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The Old Testament and God
Southwestern Journal of Theology 2022 Book of the Year Award (Biblical Studies)
Craig Bartholomew's The Old Testament and God is the first volume in his ambitious four-volume project, which seeks to explore the question of God and what happens to Old Testament studies if we take God and his action in the world seriously. Toward this end, he proposes a post-critical paradigm shift that recenters study around God. The intent is to do for Old Testament studies what N. T. Wright's Christian Origins and the Question of God series has done for New Testament studies.
Bartholomew proposes a much-needed holistic, narrative approach, showing how the Old Testament functions as Christian Scripture. In so doing, he integrates historical, literary, and theological methods as well as a critical realist framework. Following a rigorous analysis of how we should read the Old Testament, he goes on to examine and explain the various tools available to the interpreter. He then applies worldview analysis to both Israel and the surrounding nations of the ancient Near East. The volume concludes with a fresh exegetical exploration of YHWH, the living and active God of the Old Testament. Subsequent volumes will include Moses and the Victory of Yahweh , The Old Testament and the People of God , and The Death and Return of the Son .
Craig Bartholomew's The Old Testament and God is the first volume in his ambitious four-volume project, which seeks to explore the question of God and what happens to Old Testament studies if we take God and his action in the world seriously. Toward this end, he proposes a post-critical paradigm shift that recenters study around God. The intent is to do for Old Testament studies what N. T. Wright's Christian Origins and the Question of God series has done for New Testament studies.
Bartholomew proposes a much-needed holistic, narrative approach, showing how the Old Testament functions as Christian Scripture. In so doing, he integrates historical, literary, and theological methods as well as a critical realist framework. Following a rigorous analysis of how we should read the Old Testament, he goes on to examine and explain the various tools available to the interpreter. He then applies worldview analysis to both Israel and the surrounding nations of the ancient Near East. The volume concludes with a fresh exegetical exploration of YHWH, the living and active God of the Old Testament. Subsequent volumes will include Moses and the Victory of Yahweh , The Old Testament and the People of God , and The Death and Return of the Son .
608 pages, Hardcover
Published December 13, 2022
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56 people want to read
About the author
Craig G. Bartholomew
77 books53 followersCraig G. Bartholomew (PhD, University of Bristol) is the H. Evan Runner Professor of Philosophy at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario, and the principal of the Paideia Centre for Public Theology. He founded the internationally recognized Scripture and Hermeneutics seminar and is coauthor of Living at the Crossroads and Christian Philosophy.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 17, 2025
This is a very good book that I nonetheless did not enjoy. Bartholomew is writing to 1) point out the shortcomings (while noting the advances) of historical-critical Old Testament scholarship, and 2) suggest a new paradigm based on the literary, historical, and kerygmatic/theological strands of the OT. Essentially, he’s arguing that a conservative(ish) approach to scholarship is not only valid, but necessary in the academy.
Overall, I agree with him. He’s got some really valid critiques of source criticism, for example, and some helpful suggestions for how to improve those enterprises, and I think he’s got really solid ground for his approach.
My quibble with this book comes almost entirely from the writing style. It’s extremely broad in scope, covering all sorts of ground methodologically and philosophically before diving into the actual ANE world views and then comparing them to the OT. (And this is just volume one of four or five!) While Bartholomew handles the evidence well overall, his writing style is not very clear at times and I don’t think his sections are structured well. I found myself reading almost every paragraph several times thinking, “what’s the point?”
Now, maybe I’m just dumb and need to get good to appreciate this book. That’s fair. If I were more immersed in the history of OT scholarship and religious philosophy over the last 200 years, maybe this would have been a breeze. Still, because I struggled a lot reading this one, I can’t quite give it 5 stars even though I think the content is very good.
Overall, I agree with him. He’s got some really valid critiques of source criticism, for example, and some helpful suggestions for how to improve those enterprises, and I think he’s got really solid ground for his approach.
