Introducing the Old Testament

John Drane, a professor of practical theology at the University of Aberdeen and an adjunct professor of New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, offers what is dubbed as a completely revised and updated (4) edition of his earlier work of the same title, first published in 1987. This evaluation will not just consider the differences between the older and newer editions. The purpose of this review is to describe Dranes approa ch to the subject and to consider its usefulness for students, since it is for students that most scholars will select a work such as this and since the dust jacket indicates a readership of stud ents and general readers. The value of the work to any teacher will be determined by her or his priorities in teaching Hebrew Bible. The book lacks the usual preface, which usually serves to identify the audience and spell out the purpose and general tack taken by the volume. Such information always seems helpful to me, especially when I am selecting textbooks. On the other hand, the listing of the contents (5-7) is detailed enough to see the course and arrangement of the study. The general approach in the new edition is identical to that of the earlier edition. The chapter titles are substantially the same, identical in most cases. [Full Review]