Granting all acknowledgement to Dr. Brueggemann's distinguished career as a scholar and teacher, I must state that I was less than impressed by this example of his work. I know him to be a prominent Old Testament scholar who has written considerably complex tracts on the subject, but this book lacks both the seriousness and the depth of his other works.

It seems almost as if this book was more the result of a publisher wishing to produce a short, pithy book on a deep subject but not allowing it to be sufficiently long or of such a complexity to do the subject justice. The Bible is an astoundingly complex subject requiring an in-depth understanding of everything from linguistics and history to archeology and prosody to fully comprehend. The brief book at hand has (I wish to be generous and so I will assume it was not the fault of Dr. Brueggemann but the editor's pen that made it so) neither the length nor the depth even to begin to address its title thesis.

The Bible is simply too large a subject for a single "introductory book" to suffice. My recommendation is to pass on this one and look to some of the work on specific areas of interest, such as Rohrbaugh's writings on the gospels or Neyrey's work on Paul and his letters.

Brueggemann invites readers to Scripture study as a feast that can transform. He presents the Bible as a memory book that gives us an identity and promises a future. It is never a closed book of past events.

I found the ideas presented in this book life giving. Each chapter closes with reflection questions for discussion and a meditation that connects the points from the chapter to scripture and to life.

It is challenging reading and for best results share the reflections with others.

Most interesting for me was that the Bible is not an answer book but a book that asks questions. In the process of living in those questions our perception of life changes. The Bible is meant to be life changing.

The author outlines three pervasive world views (eg. scientific/material) and persuasively makes the case that Bible study can transform your world view to one supporting life, freedom and newness. This non-denominational, easily-read book will make you take out your Bible and not have it seem like a chore.

This book by Brueggemann is an interesting discussion on the problems of constructing an Old Testament theology. Brueggemann strives to find a way between the conflicting testimony/countertestimony of Israel while also taking into account the unsolicited testimony of other players in the world. Like a courtroom drama, the evidence is laid out for judgement, but there are no firm judgements here. Brueggemann states that the task of developing a coherent and systematic theology of the Old Testament is simply impossible for a host of reasons. The task is to find the character in the text, in the tension between the divergent testimony of Yahweh's actions. The historical chapters in the beginning and the final chapters looking forward to the future offer a good analysis of the state of the field and where it needs to go, what factors must be taken into consideration, etc. for the future of Old Testament theology.

On the dust-jacket of my copy of "The Works of Jonathan Edwards" is this endorsement by Martyn Lloyd-Jones: "If I had the power I would make these two volumes compulsory reading for all ministers!" Well, that's exactly how I feel about Brueggemann's "Theology of the Old Testament." It's simply the best, most relevant, most useful book I have ever read, on any subject related to the Christian life. Brueggemann opens doors to reading and interpreting the Bible (Old and New Testaments) with deep faithfulness, bold imagination, and scathing criticism of the culture in which we find ourselves. His critique of both liberal and conservative approaches to the Bible is refreshingly egalitarian.

Brueggemann's agenda is to listen attentively to all the diverse (and divergent) voices within the Old Testament, seeking truth in the midst of these "disputes," but without attempting to harmonize them or produce a "systematic" theology. This approach is astonishing in its relevance to our current situation: the advent of post-modernism with its emphasis on pluralism and relativized, deconstructed truth; the disestablishment, indeed exile, of the American Church; and the dominant Western "metanarrative" of "military consumerism." Though I disagree with some of the ideas presented, I am far richer and better for having read this book. Brueggemann himself would be the first to invite readers to dispute both his method and his conclusions.

My acid test for ministry books: "Give me something I can use!" This material is far more than useful, it's transformational. Every aspect of my faith and my professional life has been affected: my preaching, teaching, pastoral care, even my praying (see chapter 15, "The Human Person as Yahweh's Partner," for a description of an alternative, faithful way to be a human being in the midst of our culture of death and denial. It contains everything seminary didn't, but should have, taught me about what a pastor's job is.). The Ten Commandments and even the book of Deuteronomy have been restored to my agenda as a pastor. This book is a life-changing and ministry-shaping gift. It is truly "pastoral" theology - that is, theology done to shape ministry and life.

Thank you, Dr. Brueggemann, for teaching (reminding) me that pastoral ministry begins and ends with good theology, and that good theology is found in the questions asked, not just in the conclusions reached. Pastors, seminarians, and anyone else who wants to learn how to read and use the Bible to transform your life and your work - grab this book and devour it!

The book is easily read sections beginning with two chapters on historical information, called "retrospects." The outline for those two chapters give insight not only into the major theologians but also Brueggemann's overview of their contributions. The core of the book which revolves around the formation of Israel's concept of the nature of God is creative, using the ligation process of a courtroom, and shows great care and skill in linguistics and what Brueggemann calls "imagination," of which he is an expert! While fresh in presentation, this work builds on classical Old Testament theologies arriving at similar conclusions. His commitment to the polyphonic voice of the Old Testament is seen in action throughout the work. "Israel's Countertestimony" (part II) was one of the most interesting sections of the book. I enjoyed the book very much.

This book written by four of the top Hebrew Scripture Scholars was a fien overview of the themes and theology of the Old Testament. But there was some uneven parts of the book. The style was not even, which is perhaps what you get when you have four different authors. Also there were inconsistencies in content. One example is in the section on the later prohets when the conclusions starts off by saying there are three major parts to their thought and gives only two. This being a theological introduction there was also little reference to liberationist or feminist theology, which would have rounded out the picture the authors offered. In conclusion, while there are some good parts there are some problem areas which need to be refined. Perhaps a second edition would be helpful?

Harris intends to extend the work of Bruggemann and others on the issue of Jubilee spirituality, but in my opinion fails. She is either unaware of how her biases play into the hermaneutic circle or doesn't care. She seems to assume that if one is seeking to follow God her argument is unassailable. This is not true.

Admittedly my resistance in part is due to my own reading of history, politics and scripture and my biases are many. However, I felt she failed to attempt to engage those who operate from a different place. Her most interesting work was in refence to the Sabbath, and our need for the same.