An Introduction to the Old Testament—First Edition, An

by Tremper Longman III, Raymond B. Dillard

An Introduction to the Old Testament explores the historical backgound, literary analysis, and theological message of each Old Testament book. Written from an evangelical perspective, it interacts with the historical–critical method.

Genres: Theology, Old Testament, Reference, Religion, Biblical Studies, Nonfiction

CD-ROM

First published December 22, 1994

About the author

Tremper Longman III (PhD, Yale University) is the Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. Before coming to Westmont, he taught at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia for eighteen years. He has authored or coauthored numerous books, including An Introduction to the Old Testament, How to Read Proverbs, and commentaries on Daniel, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Jeremiah and Lamentations, and Song of Songs.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started this a long time ago and have whittled away at it over the years as I've studied or preached through Old Testament books. I've now finished it - and what an excellent book it is! From its survey of critical scholarship, its defense of moderately conservative evangelical positions, and its lucid overviews of historical issues to its balanced use of hermeneutical tools, its sensitivity to literary analysis and inter-canonical themes, and its insightful sections on "Approaching the New Testament," this book is a goldmine.

[Jacob Aitken · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was much pleased when I bought this intro to the Old Testament. In short, Dillard and Longman have done the church and teh believing community a great service by providing a scholarly and evangelical introduction that is not afraid to tackle the hard questions of the Bible.

They divide each section of the introduction into Historical/literary/Theological message/Approaching the New Testament. As to one reviewer commenting that this is very biased, I actually think that this was quite objective. Longman analyzes the prevailing critics presuppositions and then provides a logical counterpart. And also, they are (while remaining robustly evangelical) more balanced in their conclusion than other evangelical scholars (cf. Gleason Archer for a passionate, well written, if a little biased example).

In my eyes, this books greatest strengths were its incorporating the theological message and approaching the New Testament into each book. The Bible then comes alive. Its weakness is similar to many other scholarly works, it could get overly teachnical at times. Overall, a well organized intro. Interestingly, this is much better than its New Testament counterpart. That said, I prefer Archer's Introductory Survey.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insights. I especially liked the sections on the Theological Message and Link to the new testament. A little thick in some sections, but overall a nice supporting tool for teaching a lower level OT survey class.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not the most easily readable book on the Old Testament. Each book has its own chapter with a brief rundown of the book and how it applies to the Gospel. That is the best part. It reads very much like a textbook. While very informative, it’s not for light reading.

[Grace (alatteofliterature) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great supplement to Bible reading that provides historical context and other insights on a book-by-book basis.

[Patrick Couch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each of the OT books is reviewed in the same manner, giving background material that helps the Christian understand the issues the book presents to the church and to theological studies. Particularly useful are the (very) brief sections relating the OT book to the NT.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't agree with everything in here, but it really is an amazing introduction to the Old Testament. Provides a great foundation for digging further.

[Bauer Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to the books of the Old Testament. A useful resource for church leaders and church members alike, wishing to delve more deeply into the pages of their bibles.