Faith of Israel: A Theological Survey of the Old Testament

Author: William J. Dumbrell

ISBN: 9780801025327

Binding: paperback

Section: Chr-General

"Dumbrell's grasp of both the theological issues and scholarly debate is remarkable. . . . An excellent first port of call for anyone wishing to think seriously about the meaning and significance of any OT book."--Jamie Grant, Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology

For years, William Dumbrell's comprehensive survey, The Faith of Israel, has introduced students and pastors to the theological emphases of the Old Testament. Revised throughout with substantial new material, this new edition updates the book for today's students.

Dumbrell traces the theological movement of each Old Testament book through the Hebrew canonical sequence of Law, Prophets, and Writings, "the manner in which Israel presented her faith." He not only brings forth insightful points and themes within each book, but he also makes original and refreshing connections to themes in other Old Testament books. This in turn leads to a discussion of the theology of the entire Old Testament canon.

"The authors of the biblical material had defined objectives in mind," writes Dumbrell. "The present work seeks to come to terms with such objectives and to present the theology underlying them." This book, then, shows how the Old Testament is not merely about ancient Israel or heroic individuals with exemplary morals. It is a book about God-his character, nature, and work in history. There are many ways to look at the Old Testament-survey the content, examine the historical movement, discuss critical issues-but this text discerns what the Old Testament says about God.

The Faith of Israel offers students and seminarians a comprehensive overview of the Old Testament that serves as a helpful complement to traditional survey texts. It is well-organized and divided into manageable sections, unified by an underlying theology that "God will not withdraw from his commitment to the world, a commitment given at creation and then affirmed through the call of Israel."