The Face of Old Testament Studies: A Survey of Contemporary Approaches

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The developments in Old Testament studies during the past twenty-five years have created a mountain of scholarly data that challenges even the best-read researcher. From textual criticism to literary approaches, from historiography to social science, each discipline possesses unique patterns of development, scholarly personalities, and methodologies. The Face of Old Testament Studies tackles the challenge of organizing this wealth of data through a collection of cutting-edge essays on sixteen major areas of contemporary Old Testament research.

Each contributor traces recent developments in his field of expertise, delineating new directions and crucial methodologies that have emerged in the mainstream academy. One distinctive of this compilation is that it also pays attention to conservative scholars who have made contributions of significance that have been recognized beyond their own camp. The editors note that ones contributions should be judged by their acumen and insight, their ability to add distance in the race toward understanding, rather than by the colors under which one races.

This reference work affords professors and students an overview of the salient issues and current approaches to Old Testament research. It is suitable as a textbook for Old Testament Introduction, Hebrew Exegesis, and Old Testament Theology courses, and will also be helpful for non-specialists who desire to keep up with developments in Old Testament studies.

The Face of Old Testament Studies: A Survey of Contemporary Approaches Review

The goal of this volume is to bring educated readers "up-to-date" with the state of Old Testament scholarship at the end of the 20th century (my summary). Some of the sixteen essays do that, especially the general articles on textual criticism (Wolters), epigraphy (Chavalas & Hostetter), and the articles on the state of pentateuchal studies (Wenham), Wisdom (Waltke & Diewert), historiography (Long), and three articles on early Israel (Younger), the monarchy (Knoppers), and the exilic & Persian periods (Williamson). On these topics and the Psalter (below), one can hardly find a better brief summary (most articles are about thirty pages).Other articles are less satisfying, either because they assume too much knowledge on the part of the reader, or because they address an extremely narrow aspect of a broad field.The volume slights the enormous body of literature that has pondered the nature and workings of biblical poetry (parallelism, imagery, &c.), burying this discussion in Howard's sterling article on the Psalter. It also bypasses the contribution of linguistics to our understanding of the Hebrew verbal system and the discourse analysis of biblical narrative, or the impact of comparative Semitic studies on biblical lexicography.These gaps do not annul the book's value. Indeed, for a quick overview of most of what biblical (OT) scholarship has been "up to" for the past generation, it can hardly be surpassed, especially at the size and price. Careful readers will realize, however, that more has been going on, and supplement this with other resources. I assign selected chapters--and recommend the book as a whole--in my courses. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Report abuse | PermalinkComment�Comment

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