Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch

by T. Desmond Alexander (Editor), David Weston Baker (Editor)

A 2003 LOGOS Book Award Winner! An ECPA 2003 Gold Medallion Finalist! The first five books of the Old Testament lay the foundation on which the rest of Scripture stands. Its great themes, epochal events and towering figures set down vectors on which the biblical story is played out. The very shape of the rest of the Old Testament would collapse were the Penteteuch to be removed. The structure of New Testament thought would be barely intelligible without it. Here we meet the great ancestral figures of Israel--Abraham, Isaac and Jacob--and the towering figure of Moses, whose presence dominates four of these five books. The creative act of God, the paradisal garden, the exile of Adam and Eve, the judgment of the great flood, the call of Abraham from among the nations, the covenant of Abraham, the exodus from Egypt, the giving of the law at Sinai, the plan of the tabernacle, the varied experiences of Israel in the wilderness, and the announcement of the covenant blessings and curses--all of these and more contribute to a work of world-formative power. This dictionary explores the major themes and contours of the Pentateuch. Behind and beneath the grandeur of the Pentateuch, issues of historicity have both puzzled and beckoned. But whereas in the mid-twentieth century many English-speaking scholars were confident of archaeological support for the patriarchal accounts, the climate has now changed. In the most extreme cases, some contemporary scholars have radically challenged the antiquity of the ancestral stories, arguing for their final composition even as late as the Hellenistic era. This dictionary examines and weighs the historical issues and poses possible solutions. The documentary hypothesis, the former reigning critical consensus, is now widely rumored to be on life support with no heir apparent. Meanwhile, conservative scholars reconsider what indeed a claim to Mosaic authorship should entail. This dictionary offers an assessment of the array of questions surrounding these issues and considers some possible ways forward for evangelical scholarship. At the same time, there has been a fruitful turning to the nature, message and art of the received text of the Pentateuch. Literary studies of brief episodes, sprawling sagas, complex narrative and even the fivefold composition of the Pentateuch itself have delivered promising and exciting results. This dictionary offers both appreciative panoramas and close-up assessments of these developments and their methods. TheDictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch is the first in a four-volume series covering the text of the Old Testament. Following in the tradition of the four award-winning IVP dictionaries focused on the New Testament and its background, this encyclopedic work is characterized by close attention to the text of the Old Testament and the ongoing conversation of contemporary scholarship. In exploring the major themes and issues of the Pentateuch, editors T. Desmond Alexander and David W.Baker, with an international and expert group of scholars, inform and challenge through authoritative overviews, detailed examinations and new insights from the world of the ancient Near East. TheDictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch is designed to be your first stop in the study and research of the Pentateuch, on which the rest of the Bible is built.

Genres: Reference, Theology, Old Testament, Christian, Dictionaries, Biblical, Religion

976 pages, Hardcover

First published December 13, 2002

About the author

T. Desmond Alexander (PhD, The Queen’s University, Belfast) is senior lecturer in biblical studies and director of postgraduate studies at Union Theological College in Belfast, Ireland. He is the coeditor of the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology.

Reviews

[Vanjr · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is a misnomer. It is not a dictionary as much as a series of articles about topics in the Pentateuch from a Christian viewpoint. What one thinks of the theological bent of the book as a whole relates to ones perspective. I would consider myself to generally be more conservative that many of the articles. The usefulness to allow a good view of the topics, importance and significance of the Pentateuch to Christians. Even in areas where I may disagree, they articles were useful in helping me to see other viewpoints and will decrease the number of times I am caught off guard by another theological perspective. I know of few good commentaries on much Leviticus-Deuteronomy and this helps to fill a gap. Note-I am not a professional in this area and yes I did read the entire book!

[jacob van sickle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read significant portions for a class. Good resource (with some exceptions).

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a pastor or a Scholars Library, usually the first Works purchased or commentaries, followed by practical works with only a second thought towards biblical dictionaries and encyclopedias. This could not be a worse process of thinking, for dictionaries specifically those produced in the series titled, the IVP Bible Dictionary series, for this is a top-notch and needed addition to a basic pastor set of works as well as a scholars library.
I was first introduced to this series in seminary, and have found them deeply insightful and for the most part theologically sound and great aides in understanding complex parts of scripture. In this work, the dictionary of the Old Testament prophets, edited by Mark J. Boda & J. Gordon McConville, the books of the prophets, both minor and major, are explored with specific Focus on various imagery and interpretation.
This work has a truly wide scope in explaining views that are out in the world, both Orthodox an unorthodox as well as types of criticism, tradition and interpretation, and various hermeneutical issues which need to be addressed. I specifically found those dealing with textual criticism and motifs to be quite enjoyable and insightful in my teaching of one of the Minor Prophets. Wow it is highly scholarly, this work will be of use to a pastor who has some foundations in studying that of views that differ with his or with views that would broaden his horizons.
Well I have said that I give her with a few views in this work specifically that of the feminist interpretation of scripture, editor’s Boda and McConville do a phenomenal job of eating the reader in their understanding of the works of the prophets. I therefore recommend this as a purchase to both pastors and Scholars if they have the money to purchase this what can be expensive volume in the phenomenal, IVP Bible dictionary series. You will not be disappointed.
I received this work from IVP Academic, for the purpose of an unbiased review.

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m losing my patience with this series of dictionaries. A few of the articles were decent and gave some helpful insights, but even they referenced aspects of modern scholarship that are incorrect. Then there are some articles that have no business being in a “Christian” resource because they veer off in borderline heretical directions or spend most of their time talking about anything but Scripture! I wouldn’t have read any of the books in this series if they hadn’t been assigned in my seminary classes, and I don’t know that I could recommend more than a handful of articles from this book.

[Nathan Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource!

[Lori Neff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful reference book. I'm glad I own a copy and can keep it handy for quick research.

[Vernon Johnson]

Loaned to John Jacob

[Kendall Klein · Rating 4 out of 5]

What am I supposed to rate a textbook

[Tyler Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

IVP Dictionaries are one of the most beneficial tools for background research I have found. Their thorough research into the key terms/ideas/words/places/people is formatted so well making it is easy to use. Their bibliography at the end of each section helps you find more resources if you want to go deeper. Essential for any Bible nerd library.

[Nathan Whitley · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking to study a particular topic from the Pentateuch then you need to seek out this book. How the book is organized is very helpful to the reader. The articles are very engaging. You will come across some un-orthodox opinions but for the most part it is a very balanced book.