Theology Of The Old Testament: Testimony, Dispute, Advocacy

This is a tour de force of biblical theology. The dialogic approach allows for disparate, sometimes conflicting biblical voices to be heard. Brueggemann is not afraid of dealing with hard passages, and even when I disagree with him, I find his discussions valuable and insightful. Anyone interested in better appreciating the Old Testament will benefit from this book.

Brueggemann's voice has become indispensable in my understanding of the witness of the Old Testament. His insights bring the text to life and will open your eyes and challenge your assumptions.

A provocative approach that structures the discussion around the metaphor and imagery of the courtroom. [Full Review]

This new edition of Brueggemanns instant classic contains an unaltered text of the original 1997 edition but is different in two important ways. First, it is in paperback, with the price reduced by about one-third. Second, it is accompanied by a CD-ROM, which contains the full text of the book plus a study guide prepared by Rebecca J. Kruger Gaudino. At least four thoughtful and thorough reviews of Theology of the Old Testament appeared in RBL following the initial publication (http://bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp? TitleId=76&CodePage=366,76). RBL also published Brueggemanns response to most of these reviews. Therefore, this review will address three specific issues rather than producing a general review of the book. First, I will reflect upon my experience using this book twice as a textbook when teaching courses in Old Testament theology. Second, I will evaluate the usefulness of the CD-ROM. Third, I will attempt to gauge the impact of Brueggemanns work on the subsequent eight years in the field of Old Testament theology. In 2002 and 2004 I used this book as the primary text in undergraduate courses called Old Testament Theology. In each case I assigned students to read about three-fourths of the book, forgoing Part III: Israels Unso licited Testimony. I also assigned students to read Annie Dillards Pilgrim at Tinker Creek alongside Brueggemanns work. [Full Review]

Those familiar with other works by Walter Brueggemann, William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament at Columbia, might also have the hardcover version of his Theology of the Old Testament: Testimony, Dispute, Advocacyoriginally published in 1997 by Fortressin hand. This massive and weighty volume was almost universally acclaimed and enthusiastically received by scholars, as indicated by several praising reviews in the classic journals of the field. Some extracts from longer responses to Brueggemanns Theology are printed on the very first page of the present paperback edition, followed by the impressive list of Brueggemanns ot her books published by Fortress. Being confronted with these two initial pages, the readers of the new paperback edition may have high expectations of what to come on the next pages. To come to the most important point first here, they will not be disappointed. It may be quite astounding that, after the book s original publication eight years ago, the paperback edition remains unchanged (xiii). However, Brueggemanns Theology has already become a kind of classic, and reworking such a heavy load of dense information and ideas could be a lifelong task. Furthermore, Brueggemann frankly and correctly states that just a few major points in my ar gument might better have been the focus of my work (xiii) before presenting them briefly. [Full Review]