My quibble with this book comes almost entirely from the writing style. It’s extremely broad in scope, covering all sorts of ground methodologically and philosophically before diving into the actual ANE world views and then comparing them to the OT. (And this is just volume one of four or five!) While Bartholomew handles the evidence well overall, his writing style is not very clear at times and I don’t think his sections are structured well. I found myself reading almost every paragraph several times thinking, “what’s the point?”
Now, maybe I’m just dumb and need to get good to appreciate this book. That’s fair. If I were more immersed in the history of OT scholarship and religious philosophy over the last 200 years, maybe this would have been a breeze. Still, because I struggled a lot reading this one, I can’t quite give it 5 stars even though I think the content is very good.
December 16, 2023
2023 reads: 41
Rating: 5 stars
Craig Bartholomew does not blur his intentions: "The central character of the OT is YHWH, and it is the wager of this series that it is only as we take God with full seriousness that we will be able to hear the OT in its full communicative power." (xxx). For those familiar with N. T. Wright's five-volume Christian Origins and the Question of God series, Bartholomew sets out to do the same in four parts, this being the first (xviii). At its core, Bartholomew's proposal is triadic: history, literary, and theology. These three form a cord that staves off the plights of historical criticism, nestled deeply in modernist presuppositions. In Bartholomew's own words, "Historical criticism is deceived if it thinks that by bracketing out religion it is doing neutral, scientific scholarship." (xxviii) The irony of the scientific impulse is that God himself is erased from OT studies. Bartholomew wishes to re-center OT studies with YHWH front and center in the discussion. This approach is however neither a simple return to classical-theism, since postmodernism (at its best—for criticisms see pp 76, 91) does not allow it.
Few are as gifted as Bartholomew in navigating history, literary theory, and theology. Philosophers, semioticians, literary theorists, ANE scholars, and theologians are all brought into dialogue. As with Wright's project, Bartholomew engages the historical context via beliefs, praxis, and narrative in order to discern neighboring "world views" of the ANE (Egyptian, Hittite, Mesopotamian, Babylonian, etc.). This approach is fitting given the OT's own narrative shaping which presents truth not in propositional form but through other genre. (181) This volume ends with a survey of both YHWH and divine action in light of the ANE world views. For Bartholomew, it is vital that we approach the OT understanding that "YHWH not only acts in history but simultaneously explains his acts and his character. He reveals himself and thus offers himself to his people...in both deed and word." (476) As such, narrative—read in light of ANE world views—renders a proper and more appropriate reading of the OT, especially against the more Thomist/Kantian/Spinoza metaphysics that drive contemporary discussions of our doctrine of God.
Of course, many will object and indeed offer critique of Bartholomew's work. I for one, as wishing to operate within the biblical studies guild, have much to be thankful for and consider Bartholomew's approach, much like Wright's of the NT, as exciting and imbued with great potential and fresh readings for the church.
Rating: 5 stars
Craig Bartholomew does not blur his intentions: "The central character of the OT is YHWH, and it is the wager of this series that it is only as we take God with full seriousness that we will be able to hear the OT in its full communicative power." (xxx). For those familiar with N. T. Wright's five-volume Christian Origins and the Question of God series, Bartholomew sets out to do the same in four parts, this being the first (xviii). At its core, Bartholomew's proposal is triadic: history, literary, and theology. These three form a cord that staves off the plights of historical criticism, nestled deeply in modernist presuppositions. In Bartholomew's own words, "Historical criticism is deceived if it thinks that by bracketing out religion it is doing neutral, scientific scholarship." (xxviii) The irony of the scientific impulse is that God himself is erased from OT studies. Bartholomew wishes to re-center OT studies with YHWH front and center in the discussion. This approach is however neither a simple return to classical-theism, since postmodernism (at its best—for criticisms see pp 76, 91) does not allow it.
