The Message of the Old Testament

by Samuel J. Schultz

This popular introduction to the history and literature of the Old Testament is an ideal resource for personal Bible study. An abridgment of 'The Old Testament Speaks', third edition, this book combines the best research with a personal and engaging style. It gives a clear picture of the archaeological, geographical, historical, and linguistic dimensions of the Old Testament.

Genres: Old Testament, Christian, Reference, Theology, History, Nonfiction, Biblical

224 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1960

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a long read, but I enjoyed it. Schultz takes the reader through the Old Testament from Creation to the rebuilding of the Temple, and shows where all of the OT books fall along that timeline. My favorite aspect was the placing of a lot of the minor prophets in the context of OT history, or at least an approximation given the best available knowledge. I learned a great deal about a lot of those minor prophets that I did not know before reading this. Worth reading for that alone.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my text in a graduate seminary class in the Old Testament which was especially good because my professor was the very same Samuel Schultz. I therefore have difficulty separating the book from the class... and the class was difficult beyond belief. Our only other text was the Bible which we read very carefully. It is sometimes difficult to recall that we read the entire OT in one semester.

Schultz was very old school: tests consisted of 10-20 names of people or places or sometimes ideas such as "Abrahamic covenant." It was left to us to write what we knew and there was little margin for BS.

Usually the second page of the test was a map of the Mideast with a few dots. We were required to name the places and name the prophet, king, or judge associated with it, including dates and the significance of the associated events.

One of the things we discovered was the professor Schultz knew his Hebrew very well....and Aramaic. (It was in fact his explanations of Aramaic which prompted my own flirtation with the language for which I am grateful.) We would often attempt to catch him on a double or vague meaning of a certain passage and he would explain the various meanings followed, typically, by what he said was the correct one in a particular case. One did not argue when he was firm on an issue.

The studies which stand out for me were Deuteronomy and Judges, the latter being by far the most difficult because the test included naming each judge and explaining the details of his/her life and times. I secretly renamed it "The Book of Chaos," and I am not far from complete accuracy in saying this because of its diversity as well as its details. Couldn't someone have put them together in some linear fashion?

Concerning the book alone, I am tempted to say that it serves the purpose of being a survey or overview of the Old testament well. However, one misses the completeness and attention to detail of the author if one does not stop at each reference and read the accompanying passages for amplification and explication. In one sense it is a very adequate book, but in another it is a very daunting, detailed and complete discussion of a variety of issues, not only of history but of social interactions as well as theology. One finishes understanding that the Jews have a master and protector and He will continue to protect them. That reaffirmation is certainly worth the great time this book takes to read.

[Tung · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are countless texts that provide overviews of the Old Testament. Many of these organize their chapters by book of the Bible. In this survey book, Schultz actually examines the OT from a perspective of history and walks through the OT by historical period: Creation, the patriarchal age, the early period of nationhood, the united and divided monarchy, etc. In addition, as Schultz explains the meaning and purpose of each book of Scripture, he ties themes and events to the historical events of that period; it’s very effective. The summaries of the books themselves provide little information about the writing of each book (no date of writing, no possible authors, etc), and focus mainly on the message of the book, so it’s only one aspect of what is needed in a good survey text. But overall, it’s readable and informative. Recommended for students and readers interested in understanding the OT.

[Ravi]

iwant this summary

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent.

[David Kemp · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent and inspiring survey; one that anyone interested in having a better understanding of the Bible would want to read.

[Igor Pericic · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent overview and analysis of the old testament history and context of each OT book.

[Randy Hulshizer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent study of Old Testament history

[Ziwilytee · Rating 5 out of 5]

i want to read this book

[Andy Gainor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good context primer for the OT. Assigned for a seminary class