Old Testament Theology

Paul R. House

• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9780830866182
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Theology

The discipline of Old Testament theology continues to be in flux as diverse approaches vie for dominance. Paul House serves as our guide—without being partisan or uninformed—exploring each Old Testament book, summarizing its content and showing its theological significance within the whole of the Old Testament canon. Readers with little prior background will find House's thematic surveys particularly helpful for coming to grips with basic biblical content as well as for probing the theological nuances of individual parts of the canon. The book concludes by forging a set of summary statements concerning God and his character, the people of God, and links between the Old and New Testaments that suggest avenues for the exploration of a full biblical theology.Old Testament Theology offers an overview of the discipline and a fair treatment of differing views while remaining unabashedly evangelical. Readers will welcome the obvious passion of its author for the subject matter. Student friendly and useful to a wide audience, this impressive work has proved a profitable read for many.

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Old Testament Theology

History & Methodology

WITHOUT QUESTION THE OLD TESTAMENT DESERVES CAREFUL STUDY AND accurate interpretation. After all, this body of sacred Scripture chronicles such diverse and important events as the creation of the world, the origins of Israel, the ongoing relationship between God and Israel and God and the nations, the destruction of world powers and the rise and fall of mighty rulers. It stresses vital themes like the sinfulness of the human race, the certain judgment of that sinfulness, God’s willingness to save and forgive sinners and the ultimate renewal of all God has created. The Old Testament promises that a descendant of David will someday lead Israel and the rest of the nations into an era of salvation, peace and purity. Without forfeiting this sense of hope, the Old Testament refuses to live only in the future. Rather it boldly presents the pain and suffering inherent in human life. Incredibly, the Old Testament teaches that God is able to sustain the weary, heal the hurting, judge the wicked, empower the oppressed and do anything else necessary to be a loving Creator. Thus the Old Testament tells a vital story. It speaks of major issues to real people. It portrays a magnificent and all-sufficient God who constantly surprises his followers with a perfect blend of power and goodness. No wonder these texts have captivated readers through the centuries.

At the same time, any reader of the Old Testament understands there are certain difficulties in approaching this material. First, there are historical barriers. One does not have to be an expert in ancient history to read the Old Testament intelligently, but some historical context is necessary. Such knowledge is particularly important if for no other reason than that the books of the Old Testament are not in chronological order. Unfortunately few readers are knowledgeable in even basic background matters. Second, there are literary barriers as well. Most readers can easily comprehend narrative books like Genesis, Joshua and Esther. Poetic works and prophecies, though, are more difficult to manage. Protoapocalyptic writings like Daniel 7—12 are even harder.

Third, theological barriers exist. How does one reconcile the love of God and the wrath of God? How does God effect salvation in the era before Jesus? How does the Old Testament relate to the New Testament? What does the Old Testament have to say to current readers? Is the Old Testament relevant for worship today? These and other theological questions cause readers to pause, reflect and seek difficult answers. Fourth, the barrier of general unfamiliarity with the Old Testament hampers many readers. If there ever was a time when the Old Testament’s contents and emphases were well known, then that time has passed. Many if not most undergraduate and seminary students have never read the entire Old Testament. Fifth, there are scholarly barriers. Old Testament experts do not agree on how to approach the Old Testament’s history, contents and theology. Again, if such agreement ever existed; it no longer does so. The diversity of opinion can be quite confusing.

Clearly, then, Old Testament students and teachers are left with a dilemma. On the one hand is the opportunity to analyze and enjoy enriching, inspired literature that makes up three-fourths of the Bible. Yet on the other hand lie the problems of understanding, interpreting and unifying the material being studied. Any attempt to discuss Old Testament theology must therefore strive to bridge these gaps while remaining faithful to the Old Testament’s message.

Though it can only partially succeed, this book seeks to face this challenge. It will do so by first sketching the history of the academic discipline known as Old Testament theology. A complete survey of this subject is impossible, since that topic itself can only be treated in book-length form.1 Next, a methodology for analyzing Old Testament theology will be suggested. Then a book-by-book analysis of the Old Testament’s unfolding theology will be offered. The Hebrew order of books will be followed because of that sequence’s clarity and ancient roots. Finally, some suggestions about how the Old and New Testaments are linked will be noted. One of the questions students ask most often is how the Bible holds together, so some response is necessary. Throughout the discussion, a single unifying theme will be used to keep the various topics together, and Israel’s historical context will be duly recognized at strategic points. By the end of this work readers will grasp the basic details of Old Testament theology, will know how those details unfold in Israel’s history and will understand how the details unify the Old Testament and the whole of Scripture. Even partial fulfillment of these goals may prove helpful to many students.

