Old Testament Books - Page 4

Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey (Encountering Biblical Studies)

Bill T. Arnold, Bryan E. Beyer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Needs an editor's eye! 2 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Good overview of each book of the OT -- BUT there were a LOT of mistakes (verse references and illustration references) in the book, which I believe decreases its integrity as it certainly takes away my respect of its credibility. For example, on pg 214, the citation for 2 Sm 6:6-8 should actually be 2 Sm 5:6-8. Another example, on pg. 242, "Jotham of Israel" should actually be "Jotham of Judah". These are only a few of the mistakes I've seen, and it makes me wonder what other mistakes there are. Seems like it needs a good editor's eye.

Other issues I had with this book: the key terms are never defined in the book. You have to look it up in the accompanying CD to find the definitions. Also, I found that often times, the point/message that the authors are trying to convey in their paragraphs and sections are never clearly stated (they beat around the bush and go in circles). Lastly, the attempts at application/contextualization seem to have been added to the ends of sections almost as an afterthought, and they stood out like a sore thumb as not belonging to the train of thought.

I am disappointed with the quality of this book. The pictures and color are very appealing in comparison to other Old Testament survey books, however, the other issues with the book make it a less than desirable textbook.

Editorial Review:

The bestselling Encountering the Old Testament has become the leading Old Testament survey text. Now the second edition has been updated throughout with revisions to the text, sidebars, bibliographies, notes, and indexes. The accompanying CD-ROM has been radically revised to demonstrate its close connection to the text and includes links to study aids, videos, and photos. The book's numerous helpful features include full-color illustrations, photographs, sidebars, focus boxes, learning objectives, chapter outlines and summaries, and study questions.

Jon Courson's Application Commentary: Volume 2, Old Testament (Psalms - Malachi) (Jon Courson's Application Commentary)

Jon Courson

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Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Other than the Bible....... 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Jon Courson has a way of writing that makes the bible come alive in a personal way. Many times I have stopped and prayed while I was reading the Bible and commentary sections, to ask for the Lord's help and guidance in my walk and conduct.
If I had to have any book(s)other than the Bible, the Courson commentaries would be my choice.
I have been in full time ministry for more than 15 years and these commentaries have still been a great help.
Of course, I don't agree with everything Jon teaches, but it is overwhelmingly solid teaching.

Jon Courson Rules 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

His commentaries bring the bible to life along with inserting helpful hebrew and greek.

Editorial Review:

Jon Courson is one of the most exhilarating ministers today. In his unique style, Pastor Jon has written an Old Testament commentary that is a scholarly work, but is easy to read and makes practical applications for us in our daily walk with Jesus. This volume completes Jon Courson's verse-by-verse commentary on the Old Testament. It is your opportunity to study the Bible with one of the great Bible teachers of our time.

Walking the Bible: A Photographic Journey

Bruce Feiler

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Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"The process of gathering these images reminded me of the Bible's effortless ability to reinvent itself for each generation and each new way of searching."
—Bruce Feiler

Its stories may be the best known in the world, but its locations have long been a mystery. Where did Noah's ark land? Where did Moses receive the Ten Commandments? Where are the lost cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? Now, in Walking the Bible: A Photographic Journey, New York Times bestselling author Bruce Feiler offers an unprecedented heart-stirring adventure through the landscape of some of history's most storied events.

Featuring Bruce Feiler's own photography as well as his selections from professional collections, Walking the Bible: A Photographic Journey brings together breathtaking vistas, intimate portraits, and fascinating panoramas, providing firsthand access to the inscrutable land where three of the world's great religions were born—and finally puts a face on the stories that have long inspired the human spirit.

Over several years, Feiler traveled nearly ten thousand miles through the deserts of the Middle East, which led first to his runaway national bestseller Walking the Bible. This new illustrated book follows his route, offering a thrilling photographic voyage through the actual places of some of the Bible's most memorable events—from the heights of Mount Ararat, where Noah's ark landed, to the desert outpost in Turkey, where Abraham first heard the words of God, to the summit where Moses overlooked the Promised Land.

Walking the Bible: A Photographic Journey chronicles a landscape that nurtured the relationship between humans and the divine, breathing new meaning into stories that have been a timeless source of inspiration.

The David Story: A Translation with Commentary of 1 and 2 Samuel

Robert Alter

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Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A really incredible translation of a really great story 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

It's really a shame that Robert Altar has "only" translated Samuel I and II and the Five Books of Moses because once you read one of his translations with all of their glorious commentary, using another commentary on another book of the Bible feels sort of empty. I am terribly sad about finishing this book. It's amazingly readable; the footnotes are ample and very satisfying. If you want to read the Books of Samuel and gain an understanding of them and an appreciation for them, I can't imagine there is a better book for you to buy.

