The Faith of Israel: A Theological Survey of the Old Testament, 2nd ed.

by William J. Dumbrell

Publisher:

Baker Academic

, 2002

Overview

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.

Contents

Top Highlights

“revelation of the name assured the deity’s commitment” (Page 33)

“Moses, the greatest of the Israelite prophets (Exod. 33:11; Num. 12:8; Deut. 34:10), committed the ultimate heresy of attributing the miracle at 20:10 to himself.” (Page 54)

“The failure of representative humanity to rise to this task in Genesis 3 meant the call of Israel as the world’s evangelist; Israel would be the nation calling the world to the new model of God’s government. This was to happen as Israel endorsed kingdom-of-God values in her Promised Land, the new Eden.” (Page 9)

“Adam’s king/priest combination anticipates Israel’s later role (Exod. 19:5–6) and refers to a dual function that awaits believers in Revelation 1:5–6; 5:10; 20:4–6, and that is realized in the New Jerusalem in Revelation 22:4–5.” (Page 21)

“The institution of the herem (‘ban’) is designed not to counter a military threat but to counter a religious threat. The enemy cult and everything likely to contaminate Israel religiously are to be destroyed (cf. Deut. 7:1–5).” (Page 73)

Praise for the Print Edition

Dumbrell is a well-trained and highly seasoned scholar whose historical, exegetical, and theological skills are evident throughout this erudite volume. Every page has clear, careful explanations for those looking at the issues for the first time as well as cogent, well-documented arguments useful to the professional scholar. Dumbrell packs an enormous amount of theological acumen into the survey, paying constant attention to the great overall theological themes of Scripture, the individual theological details that give each passage and book their special value, and the historical-literary data. This is the very best sort of Old Testament survey—one that not only teaches facts about the Bible but also shows the purpose and meaning of what you are reading.

—Douglas Stuart, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

All who care for high-grade canonical biblical theology should welcome Dumbrell's magnum opus. Clear and well-informed, thoroughly abreast of current scholarship, and full of good matter economically expressed, this is equally a textbook for students, a reference book for expositors and a guidebook for thoughtful laypeople who want to take the measure of the book of God. Dumbrell does the church masterful service in these close-packed, nutritious pages.

—J. I. Packer, Regent College

Product Details

• Title: The Faith of Israel: A Theological Survey of the Old Testament
• Author: William J. Dumbrell
• Edition: 2nd
• Publisher: Baker
• Publication Date: 2002
• Pages: 352

About William J. Dumbrell

William J. Dumbrell was for many years vice-principal and Old Testament lecturer at Moore Theological College, Sydney. He also lectured at Regent College in Vancouver, and Trinity Theological College in Singapore. He is the author of many books that follow significant biblical themes from Genesis to Revelation, such as “Covenant and Creation,” “The End of the Beginning,” “The Search for Order,” “The New Covenant,” and “The Faith of Israel.” He still teaches at several Sydney colleges and at Macquarie University, Sydney.