Old Testament Turning Points: The Narratives That Shaped a Nation

by Victor H. Matthews

Adam and Eve, God's covenant with Abraham, the deportation of Judah and their eventual return to Jerusalem--these are the Old Testament stories most people remember, and for good reason. According to veteran Old Testament professor Victor Matthews, these stories are essential to the identity of Israel as God's people.

Matthews identifies eight landmark stories that not only shaped Israelite identity but also continued to echo throughout the Old Testament as Israel grew into its role as the people of God. He examines the stories in detail, showing how they provide a foundation for later Old Testament stories and events. Helpful sidebars, a glossary, indexes, and a selected bibliography provide readers with tools for further exploration.

This book will be of interest to serious lay readers, Bible students, and church leaders.

Genres: Christianity

208 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2005

About the author

Victor Harold Matthews (PhD, Brandeis University) is dean of the College of Humanities and Public Affairs and professor of religious studies at Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. He is the author of numerous books, including Manners and Customs in the Bible, Studying the Ancient Israelites, Old Testament Turning Points, and The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Genesis–Deuteronomy.

Reviews

[Nate Duriga · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a worthwhile read, as Matthews offers good insights on the big picture of the OT narratives. His organization works well, focusing on the key historical moments. One of the most valuable parts in my opinion are the gray boxes inserted in the text that point out later texts that refer back to the event under discussion to help make intertextual and thematic links through the whole OT. On the negative, I thought the later chapters were slightly less valuable because of his text-critical perspective, which put much emphasis on the political motivations of human authors and little emphasis on the message intended by the Divine Author.

[Pearlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This will not be much of a book review -- more like a book grumble. I have started on it at least twice over the year, but I could not finish it. Maybe it is me, but I find the book hard to read because it has a table or diagram in almost every page, and these tables or diagrams does not flow with the text. They are just there as information, and they irk me so much.

The thing is this: if I stop to view them, I'd loose the flow in my reading and if I skip them to maintain the flow in my read, they will bother me because I keep thinking about them. So unless you are writing a handbook, please do not include anything that does not flow with the text.

Nevertheless, it does hold an interesting topic. It suggested eight narratives in the OT that shaped the nation of Israel:

1. Adam and Even Expelled from Eden
2. Yahweh Establishes a Covenant with Abraham
3. Moses Leads the Israelites out of Egypt
4. King David Makes Jerusalem His Capital
5. Jerobam Leads the Secession of the Northern Tribe
6. Samaria Falls to the Assyrians
7. Nebuchadnezzar Destroys Jerusalem and Deports the People of Judah
8. Cyprus Captures Babylon, and the Exiles Return Home

The author considered these the markers as God in history moved Israel on. I am not all familiar with the entire Old Testament, and so I do wonder if the author missed any out.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book examines different literary themes present in the Old Testament and how these themes are continued and expanded throughout the books and recordings of Old Testament history. The book is rather dense and thorough, making it one that is best read a bit at a time, but consistently so as not to loose track of the author's progression and explanations which are very interconnected with different motifs introduced throughout the book.