Few are as gifted as Bartholomew in navigating history, literary theory, and theology. Philosophers, semioticians, literary theorists, ANE scholars, and theologians are all brought into dialogue. As with Wright's project, Bartholomew engages the historical context via beliefs, praxis, and narrative in order to discern neighboring "world views" of the ANE (Egyptian, Hittite, Mesopotamian, Babylonian, etc.). This approach is fitting given the OT's own narrative shaping which presents truth not in propositional form but through other genre. (181) This volume ends with a survey of both YHWH and divine action in light of the ANE world views. For Bartholomew, it is vital that we approach the OT understanding that "YHWH not only acts in history but simultaneously explains his acts and his character. He reveals himself and thus offers himself to his people...in both deed and word." (476) As such, narrative—read in light of ANE world views—renders a proper and more appropriate reading of the OT, especially against the more Thomist/Kantian/Spinoza metaphysics that drive contemporary discussions of our doctrine of God.
Of course, many will object and indeed offer critique of Bartholomew's work. I for one, as wishing to operate within the biblical studies guild, have much to be thankful for and consider Bartholomew's approach, much like Wright's of the NT, as exciting and imbued with great potential and fresh readings for the church.
December 31, 2024
Many years ago I heard N.T. Wright deliver the Hulsean lectures at Cambridge. In his lecture on God and history, and most especially fulfilment of the Exodus in the Christ's death and resurrection, a question was asked as to whether the historicity of the Exodus event had to be assumed in order for Wright's arguments to hold. Wright paused, and then simply answered yes. I have reflected much on this in the intervening 20 years. The historical basis for Christ's crucifixion is unshakeable and for his resurrection has much to commend it (Wright himself has contributed significantly to making this argument). The Exodus and Sinai events, as foundational to the Jewish/OT view of God and faith as the resurrection is to Christians, have no such solid foundations. This is of course unsurprising given the antiquity in which they are supposed to have taken place and the intervening centuries that have supposedly taken place between event and record. But if the Exodus and Sinai theophany are simply foundational stories with no basis in historical event, what kind of a foundation are they?
Craig Bartholomew is seeking to follow N.T.Wright's Christian Origins and the Question of God with his own multivolume series - Old Testament Origins and the Question of God - of which this is the first volume. The historical foundation of Exodus and Sinai are front and centre to his argument. In many respects his argument, though in the minority amongst contemporary Biblical scholars, is a rather useful corrective to much of the OT studies that I engaged with in Cambridge 20 years ago.
The Old Testament and God is notable for the comparative absence of the Old Testament. Substantial in size though it is, volume 1 is really a ground-clearing exercise in which Bartholomew wrestles with the modernist preference for source and historical criticism, arguing that the supposed neutrality of this approach dismisses faith and theology at the outset and does not read the Old Testament within its Ancient Near East (ANE) context. Instead Bartholomew wishes to approach Scripture using the three cords of history, literature and kerygma (faith-based theology). He rejects a naive "literalist" approach but clearly favours viewing the OT as a work of received literature rather than a historical curiosity to be pulled apart through dubious and unexamined historical-critical methods. Above all he is emphatic that an approach that reads the Old Testament as the record of YHWH acting in history - supremely through the Exodus and Sinai events - is not invalid. If you start from a place that God reveals and acts then you are likely to approach the text rather differently from the supposed neutrality of academia.
I found Bartholomew's summaries of ANE cultures very enlightening and was useful in pointing out the similarities/dissimilarities with the OT. In particular I hadn't picked up before on the resonances with Egyptian culture. The fact that Akhenaten initiated a monotheistic revolution in Egypt lends credence to the idea that a similar Mosaic revolution happened amongst the Hebrews, rather than the conventional idea of monotheism growing out of the far later exilic experience. I was less convinced that Israel's theological creativity was more likely to come from a time of ascendency (eg. the time of the Davidic kingship) rather than exilic suffering. It has always seemed to me very plausible that it was precisely during that time of suffering that creative theological reflection was likely to happen.