I would add that this book also approaches the story from what I guess you would call a literary-historical perspective. Hence, it doesn't really matter whether you are religious or not, or what your religion is. Alter will help you see the David story for what it is: one of the richest and best stories ever produced.

Editorial Review:

A fresh translation of the Old Testament story of David and Goliath. This David is fully human, an ambitious, calculating man who navigates his life's course with a flawed moral vision. Translation and commentary together enable a great work of literature to emerge from the Bible.

Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible

John H. Walton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Excellent Book: Delivers What It Promises And Then Some 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

First off I want to say that I audited a course by the author of this book, and read through the book throughout the semester. It is part of the core curriculum for an M.A. in New Testament or Old Testament Exegesis at Wheaton. I am a pastor who preaches regularly. This book has impacted my entire understanding of the Old Testament in a powerful way.

The logical format of this book gives the reader a simple and effective way to slowly enter into the worldview of ancient people. The author is very good at giving readers hinge concepts to help understand the distinctions between our worldview and their worldview.

The book categorizes ancient near eastern thought into topics that are actually enjoyable to read. Each topic could easily overlap with other topics, and Dr. Walton does a great job of separating the topics without distorting them (in my opinion).

This book tackles thorny issues that separate Evangelicals from Liberals in the land of scholars, without alienating either side of the issue. Walton's premise is that we should abandon the old approaches to Ancient Near Eastern Thought and simply understand what they believed, and how it was different from or the same as Old Testament thought.

One concept that emerges as the book develops is the idea that some Israelite prophets argued for the support of the covenant with God rather than for the reinforcement of the Kings authority (as the prophets of other cultures and sometimes Israeli culture did). This sets Israeli prophets who held to the covenant with God at odds with everyone else who prophecied in Israel and around Israel. Coupled with the exclusiveness of the Jewish religion, and the people soon became alienated from those around them and sometimes from their own religion or people.

Probably the most helpful aspect of this book is his excellent approach to comparative studies without labeling certain parts of the bible as extensions of other cultures or vice versa. His approach, when properly understood, is actually what both sides of the historical divide on this topic ought to be doing. I find it not only full of wisdom, but extremely helpful in preparing sermons from the Old Testament.

A nice companion to this volume is The Bible Background Commentary of the Old Testament. I think that this book shows you how to use the Bible Background Commentaries.

One criticism that I would like to mention is that some of the charts in this book are a bit difficult for me to understand. That's an area that the next edition may have to improve on. However, there are only a few pages like that and the rest of the book is really a very very good summary and introduction to Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament.

Some of the topics he covers include but are by no means limited to:

The Ancient View of the World.
The Ancient view of the heavens.
The Ancient view of Temples
The Ancient view of Omens and Magic.

I think he has around 13 topics in all. This book is well worth reading and if you plan to teach from the Old Testament over the years, you might want to pick up a copy for your personal library. It's packed with helpful references also.

Editorial Review:

Much of the Old Testament seems strange to contemporary readers. However, as we begin to understand how ancient people viewed the world, the Old Testament becomes more clearly a book that stands within its ancient context as it also speaks against it. John Walton provides here a thoughtful introduction to the conceptual world of the ancient Near East. Walton surveys the literature of the ancient Near East and introduces the reader to a variety of beliefs about God, religion, and the world. In helpful sidebars, he provides examples of how such studies can bring insight to the interpretation of specific Old Testament passages. Students and pastors who want to deepen their understanding of the Old Testament will find this a helpful and instructive study.

The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament

John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews, Mark W. Chavalas

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Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

How can we account for the Book of the Law being suddenly discovered during Josiah's renovation of the temple (1 Chron 34:14)?

We know from Egypt and Mesopotamia that it was common to seal important documents--including theological documents--in the masonry or foundations of a palace or temple in order to inform a future king who might undertake restoration of the building.

What might the psalmist have in mind when asking God to remove transgressions "as far as the east is from the west" (Ps 103:12)?

In an Egyptian hymn to Amun-Re, the deity is praised for his judgment of the guilty. As a result of the god's discernment, the guilty is assigned to the East and the righteous to the West.

What is meant by the image of God "weighing the heart" (Prov 21:2)?

In Egyptian religious tradition we find the notion of the dead being judged before the gods. As the soul is examined, the dead person's heart is weighed in a scale against a feather symbolizing Truth. If the answers are correct and the heart does not outweigh the feather, the soul may enter the realm of everlasting life.