A Survey of the Study of Old Testament Theology

It is quite difficult to choose a starting point for a description of the study of Old Testament theology. One could begin with the Old Testament itself, for there are many places where a text is influenced by a previous passage or refers to what “is written” in another part of Scripture.2 Certainly how the Old Testament’s theology grows and develops within its own pages must be part of a serious analysis of the subject. Still, attempting to chart how ideas originated and grew to maturity has the potential to leave interpreters seeking the history of theological processes rather than the conclusions of theology proper. Such analyses are legitimate forms of scholarship, but pursuing them in detail does not fit this book’s purpose.

One could also start the description with the New Testament’s treatment of the Old Testament. This approach also has validity, because the New Testament writers make extensive use of the Old Testament. After all, it was their Bible! To start here, however, is to run ahead of one’s self. The New Testament authors knew the Hebrew Scriptures thoroughly and expected their readers to possess a similar familiarity. Most current readers need to examine the whole of the Old Testament and digest its theological contents before undertaking a study of the relationship between the testaments. Some knowledge and expertise are needed to proceed further.

Another potential entry point is to examine how the early church fathers, medieval interpreters and leaders of the Reformation viewed Old Testament theology. Brevard Childs’s clear, concise description of these approaches demonstrates the richness and variety that has always attended biblical theology.3 John Calvin and Martin Luther are particularly notable examples of figures from church history who interpret the Old Testament as a theological document closely linked to the New Testament.4 The problem with this approach is that none of these individuals ever produced a single volume specifically devoted to Old Testament theology. Their ideas must be gleaned from literally dozens of sermons, commentaries and other works. Though this is an enriching task, once again an entire work or series of works would be required to complete the assignment.

One other beginning place must be mentioned. Rabbinic scholars have been commenting on the Hebrew Scriptures since the Old Testament was completed. Thus some modern writers argue that the synagogue tradition is the place to start when assessing Old Testament theology.5 This approach is certainly legitimate and enlightening, yet it has the same constraints as trying to gather the various comments from church history. There are precious few concise works in the rabbinic tradition on the theology of the whole of Hebrew Scriptures. Much valuable linguistic, historical and inspirational data can be gained from rabbinic studies. But Judaism and Christianity disagree over the value of a two-Testament Bible and over the nature and work of Jesus Christ. Therefore common concerns of both religions can and should be addressed, yet without glossing over real differences.6 Only those who are open about their disagreements can truly relate their commonalities. Future dialogue between Judaism and Christianity can surely proceed only with complete candor.7 Honesty and kindness should, of course, characterize such discussions.

Thus despite the importance of these four possibilities, another starting place is preferable. Over the past two centuries a number of works that deal specifically with Old Testament theology have been written. These efforts vary in style, substance and length, of course, yet they also share certain characteristics. First, the purpose of the book or books is to discuss Old Testament theology. Before this era the Old Testament’s theological statements were systematized with New Testament statements to describe Christian doctrine. Sometimes the biblical texts were part of an extensive biblical-theological system, such as in Calvin’s Institutes. At other times they were part of a philosophical and biblical system, as in Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae. In Calvin and Aquinas the Old Testament contributes to a larger theological scheme but does not appear as a separate theological voice. The pioneers of Old Testament theology attempted to analyze and explain what the Old Testament itself taught. They then sought to incorporate those teachings into a larger biblical or systematic theology. Scholars who have followed them have continued this pattern.

Second, specifically Old Testament theologians pay close attention to historical data. That is, they strive to determine what each biblical author’s statements meant in their ancient context. They view this commitment as fundamental to accurate application of texts for today, since they believe strongly that “a text cannot mean what it never meant.”8 This emphasis breaks with the allegorical method of interpretation, whose best-known practitioner was St. Augustine. Of course, Old Testament experts hardly agree on the background of every biblical book, paragraph or sentence. Indeed Old Testament theologians have been participants in these disputes. At times they have proposed such radical historical reconstructions that a passage’s statements have largely been lost.9 Still, the effort to establish historical context must continue. Authors of Scripture wrote in concrete historical settings to real people. The ongoing value of the Bible stems in part from its ability to continue to speak to real people in the midst of everyday life.