As is increasingly the case with Christian publishers, who presumably are operating on a shoe-string budget, the editing leaves something to be desired. Too many exclamation marks, an odd and over-frequent use of the word "intriguingly" and some verbiage could have made the reading experience a little smoother.
Craig Bartholomew is seeking to follow N.T.Wright's Christian Origins and the Question of God with his own multivolume series - Old Testament Origins and the Question of God - of which this is the first volume. The historical foundation of Exodus and Sinai are front and centre to his argument. In many respects his argument, though in the minority amongst contemporary Biblical scholars, is a rather useful corrective to much of the OT studies that I engaged with in Cambridge 20 years ago.
The Old Testament and God is notable for the comparative absence of the Old Testament. Substantial in size though it is, volume 1 is really a ground-clearing exercise in which Bartholomew wrestles with the modernist preference for source and historical criticism, arguing that the supposed neutrality of this approach dismisses faith and theology at the outset and does not read the Old Testament within its Ancient Near East (ANE) context. Instead Bartholomew wishes to approach Scripture using the three cords of history, literature and kerygma (faith-based theology). He rejects a naive "literalist" approach but clearly favours viewing the OT as a work of received literature rather than a historical curiosity to be pulled apart through dubious and unexamined historical-critical methods. Above all he is emphatic that an approach that reads the Old Testament as the record of YHWH acting in history - supremely through the Exodus and Sinai events - is not invalid. If you start from a place that God reveals and acts then you are likely to approach the text rather differently from the supposed neutrality of academia.
I found Bartholomew's summaries of ANE cultures very enlightening and was useful in pointing out the similarities/dissimilarities with the OT. In particular I hadn't picked up before on the resonances with Egyptian culture. The fact that Akhenaten initiated a monotheistic revolution in Egypt lends credence to the idea that a similar Mosaic revolution happened amongst the Hebrews, rather than the conventional idea of monotheism growing out of the far later exilic experience. I was less convinced that Israel's theological creativity was more likely to come from a time of ascendency (eg. the time of the Davidic kingship) rather than exilic suffering. It has always seemed to me very plausible that it was precisely during that time of suffering that creative theological reflection was likely to happen.
As is increasingly the case with Christian publishers, who presumably are operating on a shoe-string budget, the editing leaves something to be desired. Too many exclamation marks, an odd and over-frequent use of the word "intriguingly" and some verbiage could have made the reading experience a little smoother.
September 28, 2023
With this thought provoking book, which is the first volume of a four-volume work that will be the OT version of N. T. Wright's series, New Testament Origins and the Question of God, Bartholomew argues for a post-critical approach to the Old Testament which does not naively aim for a neutral, bias-free approach to history but rather advocates for a critical realism. He sees three major strands as essential for a proper approach to the OT: (1) historical; (2) literary; and (3) kerygmatic/theological. He asserts that these three strands, when taken together, allow for the critical realism for which he advocates. Bartholomew competently navigates the deep and complex waters of OT studies, the various criticisms that attend this (source, redaction, textual. etc) while engaging in conversation with philosophers of religion. He ends the volume with a robust discussion of divine action in history. From my perspective, this book bolsters a more conservative (for lack of better words) approach to the OT which is not a flat-footed fundamentalism. If the subsequent volumes are anything like this one, this will vastly contributed to the field of OT studies. Highly recommended.
February 12, 2024
Bartholomew has produced something unique with this book. He proposes a new approach to Old Testament study that holds a high view of God and Scripture while also engaging with many modern and outdated interpretive methods. In this book and the 3 forthcoming volumes in the series, he seeks to pave the way in OT studies that N.T. Wright paves for New Testament studies. The book will challenge any reader to consider Scripture, history, and worldview through Bartholomew's new paradigm, a paradigm worth considering.
February 28, 2025
This is an excellent book. Bartholomew addresses so many things I haven’t seen in biblical studies. The reader benefits from all the strands he pulls together.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews