Introducing the Old Testament
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INTRODUCING THE OLD TESTAMENT

COMPLETELY REVISED AND UPDATED

JOHN DRANE

Copyright © 1987, 2000 John Drane

This edition copyright © 2000 Lion Publishing

The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

Published by

Lion Publishing plc

Mayfield House, 256 Banbury Road,

Oxford OX2 7DH, England

www.lion-publishing.co.uk

ISBN 0 7459 4290 3 (hb)

ISBN 0 7459 5016 7 (pb)

First edition 1987

Revised edition 2000

All rights reserved

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Contents

1: Introducing the Old Testament

The story

Escape from Egypt

National decline

Understanding the story

The story and the faith

Ordering the books

Types of literature

Sections of the Hebrew Bible

2: The Founding of the Nation

National identity

The founders

Early expressions of faith

The birth of the nation

The exodus

The covenant

To the promised land

3: A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey

Canaan and its history

The emergence of Israel

Armed struggle

Peaceful infiltration

Social revolution

The judges

4: ‘A King Like Other Nations’

Samuel and the ark

Saul

David

David’s rise to power

A new king and new ways

The old ways and new ideas

Solomon

The empire

Alliances

The Temple

Arts and science

Balancing the books

After Solomon

Society and religion

The psalms

Wisdom

What is wisdom?

5: The Two Kingdoms

A kingdom divided

Back to the old ways

Political changes

Religious problems

New alliances

Prosperity again

Decay and collapse

Growing insecurity

New prosperity and false security

National revival

Assyria on the move

6: Judah and Jerusalem

Danger and uncertainty

False confidence

Reform in Jerusalem

The Assyrians move in

Assyria’s final fling

Reform and renewal

A lost book

The Babylonians

Jeremiah and the fall of Jerusalem

Misplaced trust

The end is coming

Dark days in Jerusalem

7: Dashed Hopes and New Horizons

Facing up to disaster

By the rivers of Babylon

A new beginning

Back to Jerusalem

Confusion and despair

Renewing the covenant

Building the walls

Handing on the Law

8: The Challenge of a New Age

A new empire

Jews and Greeks

Emerging tensions

National pride and religious zeal

Keeping the faith

Esther

Judith

Tobit

The end of the story

9: The Living God

Who is God?

God is invisible

God and the forces of nature

God and the philosophers

What is God like?

An active God

Finding God in later history

A personal God

Words for describing God

When God is absent

Personal alienation

National despair

How can God be known?

God’s grace

God’s word

10: God and the World

Discovering God in nature and history

Thinking about the world

Understanding the Genesis stories

The stories as literature

The message of the stories

Men, women and God

In relation to the earth

In relation to God

In relation to each other

Broken relationships and new beginnings

The root of the problem

Searching for the answer

11: Living as God’s People

Belief and behaviour

Discovering God’s will through wisdom

Understanding ‘wisdom’

Wisdom in practice

Discovering God’s will in the Law...

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About Introducing the Old Testament

Since its launch in 1987, Introducing the Old Testament has been widely acclaimed as an authoritative and accessible text for students and general readers alike.

This thorough revision differs in important ways from the original edition. As well as being considerably longer, it takes into account the most recent scholarship, especially in relation to historical questions such as the origins of Israel as a nation. It incorporates more specific treatment of the spirituality and religious values of the Old Testament, and discusses the major deuterocanonical books. This edition also analyses some of the ethical issues raised by the Old Testament in relation to contemporary concerns such as ethnic cleansing.

Introduction to the Old Testament provides an excellent and informative introduction to a collections of writings that lie at the heart of the Judeo-Christian tradition.

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