Introduction to the Old Testament

by Bill T. Arnold

This volume introduces ancient Israel's Scriptures, or the Hebrew Bible, commonly called the Old Testament. It also traces the legacy of monotheism first found in the pages of the Old Testament. Where pertinent to the message of the Old Testament, the book explores issues of history, comparative religions, and sociology, while striking a balance among these topics by focusing primarily on literary features of the text. In addition, frequent sidebar discussions introduce the reader to contemporary scholarship, especially the results of historical-critical research and archaeology. Along the way, the book explores how the Old Testament conceptualized and gave rise to monotheism, one of the most significant developments in history, giving this study a currency for twenty-first-century readers.

Genres: Old Testament, Biblical Studies, Religion, Nonfiction, Christian

425 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 31, 2014

About the author

Bill T. Arnold (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is Paul S. Amos Professor of Old Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including Encountering the Book of Genesis, Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books, A Guide to Biblical Hebrew Syntax, and a commentary on 1 and 2 Samuel. He is also the coauthor (with Bryan E. Beyer) of Encountering the Old Testament.

Reviews

[Aaron Green · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just could not help but feel that there had to be a better option out there. This was assigned reading for an intro to Old Testament class, so it seems like an obvious choice, but it's extremely basic and bland. There were times in which some students in the class even wondered if Arnold was a person of faith or not because he seemed to paint everything as unreliable or suspect. If you have absolutely no previous knowledge of the Old Testament this can get you started, but as I stated above, I can't help but feel there has to be a better option out there. There was also this ongoing fascination with the Hebrew Scriptures bringing about the whole idea of monotheism. That was THE thing that Old Testament is really good for it seemed to Arnold, but he also wanted readers to understand that the Hebrew Scriptures in no way necessarily deny the existence of other gods and that was to be respected.... it just felt like an odd emphasis that was stated throughout the textbook. In response to some of the students' concerns our professor said that Arnold was actually a very dedicated believer, but because he was writing for Cambridge Press he had to treat the topics more liberally. He certainly did a good job of that, but it ended up leaving it bland and much to be desired. This may be ideal for a liberal arts college that just wants to present a broad overview of the Hebrew Scriptures, but to be foundational reading for master's students at a theological seminary was astoundingly underwhelming.

[Joshua Pearsall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bill is a great and faithful Christian from everything I know, and a well respected professor and author. But I think this book simply concedes far too much to skeptical scholarship. I know this is written for a specific audience, but I think simply too much was conceded. The historical data is very much on point, but theological points I think are extremely lacking.

[Zachariah Brewer · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is very repetitive and mostly off target. Disregarding theological opinions all Arnold really wants to talk about is the historocritical method and the monotheism of ancient Israel. I would have put it down after the first chapter if it wasn’t required for an Old Testament course.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. I am glad I found this textbook. Worth reading again when reading the Old Testament.

[Taylor Diehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great overview and explanation of the Old Testament in context.

[Wesley Stuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

A helpful and highly readable entry into the Old Testament. Especially helpful is the insight into Israel’s emerging monotheism. Arnold is definitely overly critical at times and seems a bit too in love with higher critical theory—essentially taking it as gospel at every turn. This is seen in his wholehearted commitment to the JEDP model, which many scholars have recently called into question. I understand that this textbook was written for use in secular settings and Arnold therefore didn’t want to introduce his Christian bias into his writing, but I can’t help but feel that he overcorrected and presented only one side of the story.