The Old Testament: Its Background, Growth, & Content

by Steven L. McKenzie, John Kaltner

In a straightforward and understandable style, without distortion or oversimplification, Steven L. McKenzie and John Kaltner introduce readers to the content of the Old Testament and to critical methods developed to read it. Utilizing the finest modern scholarship, the authors detail the role of editors in shaping the Old Testament, examine the historical and literary contexts in which it grew, and discuss important interpretive issues in each book. Each chapter introduces the biblical book at hand through the lenses of content, growth, context, and interpretation, and the text moves through the Bible in the order of the Jewish canonical units, Torah, Former Prophets, Latter Prophets, and Writings.

382 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2007

About the author

Steven L. McKenzie is Professor of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament at Rhodes College. He holds a B.A. (summa cum laude) and an M.Div. from Abilene Christian University and the Th.D. from Harvard University. His research and teaching interests include: the history of ancient Israel, the literature of the Hebrew Bible, the Hebrew language, the Dead Sea Scrolls, methods of biblical interpretation, and archaeology. He is a past president of the board of governors of the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology at the University of Memphis. He is also a co-leader of the Middle East Travel Seminar, which tours Syria, Jordan, the Sinai, Israel, and Greece each Spring.

Reviews

[Narkitsa Orada · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Old Testament has always seemed like something of a morass to me, and this helped a lot in giving it a sense of structure. A valuable resource, but so, so dry.