Third, though there are notable exceptions to this generalization,10 most Old Testament theologians seek to relate the Old Testament’s message to the church. Some do so by showing how the Old Testament leads naturally into the New Testament. Others state where the Old Testament no longer applies in Christian doctrine but maintain as valuable for the church as much of the Hebrew Scriptures as possible. Still others treat the Old Testament as a document that describes part of the history of Israel’s religion. These writers tend to exclude elements of the Old Testament such as animal sacrifice and holy war from any segment of Christian doctrine, yet they assert that universal truths such as the Ten Commandments are still valid for the Christian faith. Regardless of their approach, these authors believe that the Old Testament has always been the church’s Scripture and must therefore be incorporated into the church’s doctrine and practice. How to do so is the challenge they face.

As has already been indicated, even these basic agreements cannot hide the differences that divide Old Testament theologians. They agree that the Old Testament deserves to be heard as an individual theological voice, yet they do not listen the same way, for the formats of their works are not all alike. They do not hear the same voice, and their conclusions differ. Though they think historical analysis is vital to their task they cannot always agree on a text’s actual historical background or what that background tells them. Despite their belief that the Old Testament belongs in the Christian Bible they are not unanimous on what the Old Testament teaches the church.

Simply put, the history of this discipline is rather untidy. It does not reflect perfect agreement or unfailingly harmonious Christian unity. In other words, it is a bit like worldwide Christianity itself: imperfect, struggling, yet moving toward a worthy goal. The brief history sketched below will demonstrate the discipline’s agreement, disagreement and potential. Four periods are highlighted, each of which moves Old Testament theology studies onto new and challenging ground. Not every stage improves the discipline, but each one shapes it.

Beginnings: From Gabler to Wellhausen (1787-1878)

The beginnings of the discipline of biblical theology are commonly traced to March 30, 1787, when Johann P. Gabler delivered an address entitled “An Oration on the Proper Distinction Between Biblical and Dogmatic Theology and the Specific Objectives of Each” at the University of Altdorf, Germany. Before this time biblical theology had been subsumed under systematic theology (dogmatics). Gabler declared that biblical theology differs from dogmatics in origin and purpose. He writes that

there is truly a biblical theology, of historical origins, conveying what the holy writers felt about divine matters; on the other hand there is a dogmatic theology of didact...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Preface
• 1 Old Testament Theology: HISTORY & METHODOLOGY
• 2 The God Who Creates (GENESIS)
• 3 The One God Who Delivers & Instructs (EXODUS)
• 4 The One God Who Is Holy (LEVITICUS)
• 5 The God Who Expects Faithfulness (NUMBERS)
• 6 The God Who Renews the Covenant (DEUTERONOMY)
• 7 The God Who Gives Rest in the Land (JOSHUA)
• 8 The God Who Disciplines & Delivers (JUDGES)
• 9 The God Who Protects, Blesses & Assesses (SAMUEL)
• 10 The God Whose Word Shapes History (1-2 KINGS)
• 11 The God Who Saves (ISAIAH)
• 12 The God Who Enforces the Covenant (JEREMIAH)
• 13 The God Who Is Present (EZEKIEL)
• 14 The God Who Keeps Promises (THE BOOK OF THE TWELVE)
• 15 The God Who Rules (PSALMS)
• 16 The God Who Is Worth Serving (JOB)
• 17 The God Who Reveals Wisdom (PROVERBS)
• 18 The God Who Extends Mercy to the Faithful (RUTH)
• 19 The God Who Oversees Male-Female Sexuality (SONG OF SOLOMON)
• 20 The God Who Defines Meaningful Living (ECCLESIASTES)
• 21 The God Who Is Righteous & Faithful (LAMENTATIONS)
• 22 The God Who Protects the Exiles (ESTHER)
• 23 The God Who Protects, Discloses & Rules (DANIEL)
• 24 The God Who Restores the Remnant to the Land (EZRA—NEHEMIAH)
• 25 The God Who Elects, Chastens & Restores (1-2 CHRONICLES)
• 26 The God of the Old Testament: A SUMMARY
• Appendix: OLD TESTAMENT THEOLOGY SINCE 1993
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Subject Index
• Author Index
• Scripture Index
• Praise for Old Testament Theology
• About the Contributor
• More Titles from InterVarsity Press
• Copyright