Theology of the Old Testament Study Guide

by Rebecca J. Kruger Gaudino

Publisher:

Fortress Press

, 2005

Overview

In this guide to Walter Brueggemann’s magisterial and influential Theology of the Old Testament, Rebecca J. Kruger Guadino provides chapter summaries, questions, and links to helpful materials.

Key Features

• Foundational text of Old Testament theology
• Key work by one of the most influential Old Testament scholars
• Companion study guide for greater comprehension

Contents

Top Highlights

“A third distinctive quality of this Theology of the Old Testament is related to the second: understanding and living out what the Old Testament means for our new context. As Brueggemann describes it, we live in a new world in which there is no consensus about truth and reality and no revered authority—not even communities of faith, increasingly marginalized—that can gather this consensus, except perhaps for one voice that sounds compellingly above all our voices, calling for allegiance: a voice that Brueggemann identifies with socioeconomic, political, and military power that invades our lives in dire personal and public ways. This dismaying voice articulates who we are, how we should live our lives, and what should save us from dismay.” (source)

“Martin Luther ‘set the work of biblical theology in a wholly new direction’ (3), calling for the Bible to be freed from the binding interpretations of the church. Hearers and readers of this text must allow the Bible, as the revelation of God, to speak with its own voice.” (source)

“textual, intellectual, and practical—is the central metaphor of the courtroom trial.” (source)

“postmodern context with regards to power and knowledge” (source)

“Sociological analysis provides a powerful historical approach that moves well beyond historical criticism. This analysis considers how a community orders its life and material reality (e.g., food supply, land distribution, technology, etc.) through use of power and symbol, such as language. Seen through the lens of sociological analysis, the texts of the Old Testament are not simply expressions of faith; they are texts ‘engaged in the realities of power, the securing of power, the maintenance of power, or the legitimating of power’” (source)

Product Details

• Title: Theology of the Old Testament Study Guide
• Author: Walter Brueggemann
• Publisher: Fortress Press
• Resource Type: Study Guides
• Topic: Old Testament

About Rebecca J. Kruger Gaudino

Walter Brueggemann through his teaching, lecturing, and writing, has effectively demonstrated the significance of the Old Testament for our fractured world today. Recognized as the preeminent interpreter of the ancient texts in relation to questions posed by a variety of academic disciplines, he has shown the way toward a compelling understanding of the major components of the faith and life of ancient Israel, especially in the Psalms, the prophets, and narrative texts of the Hebrew Bible. His award-winning Theology of the Old Testament quickly became a foundational work in the field.

Professor Brueggemann holds a ThD from Union Theological Seminary in New York and a PhD from St. Louis University. Now professor emeritus of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary, he was formerly the William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. Before that, he was professor of Old Testament at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis. His many Fortress Press books, including The Threat of Life: Sermons on Pain, Power and Weakness, exhibit a fruitful combination of imaginative power, sound scholarship, and a passion of justice and redemption.