The Elder Testament: Canon, Theology, Trinity

by Christopher R. Seitz

The Elder Testament serves as a theological introduction to the canonical unity of the Scriptures of Israel. Christopher Seitz demonstrates that, while an emphasis on theology and canonical form often sidesteps critical methodology, the canon itself provides essential theological commentary on textual and historical reconstruction. Part One reflects on the Old Testament as literature inquiring about its implied reader. Seitz introduces the phrase "Elder Testament" to establish a wider conceptual lens for what is commonly called the "Old Testament" or the "Hebrew Bible," so that the canon might be read to its fullest capacity. Part Two provides an overview of the canon proper, from Torah to Prophets to Writings. Seitz here employs modern criticism to highlight the theological character of the Bible in its peculiar canonical shape. But he argues that the canon cannot be reduced to simply vicissitudes of history, politics, or economics. Instead, the integrated form of this Elder Testament speaks of metahistorical disclosures of the divine, correlating the theological identity of God across time and beyond. Part Three examines Proverbs 8, Genesis 1, and Psalms 2 and 110―texts that are notable for their prominence in early Christian exegesis. The Elder Testament measures the ontological pressure exerted by these texts, which led directly to the earliest expressions of Trinitarian reading in the Christian church, long before the appearance of a formally analogous Scripture, bearing the now-familiar name "New Testament." Canon to Theology to Trinity. This trilogy, as Seitz concludes, is not strictly a historical sequence. Rather, this trilogy is ontologically calibrated through time by the One God who is the selfsame subject matter of both the Elder and New Testaments. The canon makes the traditional theological work of the church possible without forcing a choice between a minimalist criticism or a detached, often moribund systematic theology. The canon achieves "the concord and harmony of the law and the prophets in the covenant delivered at the coming of the Lord" of which Clement of Alexandria so eloquently spoke.

Genres: Biblical Studies

310 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2021

About the author

Christopher R. Seitz (PhD, Yale University) is senior research professor of biblical interpretation at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, in Toronto, Ontario. He previously taught at the University of St. Andrews and Yale University. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including The Character of Christian Scripture, Prophecy and Hermeneutics, The Goodly Fellowship of the Prophets, and commentaries on Isaiah 1-39 and 40-66. Seitz is also an ordained Episcopal priest.

Reviews

[Zack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seitz gives an introduction to reading what he refers to as “the Elder Testament” as Christian scripture—that is, as canonical literature (recognized, received, accepted, and applied by the Church) testifying to the Trinity, One God and Three Persons.

The writing is dense and flowery, though astute. The book reads like something of a summary of earlier research and writing by the author (see the footnotes and bibliography on this). But the chapters surveying the three parts of the Elder Testament (Pentateuch, Prophets, and Writings) are worth the price of the book and the time it takes to read it.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good exploration of theological exegesis specifically looking at the Old Testament on its own terms. The author argues that the Bible is one book with two testaments and so the OT has theological pressure on its own terms. There are many insights within the book but the reason why I gave it a four-star rating is the somewhat ad hoc nature of the book. The chapters felt more like essays than part of a unified whole and so clarity was sacrificed to some degree.

[David Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dense with academic language and extensive sentences made some parts of this book impossible to follow. However, the demonstration of Christian doctrine being evident in the Old Testament without it being read back into the Old Testament was insightful.

[Spencer R · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring, cumbersome. Review soon.

[Scott Sheppard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Difficult to get into, but there are some good concepts once you get an understanding of the direction.

[Wendy Widder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not an easy read but, as expected of Seitz, thoughtful, well argued, and deep.