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Old Testament for a Complex World
"This impressive analysis will resonate with any Christian interested in the evolution of biblical criticism."-- Publishers Weekly
What if the Bible, which has come to us through a complex process, is just the resource we need to speak to the challenges of living as Christians in a complex world? In today's era of significant cultural upheaval, studying the Old Testament can seem impractical or irrelevant. This book reclaims the Old Testament as a vital resource for today's church, showing how critical study of these texts helps us understand the Bible as a dynamic testimony for our changing future.
What if the Bible, which has come to us through a complex process, is just the resource we need to speak to the challenges of living as Christians in a complex world? In today's era of significant cultural upheaval, studying the Old Testament can seem impractical or irrelevant. This book reclaims the Old Testament as a vital resource for today's church, showing how critical study of these texts helps us understand the Bible as a dynamic testimony for our changing future.
- GenresOld Testament
160 pages, Paperback
Published June 15, 2021
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40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 1, 2022
The Old Testament is a complex book (if you want to call it a "book"). Perhaps that complexity makes for a book that speaks to our time. I have long been concerned about how many Christians read the Old Testament either as a book of rules and regulations are as irrelevant now that we have Jesus. There is a creeping Marcionism that affects many Christians, including among progressives who seem to be repelled by what is seen as a rather wrathful god. So, they prefer the God of Jesus who is loving and nonjudgmental. That's a problem, in part because without the Old Testament we don't have a New Testament. In fact, without the Old Testament, there is no Christianity, as this testament was the Bible of the early Christians.
Though this book by Cameron Howard is brief it covers a lot of territory, helping attentive readers to understand the dynamic nature of the Old Testament (and the New Testament for that matter). She wants us to take seriously the multi-vocal nature of the Bible. It is composed of different voices representing different theologies, different contexts, and different periods of history. There are, as she reminds us, different layers of text. They might be found in separate texts or within particular stories. In laying out her vision of the layered and textured nature of Scripture, she suggests that we need to recognize first of all that there is no one interpretation of Scripture. As for the authority of scripture, we need to take into consideration this layered nature, So that "the Bible is not authoritative despite its diverse voices, its cultural dependencies, and its clashing ideas; rather, the existence of that complexity is part and parcel of its authority" (p. 3).
The book is composed of five chapters. She begins by exploring "The Bible's Dynamic Witness" (ch. 1). Here she speaks of genres, composite authorship, and cultural contexts, showing how they contribute to the formation of the Old Testament. As she does this, she emphasizes the dynamic nature of the creation of the text and the dynamic nature of its readers, including us. That involves a dynamic understanding of the Holy Spirit acting not only in the creation of the text but in our interpretation of it. So, as she notes that in rejecting the idea that there is but one interpretation of a given text, this offers opportunities for new understandings of God and God's relationship with humanity. This is where critical scholarship comes into play. It helps us discern what might be the most appropriate readings of a given text. This is a gift to the church.
In chapter 2, she speaks of the way in which biblical writers adapted popular culture. This is a reminder that as literature the Old Testament stories were not only sacred, but many had their origins in story-telling. That is, they served as entertainment. Here she notes the similarities between biblical stories and other stories in the ancient near east, with special emphasis on the flood story. She shows how both J and P utilized these stories, which eventually got mixed into one story. She also discusses the Court Stories, such as the Joseph Story, Esther, and Daniel. Even as they provide some entertainment to the modern church they would have been entertaining in their own context. They also, of course, have sacred purposes. While there are many stories told, she reminds us that not all stories are told. Many of these stories emerged out of the Diaspora, but what about those who stayed behind? Where are their voices? What this chapter does is suggest that the way in which these stories were created and adapted suggests the value of finding forms of story-telling in our own time.
From reworking popular culture we move on to "Rethinking Theological Assumptions." Here she points to the way Deuteronomy reworks, theologically, the Exodus story, in a way that centralizes the sacrificial system in Judah as part of Josiah's reforms. She also explores how Ezekiel, representing the Zakokite priesthood, reenvisions the presence of God and the worship of God after the destruction of the Temple. Again, we see the multivocal nature of the Old Testament. It's not that they are contradictory, but that they represent adaptations that are contextual. This can help us recognize how we will adapt ourselves theologically to new contexts. It suggests the possibility of theological flexibility. So, "in a complex world, the Old Testament offers examples of creativity amid crisis." (p. .83).