The narratives, genealogies, laws, poetry, proverbs and prophecies of the Old Testament are deeply rooted in history. Archaeologists, historians and social scientists have greatly advanced our knowledge of the ancient world of the Bible. When we illuminate the stories of Abraham or David, the imagery of the Psalms and Proverbs, or the prophecies of Isaiah or Jeremiah with this backlight of culture and history, these texts spring to new life.

This unique commentary joins The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament in giving historical, social and cultural background for each Old Testament passage. From Genesis through Malachi it gathers and condenses an abundance of specialized knowledge and makes it available to ordinary readers of the Old Testament. It will enrich your study of these biblical books in a way that no other commentary can do.

Written in clear, nontechnical language, this invaluable aid includes

_ a glossary of historical terms as well as ancient peoples, texts and inscriptions _ maps and charts of important historical resources _ expanded explanations of significant background issues _ introductory essays on the background of each book

"The IVP Bible Background Commentary on the Old Testament is a treasure of information crucial to know to enrich your understanding of the Bible. The authors are experts in the field of Old Testament and its ancient Near Eastern world and present the fruits of their research in an extremely accessible way to allow modern readers to bridge the horizon back to the ancient context of the Bible." Tremper Longman III, Robert H. Gundry Professor of Religious Studies, Westmont College

The Beginning of Wisdom: Reading Genesis

Leon R. Kass

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

As ardent debates over creationism fill the front pages of newspapers, Genesis has never been more timely. And as Leon R. Kass shows in The Beginning of Wisdom, it’s also timeless.

Examining Genesis in a philosophical light, Kass presents it not as a story of what happened long ago, but as the enduring story of humanity itself. He asserts that the first half of Genesis contains insights about human nature that “rival anything produced by the great philosophers.” Kass here reads these first stories—from Adam and Eve to the tower of Babel—as a mirror for self-discovery that reveals truths about human reason, speech, freedom, sexual desire, pride, shame, anger, and death. Taking a step further in the second half of his book, Kass explores the struggles in Genesis to launch a new way of life that addresses mankind’s morally ambiguous nature by promoting righteousness and holiness.

Even readers who don’t agree with Kass’s interpretations will find The Beginning of Wisdom a compelling book—a masterful philosophical take on one of the world’s seminal religious texts.

“Extraordinary. . . . Its analyses and hypotheses will leave no reader’s understanding of Genesis unchanged.” —New York Times

“A learned and fluent, delightfully overstuffed stroll through the Gates of Eden. . . . Mix Harold Bloom with Stephen Jay Gould and you’ll get something like Kass. A wonderfully intelligent reading of Genesis.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
 
“Throughout his book, Kass uses fruitful, fascinating techniques for getting at the heart of Genesis. . . . Innumerable times [he] makes a reader sit back and rethink what has previously been tediously familiar or baffling.”—Washington Post
 
“It is important to state that this is a book not merely rich, but prodigiously rich with insight. Kass is a marvelous reader, sensitive and careful. His interpretations surprise again and again with their cogency and poignancy.”—Jerusalem Post

The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary (Augsberg Old Testament Studies)

Walter Brueggemann

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

THE MESSAGE OF THE PSALMS 5 out of 5 stars.
86 of 90 people found this review helpful.

I was loaned this book at a very difficult time in my life. I could no longer trust a God who had allowed my son to die. But by no longer conversing with God, I also lost my source of sustenance and renewal.

This book describes how the Psalms document the changes/seasons of a believing community's life of faith: a movement of faith from orientation to disorientation to a new orientation.

It helped me to understand that my relationship with God changes with my experiences of life. And that although I may be experiencing a period of disorientation in respect to God, eventually I will arrive at a new orientation, as did the people of Israel.

The Psalms in their Theological-Psychological Perspectives 5 out of 5 stars.
21 of 23 people found this review helpful.

Dr. Walter Brueggemann, Old Testament professor/mentor/friend, taught this material at Eden Theological Seminary in Webster Groves, Missouri and later as a continuing education workshop in Florida. This is, in my judgment, the best work done on the Psalms and I use it as the basic text in my course in Florida Christian University/Theological Seminary on "The Psalms and Counseling". Not only does Brueggeman categorize the Psalms into "Orientation", "Disorientation", and "New Orientation" (an improvement on "Reinorientation" as a type), but he also helps us have a psychological perspective on these psalms and their uses within the church and our personal appropriation/and belief systems. This helps us find our route through disorientation and depression on into new orientation and joyful health.

