The Faith of Israel: A Theological Survey of the Old Testament

by William J. Dumbrell

This comprehensive survey introduces students to the theological emphaises of the entire Old Testament, from Genesis through Malachi.

Genres: Theology, Old Testament, Biblical Studies, Christian, Reference, Religion, History

348 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Jeremy Manuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Faith of Israel by William J. Dumbrell falls into an awkward area that I like to call introductory academic books. Books that tend towards a very scholarly academic audience, but due to their introductory nature don't go as deep as many who want the scholarly in-depth analysis would like.

I feel like this description fits Dumbrell's work here. He provides a fine overview of every book in the Old Testament following the Jewish order of the Bible. However, his book tends toward the scholarly, and is much better as a resource than a book to read through, but doesn't go in depth like a commentary (scholarly or not) would so it also feels a bit lacking too. I know reading it all the way through was a bit of a slog in places, and it felt a lot longer than 333 pages. I do see how it would be useful to look up basic things to help prepare one for studying a particular book.

I don't want to make it seem like this is a bad book or anything. Dumbrell has many good insights and gives solid information on the topic he is writing about. It is just the limited nature of a book like this that brings it down. You can use it for a basic overview of the Bible, but if you're wanting to study a book in depth you'll want a commentary or a work devoted to that book. However, if you're not necessarily someone interested in a very scholarly approach to a Biblical overview, Dumbrell will be over your head.

Overall, Dumbrell's The Faith of Israel is a decent resource to see if you're interested in going down the path to scholarly Biblical studies. It can help serve as a general resource to get you by until you get more specific works, but if you're looking for more practical and application oriented overviews, you'll be a little disappointed and maybe a bit overwhelmed by Dumbrell's theological language. There is a place for a book like this, but I can't help but feel it is a very narrow one.

[Steven Azzara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book on the books of the Old Testament. Dumbrell provides a summary of each book of the Old Testament highlighting the major people, places, and events. If you are beginning a deep dive into reading the Old Testament, this book will be an excellent resource.

[Ina Cawl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very helpful reference book to the (Old Testament)
but what i didnot like about this is that it more looks like Old Testament for Dummies
than a Theological Survey

even after this bitter remark i would recommend this book to any person who has no clue to the Old Testament

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not done yet...

[Matthew Bonzon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful.
I recommend reading this along side your OT reading, not as a commentary (because it’s not that), but as something to help your see the rich interconnectedness and intention of the OT.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but not Dumbrell's best. He basically goes through and summarizes the different sections of the OT books. Its more like a commentary on whole passages, than an "Old Testament Theology." Where he does make theological comments, they are generally excellent. Unfortunately, they are few and far between. It is a slow read, because it is dense and not as captivating as I had hoped. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this, though I haven't read enough other book-by-book OT theologies to intelligently recommend a replacement.

[Winnie Thornton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good.

[Aswindo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very exicting book hehehehe

[Daniel Alvers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book today... It was good

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent survey of OT.

[Axekickr · Rating 5 out of 5]

My "go to" book to assess the theological message of an OT book in sermon preparation.

[Dani0010 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic commentary on the Pentateuch.

[Mark Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly helpful. Brief intro to each Old Testament book outlining its significance in the theology of the Bible.