We move from theological adaptation in chapter 3 to the development of a new genre in chapter 4. That genre is apocalyptic literature. This is a most helpful chapter that helps us understand how the genre emerged, the relationship between the canonical book of Daniel and other apocalyptic texts, especially 1 Enoch, which likely predates Daniel. She shows how it emerged in a context of crisis and possible contributors to its theology (Zoroastrianism among them). She shows how these texts spoke to a community in crisis, speaking to the ways in which power operates in the world.
Finally, she speaks in chapter five to ways in which the Bible can provide a foundation for creative change. By drawing on critical scholarship and recognizing the multivocal nature of the Old Testament, she suggests that we see ways in which we can be more creative storytellers. We can also recognize and celebrate differences. While the text is multivocal it is not omnivocal, and so recognizing that will provide impetus to listen for previously unheard voices. Who is not at the table and why? Finally, the text suggests the need to embrace uncertainty. There are no easy answers here, and that is a good thing.
As noted above, this is a brief book, but there is much of value here for the church. She opens our eyes to the possibilities of reading the Old Testament fruitfully. While we can and should read through the lens of Jesus, that is not a trump card that resolves all difficulties and questions. The text needs to have the freedom to speak for itself.
Though this book by Cameron Howard is brief it covers a lot of territory, helping attentive readers to understand the dynamic nature of the Old Testament (and the New Testament for that matter). She wants us to take seriously the multi-vocal nature of the Bible. It is composed of different voices representing different theologies, different contexts, and different periods of history. There are, as she reminds us, different layers of text. They might be found in separate texts or within particular stories. In laying out her vision of the layered and textured nature of Scripture, she suggests that we need to recognize first of all that there is no one interpretation of Scripture. As for the authority of scripture, we need to take into consideration this layered nature, So that "the Bible is not authoritative despite its diverse voices, its cultural dependencies, and its clashing ideas; rather, the existence of that complexity is part and parcel of its authority" (p. 3).
The book is composed of five chapters. She begins by exploring "The Bible's Dynamic Witness" (ch. 1). Here she speaks of genres, composite authorship, and cultural contexts, showing how they contribute to the formation of the Old Testament. As she does this, she emphasizes the dynamic nature of the creation of the text and the dynamic nature of its readers, including us. That involves a dynamic understanding of the Holy Spirit acting not only in the creation of the text but in our interpretation of it. So, as she notes that in rejecting the idea that there is but one interpretation of a given text, this offers opportunities for new understandings of God and God's relationship with humanity. This is where critical scholarship comes into play. It helps us discern what might be the most appropriate readings of a given text. This is a gift to the church.
In chapter 2, she speaks of the way in which biblical writers adapted popular culture. This is a reminder that as literature the Old Testament stories were not only sacred, but many had their origins in story-telling. That is, they served as entertainment. Here she notes the similarities between biblical stories and other stories in the ancient near east, with special emphasis on the flood story. She shows how both J and P utilized these stories, which eventually got mixed into one story. She also discusses the Court Stories, such as the Joseph Story, Esther, and Daniel. Even as they provide some entertainment to the modern church they would have been entertaining in their own context. They also, of course, have sacred purposes. While there are many stories told, she reminds us that not all stories are told. Many of these stories emerged out of the Diaspora, but what about those who stayed behind? Where are their voices? What this chapter does is suggest that the way in which these stories were created and adapted suggests the value of finding forms of story-telling in our own time.
From reworking popular culture we move on to "Rethinking Theological Assumptions." Here she points to the way Deuteronomy reworks, theologically, the Exodus story, in a way that centralizes the sacrificial system in Judah as part of Josiah's reforms. She also explores how Ezekiel, representing the Zakokite priesthood, reenvisions the presence of God and the worship of God after the destruction of the Temple. Again, we see the multivocal nature of the Old Testament. It's not that they are contradictory, but that they represent adaptations that are contextual. This can help us recognize how we will adapt ourselves theologically to new contexts. It suggests the possibility of theological flexibility. So, "in a complex world, the Old Testament offers examples of creativity amid crisis." (p. .83).
We move from theological adaptation in chapter 3 to the development of a new genre in chapter 4. That genre is apocalyptic literature. This is a most helpful chapter that helps us understand how the genre emerged, the relationship between the canonical book of Daniel and other apocalyptic texts, especially 1 Enoch, which likely predates Daniel. She shows how it emerged in a context of crisis and possible contributors to its theology (Zoroastrianism among them). She shows how these texts spoke to a community in crisis, speaking to the ways in which power operates in the world.
