Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey

Encountering Biblical Studies

by Bill T. Arnold, Bryan E. Beyer

"I highly recommend this volume to all who read the Old Testament. . . .This is a five star recommendation." --Messenger

Genres: Theology, Christian, Old Testament, Nonfiction, Reference, College, Religion

528 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Bill T. Arnold (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is Paul S. Amos Professor of Old Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including Encountering the Book of Genesis, Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books, A Guide to Biblical Hebrew Syntax, and a commentary on 1 and 2 Samuel. He is also the coauthor (with Bryan E. Beyer) of Encountering the Old Testament.

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll start by saying I'm a master of divinity student and I'm assigned a lot of books for school and this was one of them . This is a survey of the entire old testament of the bible. In my opinion this book is outstanding. It is perfect as a biblical study or really just to read for more information on a specific book of the old testament. This book discusses in detail every book of the old testament and talks about the the theology behind various segments of the of the books. My personal favorite was his discussion on the book of Isaiah listing many verses as they relate to Jesus in the new testament according to Christian theology. For me this book helped give the bible a sense of unity that I had never seen before. The Book draws parallels with being justified by Faith one such example is discussed in the authors discussion of the book of numbers where serpents are raised off the ground and anyone bitten by a snake would look up at the serpents and be saved. we look to Christ in Faith whom was also lifted up on the Cross and through him we have life. You see this same parallel in Genesis drawn by the author as Abraham being justified by his faith as the apostle Paul talks about in the new testament. I leaned a lot more from the book and strongly recommend it to anyone who maybe interested

[Leah Ginion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feels like a lot to give a textbook 5 stars, but I actually really enjoyed this. Told me everything I needed to know without telling me too much. Easy to read, didn’t drag. Succinct and helpful.

[Bret Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, methodical survey of the Old Testament as seen through the eyes of Christian readers. The series makes for an excellent pair of college-level textbooks.

[Hank Pharis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have few complaints about this textbook. It did what it should very well. It is a very good survey text on the Old Testament for college students. I agreed with most of its theology. The only way I felt it could be better would be if it spent less time and energy on modern "critical" theories about the Old Tesament and instead had more to say about its application.

(Note: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book. 3 = Very good; 4 = Outstanding {only about 5% of the books I read merit this}; 5 = All time favorites {one of these may come along every 400-500 books})

[Gregory Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very fine Handbook to the Frist Testament. The content is well organized exploring the books according to the Christian canonical order. The author presents contrasting theological and historical views but does not goo very deep into any particular view. Instead he offers resources at the end of the chapters for further study on given subjects. Most times he sides with traditional evangelical views, but is very respectful to other traditions be it Orthodox Jewish, Reform Jewish, Roman Catholic, or Liberal Protestant traditions. It is evident that he does not have much use for the modern atheistic historical skeptic. I am personally fine with that as the presuppositions from that school of thinking are so close minded that they stretch their theories to the point of incredulity. Over all a fine handbook of the First Testament.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good overview of the Old Testament. The chapters go book by book through the OT, not only summarizing the contents of the books themselves, but giving historical backgrounds, literary analysis, and some of the more common criticisms for each book (i.e. authorship, time written, potential inaccuracies, etc.).

While this is designed as a textbook for college students, it has value outside the classroom as well for anyone looking for an entry-level survey of the OT.

[Scott Sheppard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite a good theological survey of the Old Testament. This book includes pictures which help to highlight places and culture of the times in the text it discusses. While it does not assume a lot of the reader's previous exposure to scholarly study of the Old Testament, it does explain rich terms and ideas which may be unfamiliar to a broad audience.

[Evan Staffieri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, easy, introduction survey of the Old Testament! I only wish more topics were dealt with and brought up, but this was a fantastic and well written textbook, nonetheless, and I commend the authors for their hard work!

[Miles Mullin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid reference book for OT. Well-organized with good visuals, important terms, study questions, etc. It’s approach is decidedly evangelical. The authors see coherence between the testaments. It’s a great book to have on your shelf if you study the Bible.

[Rafael · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you dedicate the time, this is a phenomenal introduction book for aspiring Bible nerds and aspiring biblical scholars. Would suggest to Bible Study teachers, and can be used as a reference. Overall it's not very dense for a dense read so it is enjoyable for lay people.

[T.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

Found this book to be an enjoyable read. Provided enough information to be useful and not too much as to be dull and overbearing. Had this as a textbook for a class and it was quite useful for the various assignments required.

[Payton M. Arnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Christian overview of the Old Testament. It doesn’t feel too scholarly at points, and doesn’t always go as deep as I might have liked, but I think it accomplishes well what it set out to do. Probably not my favorite textbook, but that’s more of a personal preference.

[David Franklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good textbook that surveys the Old Testament really well.

[Suzan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond informative- an absolute game changer in my reading of the Old Testament. This took my Bible reading to the next level!

[Douglas Reis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good! You MUST have in your bookshelf!

[Ee Yong]

One of the books that are clearly explanations about the OT. It is a good book for a student who studies Ministry.

[Dr. KC Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely enjoy the Encountering Biblical Studies series. The books are very informative, educational, and engaging for the reader and students.

[David Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super insightful overview of the Old Testament!

[JSem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good OT survey textbook. Talks about retribution theology but doesn't explain it well.

[Lila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear and detailed information on the Old Testament is a must-read.

[Mdbeltrano]

It's a textbook so no rating.

[alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely informative and fairly enjoyable read. Excellent complement to the actual OT and gave a ton of historical context. Had to read for class but I didn’t mind it.

[Robin Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book by book introduction to the Old Testament is a solid resource for every Bible reader.

[Jordan Parkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Old Testament textbook that wasn’t boring!! Some passages are a bit brief but to be expected considering the huge scope of the book!

[Simdumise Poswa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great survey of the old testament. It has very good references for further study.

[Geneva Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for my graduate school Old Testament class. The authors do an excellent job providing data as well as reminders to hold fast to our faith. 10/10

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent survey of the Old Testament. Very well laid out. The portion on the minor prophets was a little dry, but overall a great book.

[Maddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice. For biblit 1!! Good insight.

[Christian Cha]

Read as part of "Old Testament Interpretation" course at Torch Trinity Graduate University

[Mason Sutherland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good entry level book for surveying the OT