The Old Testament Instruction

The Old Testament, or in the Judaic tradition, the Hebrew Bible, is an antique book and we need help reading it. Reading the Old Testament introduces the kinds of help that are available, and teaches how to read the text by modeling the process. My goal for this second edition remains the same: to survey the content of the Old Testament and illustrate how modern discoveries can enrich our understanding of the biblical text. To achieve my goal I have shaped a book that follows these seven guiding principles.

1. To read the biblical text, not just read about it. Our focus is on reading the actual text of the Bible. To reinforce the centrality of the text I include sizeable portions of the Bible right in the book. These then become the starting point for interpretive comments that clarify and draw out the meaning of the text.
2. To teach the story line of the Bible. An important outcome of our study must be to know the story line and event sequence of the Old Testament. To that end each chapter begins with a section that summarizes the course of events. The chapter summary of each chapter's study guide also provides an overview. And the introductory chapter entitled "The Biblical Story" provides a quick survey of biblical history from earliest times to the common era.
3. To illustrate the process of interpretation. There are a variety of analytic and interpretive methods available to readers of the Bible. These include an analysis of biblical forms of speech and their origins in the life of the community, discovery of underlying oral and written sources of biblical books, explanation of the literary architecture of texts, and analysis of the editorial composition of books. Certainly not all of these methods can be applied to every text, but enough examples are given over the course of this book that the most widely used methods of biblical specialists are demonstrated in action.
4. To present classical scholarship as well as current trends. There are certain approaches, such as the documentary hypothesis of the Pentateuch, that are so widely practiced and referred to in scholarship that they have to be explained. Yet the field of biblical studies is dynamic and constantly changing. I acquaint readers with standard methods as well as new discoveries and emerging theories. Newer forms of literary analysis as well as modern archaeological discoveries increasingly make the text more understandable. These insights are applied where appropriate, and the bibliographies to each chapter include both classical scholarship and up-to-date research.
5. To respect the wholeness of the biblical text. Many of the analytic tools at our disposal concentrate on small units of text. For example, source analysis sometimes demonstrates how the first half of a verse was written by a different author than the second half. If these were the only tools employed we might get the impression that authorities only dissect the text and leave it in pieces. There are other approaches that focus on the themes and literary structures that shape whole texts, and these too must be appreciated. I introduce and employ both analytic and synthetic methods of analysis. Each chapter has a section that gives an account of the wholeness of that book or section.
6. To provide learning tools that enable the reader to master the Bible. A variety of components, especially those available on the CD, provide reinforcement of the content of the biblical books. These include lists of key names and terms linked to the glossary, concepts questions that review the content as well as stimulate further thinking, and comprehensive self-grading progress tests.
7. To demonstrate how the Bible itself models the creative tension between tradition and change. The composition process of the Old Testament as revealed by modern study displays how the books of the Hebrew Bible arose as a dynamic response to critical issues in the life of God's people. The writers were people of faith who were shaped by the traditions of the community and who reshaped those traditions to nurture and support the community of faith. These materials are more than just literature. They are writings of spiritual and religious significance that continue to be revered by people of faith within Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. And they continue to have the power to inspire and shape faith.

   On the one hand, the Old Testament speaks clearly and directly to the reader's heart. Its cherished stories of heroes and villains need no scholar's interpretation. No one needs to explain the courage of a David downing Goliath in order for us to appreciate it. Without a scholar's commentary everyone immediately understands the fear of a Moses avoiding God's call to deliver the Hebrew slaves of Egypt.
   But on the other hand, there are dimensions of the Bible that can only be understood after a closely researched reading. Why do there seem to be two creation stories in Genesis? Who exactly was the Satan of the book of Job? Why is Israel's history told twice, once in Kings and again in Chronicles? A close reading of the biblical text, informed by the best information gleaned from studying the ancient world and disciplined by the best methods of modern scholarship, cannot help but enrich our appreciation of the Old Testament.