This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. "God's dynamic initiative" is the main theme of biblical testimony, says Christoph Barth. Here he expounds the
This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. "God's dynamic initiative" is the main theme of biblical testimony, says Christoph Barth. Here he expounds the message of the Old Testament in a manner that is faithful to the Old Testament itself — as an account of the mighty acts of God rather than a series of abstract doctrines.
A theology of the Old Testament is not simply a study of God, however. Old Testament theology also encompasses teaching about the world and humanity, about life and death, about origin, nature, and destiny. And Old Testament theology must also take into account the New Testament, which confirms what is announced in Israel's Scripture and thus is part of it.
Barth elucidates the importance of the Old Testament for the New Testament and hence for Christians, surveys God's redemptive acts as recorded in the confessional summaries of history in the Old and New Testaments, and offers contemporary applications of these biblical themes.
Working his way through the Old Testament, Barth treats nine key topics, each of which deals with one of the divine acts that are the essential subject matter of Israel's Scripture: creation, election of the patriarchs, exodus, wilderness wandering, Sinai revelation, gift of Canaan, election of David (kingship), election of Jerusalem and sending of prophets. He has divided each of the nine chapters into sections on one main aspect of the topic, considering theological, anthropological, soteriological, and eschatological points as well. Throughout his examination of each theme Barth pays special attention to its scriptural context.
God With Us is an excellent textbook for introductory or survey courses in the Old Testament: each section begins with a thesis statement, summarizing its contents, and details are treated in small-print sections.
Barth originally wrote his Old Testament theology in Indonesian and later rewrote the entire book in English; Geoffrey Bromiley has condensed the original four volumes in this edition.
Walter Brueggemann
—Columbia Theological Seminary
"Methodological and interpretive questions concerning Old Testament theology remain vexing and unresolved. Happily Professor Barth does not linger over these formidable issues and does not permit them to obstruct his address of the substantive issues of Old Testament faith. . . . He gives his energy effectively to the central texts and lets them have their own powerful say.
"A main value of this discussion is that Barth mobilizes an enormous number of specific textual references and thereby richly exposits core theological claims. As a result, this book will be a valuable pedagogical resource for study in church and seminary. The presentation is clear, lean, and straightforward. Barth gives Israel's faith a powerful hearing, with directness and without undue complications."
Patrick D. Miller
—Princeton Theological Seminary
"Barth's approach is thoroughly theological, oriented toward the present form of the text rather than a reconstructed history of the text. . . . An immense amount of detailed treatment of individual texts and words is encapsulated in the ongoing discussion, but the reader never loses track of the main theological and story line of the text.
If this book is used in Old Testament courses, students who read and absorb it will learn a great deal about the Old Testament and its theological perspectives."
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