The Biblical Period

Reading & Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church #1

by Hughes Oliphant Old

The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church is a multivolume study by Hughes Oliphant Old that canvasses the history of preaching from the words of Moses at Mount Sinai through modern times. In Volume 1, The Biblical Period, Old begins his survey by discussing the roots of the Christian ministry of the Word in the worship of Israel. He then examines the preaching of Christ and the Apostles. Finally, Old looks at the development and practice of Christian preaching in the second and third centuries, concluding with the ministry of Origen.

Genres: History, Theology, Church History

383 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Dr. Hughes Oliphant Old was the John H. Leith Professor of Reformed Theology and Worship at Erskine Theological Seminary and Dean of the Institute for Reformed Worship. He was a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary and studied at the University of Tübingen, the Protestant Theological Faculty of Paris, the Institute Catholique of Paris, and the University of Basel. He completed a D. théol. at the University of Neuchâtel and was appointed a member of the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton, New Jersey. His 18 years of pastoral ministry in two churches, combined with meticulous research, has informed his prolific publishing.

Reviews

[Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I consistently find Old to be an illuminating resource on all things related to Reformed worship. This book was no exception, as he mines the Old and New Testaments (as well as the second-third Christian centuries) for insight into the theology and practice of preaching. His perceptive analyses of canonical sermons (which are usually abridged) are as exciting as they are informative. Here are just a few insights:

• The practice of having a proposition developed in three or four points has incredibly deep roots, going back into the biblical era.

• The principle of Scripture interpreting Scripture has always been crucial to preaching, with many practitioners utilizing a secondary text as a key to opening up their primary passage.

• In the early church, it was not typical to separate evangelism from the regular preaching ministry -- the call to believe the gospel was constantly preached to the regular congregation of the faithful.

There's much more to find here; these are just off the top of my head.

Some evangelical readers may be put off by Old's ambivalence about the authorship of some books of Scripture (especially in the OT, where he's perfectly comfortable taking higher criticism at face value), and perhaps bewildered that he still insists on the inspiration, authority, and historical fidelity of the biblical text itself. Occasionally he'll make some practical application of the development of a book by the Isaianic school or what have you; I generally found these applications helpful, even when I disagreed about what he based them on.

On the whole, this book probably belongs in my top 3 books on preaching. We're I ever asked to teach a course in homiletics (God forbid, for the sake of the poor students), I'd probably assign this one alongside Preaching by Tim Keller and Preaching in the New Testament (NSBT) by Jonathan Griffiths.

[Josh Dockter · Rating 4 out of 5]

What to say about such a marvelous work? And this was only volume 1! I'll be back for more and if you are in the pastorate there is no excuse to not have this on your shelf. Buy it, read it, and enjoy it!

[Josh G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful, informative, and clarifying. At times, Old makes a few speculative inferences, but he provides clear documentation and substantial interaction with relevant sources.

[Ryan Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good on the centrality of preaching in the Old and New Testaments. Old makes a few assertions without arguments and inferences without evidence, but on the whole this is a persuasive case for the importance of preaching in the Bible.

[Glenn Crouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed this first volume. This is the first book I've read from this Author, and he has quite an "easy to read" approach. So I am quite looking forward to the volumes that follow :)

In this first volume, the Author takes quite an intriguing approach to the Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Church, by starting back in the Old Testament - and not just from the start of the Synagogue - but going way back, and examining how Prophets and others used Scripture. He then proceeds through the inter-testamental period (and beyond) with a good coverage of Judaism - covering both Temple and Synagogue. Then an excellent (though not exhaustive) look at the use of Scripture and Preaching in the New Testament. Finally covering the Second and Third Centuries - with good coverage of Justim Martyr, Tertullian, Melito, Clement of Alexander, Origen (quite a bit on him) and more.

I have had a keen interest in Church History for about 35 years, and this is a brilliant way to go through this Early Period - examining the use of Scripture and how it was Preached. I am learning a lot, and in some cases I feel like I am visiting "old friends" and seeing new insights about them.

This book is well referenced, and highly recommended for both those involved in Preaching and those with an interest in Church History. Expertise in either area is not a requirement, as the Author's style is very readable.

[Ted · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably because the book often seemed to have a Protestant bent or bias to it, I did not find its presentation on some of the biblical preachers all that interesting. It is looking at 'sermons' through the centuries of biblical times into the early church. It just didn't always hold my interest.

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to imagine a more comprehensive book, I'm now on my way to volume 2.