Editorial Review:

This scholarly study of the Psalms retains its rigor while focusing particularly on the pastoral use of the Psalms, looking at how they may function as voices of faith in the actual life of the believing community.

Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series)

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Old Testament books of wisdom and poetry carry themselves differently from those of the Pentateuch, the histories or the prophets. The divine voice does not peal from Sinai, there are no narratives carried along by prophetic interpretation nor are oracles declaimed by a prophet. Here Scripture often speaks in the words of human response to God and God's world. The hymns, laments and thanksgivings of Israel, the dirge of Lamentations, the questionings of Qohelet, the love poetry of the Song of Songs, the bold drama of Job and the proverbial wisdom of Israel all offer their textures to this great body of biblical literature. Then too there are the finely crafted stories of Ruth and Esther that narrate the silent providence of God in the course of Israelite and Jewish lives.

This third Old Testament volume in InterVarsity Press's celebrated "Black Dictionary" series offers nearly 150 articles covering all the important aspects of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Psalms, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ruth and Esther. Over ninety contributors, many of them experts in this literature, have contributed to the Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings. This volume maintains the quality of scholarship that students, scholars and pastors have come to expect from this series.

Coverage of each biblical book includes an introduction to the book itself as well as separate articles on its ancient Near Eastern background and its history of interpretation. Additional articles amply explore the literary dimensions of Hebrew poetry and prose, including acrostic, ellipsis, inclusio, intertextuality, parallelism and rhyme. And there are well-rounded treatments of Israelite wisdom and wisdom literature, including wisdom poems, sources and theology. In addition, a wide range of interpretive approaches is canvassed in articles on hermeneutics, feminist interpretation, form criticism, historical criticism, rhetorical criticism and social-scientific approaches.

The Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings is sure to command shelf space within arm's reach of any student, teacher or preacher working in this portion of biblical literature.

Tremper Longman III and Peter E. Enns edit this collection of 148 articles by 90 contributors on Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ruth and Esther.

The Bible with Sources Revealed

Richard E. Friedman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Helps you better understand the Hebrew Scriptures 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 17 people found this review helpful.

The Bible with Sources Revealed: A New View into the Five Books of Moses by Richard Elliott Friedman is a very helpful book for students of the Bible.

Friedman's opening two chapters are amazingly succinct. In a very few pages, Friedman lays out an incredibly compelling case for what is known as the Documentary Hypothesis. This is the widely accepted theory that the first five books of the Bible are a compilation of four main documents, known by the letters J, E, P, and D, which were woven together by later editors known as Redactors.

After the introductory material, the book is a translation of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

In his chapter, "Collection of Evidence," Friedman catalogs the seven main arguments for accepting the Documentary Hypothesis. They fall into these categories: linguistic, terminology, consistent content, narrative flow, connections with other parts of the Old Testament, relationships among the sources, and convergence of the evidence. I find Friedman's explanation clear and convincing.

What does it matter whether you buy into the idea that sources by J, P, E, and D form the Pentateuch? Because, if you are somewhat familiar with this concept, certain "problems" with the text suddenly become clear as you read the new English translation that follows Friedman's opening chapters. By using two different ink colors (blue and green) and a variety of fonts, average Bible readers like you and me can easily understand various contradictions and redundancies in the text. The four strands are clearly set off, thanks to the wonders of modern technology in printing.

Here's an example of how seeing the sources helps you understand what's going on in the Bible texts. The story of Noah's ark is told in Genesis, chapters 6 through 9. Both J and P originally told the story. The Redactors blended these two accounts. With The Bible with Sources Revealed, I learned that in the P version there is only one pair of each animal, whether pure or impure. See Genesis 6:19-20; 7:8, 9 15. In P, there are no sacrifices until the establishment of the Tabernacle in Exodus 40, so two of each animal is sufficient. However, J specifies seven pairs of pure and one pair of impure (see Genesis 7:2, 3.) This fits with the fact that in the J account, Noah will offer sacrifices at the end of the flood, so he needs more than two of each animal--or else his sacrifice would end a species. Friedman's footnotes clarify such differences throughout the Pentateuch.

Friedman's translation is unique because the text is so clearly marked in terms of sources. You won't be disappointed.

Editorial Review:

One of the World's Foremost Bible Experts Offers a Groundbreaking Presentation of the Five Books of Moses

In The Bible with Sources Revealed, Richard Elliott Friedman offers a new, visual presentation of the Five Books of Moses -- Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy -- unlocking the complex and fascinating tapestry of their origins. Different colors and type styles allow readers to easily identify each of the distinct sources, showcasing Friedman's highly acclaimed and dynamic translation.