The discipline of Old Testament theology seeks to provide us with a
picture of YHWH and his relationship to the world as described in the
Old Testament. But within this discipline, there are many disagreements
about the key issues and methodologies:
- Is the Old Testament unified in some way?
- Should the context of the theologian play a role in interpretation?
- Should Old Testament theology merely describe what ancient Israel
believed, or should it offer guidance for the church today?
- What is the relationship between history and theology?
All these considerations and more result in so many different kinds of
Old Testament theologies (and so many publications), that it's difficult
for students, pastors, and laity to productively study this already
complex field.
In Understanding Old Testament Theology, professors Brittany Kim and
Charlie Trimm provide an overview of the contemporary approaches to Old
Testament theology. In three main sections, they explore various
approaches:
- Part I examines approaches that ground Old Testament theology in
history.
- Part II surveys approaches that foreground Old Testament theme(s).
- Part III considers approaches that highlight different contexts for
doing Old Testament theology.
Each main chapter describes both common features of the approach and
points of tension and then offers a test case illuminating how it has
been applied to the book of Exodus.
Through reading this book, you'll hopefully come to see the Old
Testament in a fresh light--as something that's alive and active,
continually drawing us into deeper encounters with the living God.
