903-0


Chapter One

Introduction to the Pentateuch

Key Ideas

Abrahamic covenant as Issues related to the unifying theological theme historicity of the narrative texts

Diversity of literary types and distinctive literary features

The term pentateuch is commonly applied to the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. This Greek expression simply means "five scrolls" and apparently was popularized by the Hellenized Jews of Alexandria in the first century A.D. The Hebrew-speaking Jewish community traditionally referred to these five books as the "Torah" (or "instruction" in holiness). Other designations for the Pentateuch include the Book of the Law, emphasizing the covenant stipulations as its defining feature; and the Law of Moses, emphasizing the human mediator as its defining feature.

The Pentateuch was the first divinely prompted literary collection acknowledged as Scripture by the Hebrew community. As such, it is the most important division of the Hebrew canon. It always stands first in the threefold division of the Old Testament: Law, Prophets, and Writings. Its supreme rank in the Old Testament canon in respect to authority and holiness is evidenced by its position and separation from the other books in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament). The careful translation of the Hebrew Pentateuch into Greek also confirms the high regard for the collection in the Hebrew community (in contrast to the incomplete and more loosely translated divisions of the Prophets and Writings).

Theme and General Contents

The "five-book" division of the Pentateuch is really a secondary partitioning of what was intended to be a unified, literary whole. The Pentateuch is better understood as a "five-volume" book, a five-part mini-series of sorts. D. J. A. Clines (1979) has convincingly argued that the Pentateuch has two basic divisions, Genesis 1-11 and Genesis 12-Deuteronomy 34. In view of the fall of humankind and the broken fellowship between God and humanity, the first division poses the question, "How can that relationship be repaired or restored?" The second division then provides an answer, or at least a partial answer, to the human dilemma depicted in Genesis 1-11. The solution is rooted in the idea of covenant bonding between God and Abram in Genesis 12:1-3. This passage constitutes the focal point of the second division and actually summarizes the key themes of the Pentateuchal narratives: Yahweh's covenant, Abraham's posterity, divine election and blessing, and the grant of a "promised land."

Part 1 explains the origins of the earth and humankind, explains the nature and purpose of humanity created male and female, records the intrusion of sin into God's good creation, and reveals the character of God, who both judges human sin (as witnessed in the Flood account) and deals mercifully with fallen creation (as seen in the grace extended to Noah and his family).

Part 2 explains how Israel (through Abraham) became the elect covenant people of Yahweh and God's instrument for revealing himself and restoring the broken and corrupted relationship between the Creator and his creation. The Pentateuchal accounts are significant both for Israel, due to their unique covenant relationship with Yahweh, and for the nations of the world, since the destiny of humanity is ultimately tied to Israel's covenant with God.

The unifying theological theme of the Pentateuch is Yahweh's covenant promise to Abram in Genesis 12:3. What humankind was unable to do in all its pride and self-sufficiency (epitomized in the Tower of Babel), God initiated in his covenant promise. The literary plan of the Pentateuch is but an expansion of the three-part covenant promise extended to Abram, as outlined in figure 1.1.

The Literature of the Pentateuch

The Pentateuch, or Book of the Law, is a rich collection of literary genres or types. This diversity of literary types enhances both the artistic nature of the work and the key theological themes unifying the anthology. By the same token, these multiple and complex literary forms have been directly responsible for the ongoing debate over the composition and date of the Pentateuch.

Prose Narrative

Most of the Pentateuchal literature is prose narrative. The narrative is simple but direct and forceful. The text is largely a third-person account of early Israelite history interspersed with prayers, speeches, and other types of direct discourse (e.g., Abraham's intercessory prayer for Sodom in Gen. 18:22-33, Yahweh's speech to Moses in Exod. 3:7-12, and the exchange between Pharaoh and Moses in Exod. 10:1-21).

The narratives artfully blend historical reporting and theological interpretation. This makes the Pentateuch more than a mere register of chronologically ordered events yet something less than pointed religious propaganda serving to explain or justify certain actions, events, institutions, or theological teachings. Perhaps the best example of this blend of historical reporting and theological interpretation is the providential understanding of Joseph's trials as benefiting all of Jacob's family (Gen. 50:15-21).

The language of the Pentateuch is simple and beautiful. It uses anthropomorphic language (i.e., ascribing human qualities to God), and frequent reference to theophany (i.e., a visible and audible manifestation of God to a human being). The detailed characterizations and repetitious plots in the stories have led some scholars to use terms like "myth" or "saga," "folklore," and "legend" for portions of the Pentateuchal narratives (especially Genesis). Traditionally, evangelical scholars have balked at employing such labels for the Pentateuchal narratives lest the accounts be thought of as fiction. The inability of modern scholarship to define these genres or literary categories clearly has also contributed to this reluctance to use these terms. Once again, belief in the historicity of the Old Testament make some scholars reluctant to include Genesis (and the rest of the Pentateuch) in these ill-defined genres. This historical aspect of the Pentateuchal prose narratives is discussed later on.

(Continues...)



Excerpted from A Survey of the Old Testament by Andrew E. Hill John H. Walton Copyright © 2000 by Zondervan. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Table of Contents

Maps9
Photographs10
Abbreviations11
Preface13
Acknowledgments16
Using This Book18
Approaching the Old Testament19
Geography of the Old Testament27
Part IThe Pentateuch
1.Introduction to the Pentateuch47
2.Genesis63
3.Exodus81
4.Leviticus100
5.Numbers114
6.Deuteronomy131
Historical Overview of Old Testament Times145
Part IIThe Historical Books
7.Introduction to the Historical Books169
8.Joshua177
9.Judges192
10.Ruth204
11.1-2 Samuel209
12.1-2 Kings227
13.1-2 Chronicles250
14.Ezra-Nehemiah267
15.Esther281
Archaeology and the Old Testament289
Part IIIThe Poetic Books
16.Hebrew Poetic and Wisdom Literature307
17.Job327
18.Psalms341
19.Proverbs356
20.Ecclesiastes365
21.Song of Songs373
Formation of the Old Testament Scriptures383
Part IVThe Prophets
22.Introduction to Prophetic Literature403
23.Isaiah415
24.Jeremiah425
25.Lamentations433
26.Ezekiel440
27.Daniel452
28.Hosea462
29.Joel473
30.Amos479
31.Obadiah488
32.Jonah495
33.Micah503
34.Nahum509
35.Habakkuk514
36.Zephaniah521
37.Haggai526
38.Zechariah533
39.Malachi543
Part VEpilogue
40.Toward the New Testament555
41.What We Have Learned562
Appendix ACritical Methodologies571
Appendix BThe Composition of the Pentateuch576
Timeline of Biblical History586
Glossary588
Index593

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

'“I have used Hill and Walton’s A Survey of the Old Testament from the very first edition to the current third edition because students have responded very positively to it and give the textbook a high rating. It is especially effective for introducing students from traditional church backgrounds to the new world of higher criticism. In discussing more controversial topics such as ‘The Composition of the Pentateuch,’ various viewpoints are represented fairly.” Adjunct Professor, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and New Brunswick Theological Seminary — Andrew Lee

“The one-year Bible and Israel Program in our University has been consistently using A Survey of the Old Testament. We find the text informative, concise, and trustworthy with a high view of Scripture and an appreciation for Ancient Near East studies. In addition, the graphics provide our students with photos of biblical landscapes, illuminating charts, and important archaeological discoveries. This is one textbook that our students want to keep.” Philadelphia Biblical University — William L. Krewson

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