Finally, she speaks in chapter five to ways in which the Bible can provide a foundation for creative change. By drawing on critical scholarship and recognizing the multivocal nature of the Old Testament, she suggests that we see ways in which we can be more creative storytellers. We can also recognize and celebrate differences. While the text is multivocal it is not omnivocal, and so recognizing that will provide impetus to listen for previously unheard voices. Who is not at the table and why? Finally, the text suggests the need to embrace uncertainty. There are no easy answers here, and that is a good thing.
As noted above, this is a brief book, but there is much of value here for the church. She opens our eyes to the possibilities of reading the Old Testament fruitfully. While we can and should read through the lens of Jesus, that is not a trump card that resolves all difficulties and questions. The text needs to have the freedom to speak for itself.
August 15, 2021
Howard does an excellent job showcasing the variety (both literarily and theologically) in the OT witness. I particularly appreciate her focus on examining the form of the text in light of the church. Howard embeds the OT in its larger context and reveals it to not only be a piece of inspired scripture on its own terms, but also a product of a unique (and sometimes convoluted) system of writing and editing by the people of God. By examining the story of the OT in its final form, and holding its various perspectives together, Howard argues that we can learn something for the church today. Unfortunately, this is where the book falls flat. I think in the hopes of encouraging local churches to engage with the text themselves, she always stopped short of providing any robust examples of applications.
February 26, 2022
Thanks to NetGalley and Baker Academic & Brazos Press for the digital galley of this book.
This book makes studying the Old Testament relevant to the times we are living in now and offers a way to study it that can enrich our very modern lives. It gives us some important context as well as ideas about understanding The Bible as a whole.
This one took me a while to get through. I’d read a little bit here and there before bedtime. Some of it went over my head, if I’m honest, not because it’s difficult to understand, but it’s dense. Anytime we talk about the Old Testament, it’s not going to be a light and fun read, but it’s interesting, and I learned a lot. My favorite part was when Howard studies Daniel through the lens of the apocalypse as literature. I learned a lot about apocalypses throughout literature and more specifically in The Bible, and how it’s not a ending of all things, but a period of great change, and it helped me frame some Bible stories that I didn’t 100% get in the past.
It’s definitely worth adding to your Bible study if you want to spend some time in the Old Testament and go on a deeper dive than just surface level passage reading.
This book makes studying the Old Testament relevant to the times we are living in now and offers a way to study it that can enrich our very modern lives. It gives us some important context as well as ideas about understanding The Bible as a whole.
This one took me a while to get through. I’d read a little bit here and there before bedtime. Some of it went over my head, if I’m honest, not because it’s difficult to understand, but it’s dense. Anytime we talk about the Old Testament, it’s not going to be a light and fun read, but it’s interesting, and I learned a lot. My favorite part was when Howard studies Daniel through the lens of the apocalypse as literature. I learned a lot about apocalypses throughout literature and more specifically in The Bible, and how it’s not a ending of all things, but a period of great change, and it helped me frame some Bible stories that I didn’t 100% get in the past.
It’s definitely worth adding to your Bible study if you want to spend some time in the Old Testament and go on a deeper dive than just surface level passage reading.
July 5, 2021
Finally, a more accessible discussion of how to make contemporary sense of the Old Testament's many genres and histories! Seminarians, clergy, and biblical scholars haven't always been effective at arguing for a dynamic understanding of scripture that allows for ambiguity and nuanced interpretations. Howard does that clearly and well in this book.
In some streams of Christianity, we've all but ignored the riches of the Old Testament/Hebrew Scriptures, leaving lay people to make their own sense of the readings we hear every week. Dr. Cameron Howard's work would be a great reference for a study on how to read and be shaped by *all* of the Bible, including the Old Testament.
In some streams of Christianity, we've all but ignored the riches of the Old Testament/Hebrew Scriptures, leaving lay people to make their own sense of the readings we hear every week. Dr. Cameron Howard's work would be a great reference for a study on how to read and be shaped by *all* of the Bible, including the Old Testament.
June 26, 2023
Excellent book! I read this in preparation of an Old Testament. Purse I am taking this year. Very insightful and critical to help preparer preachers to engage with the Old Testament in a modern world.
September 21, 2021
Our Parish Intern suggested that we read this book because she is going to ‘preach’ based on some of the ideas presented in Howard’s book.
Still reading it.
Still reading it.
November 20, 2022
This book shows the dynamic and changing aspects of the Bible and how we may consider that as the church moves forward in time
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews