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Useful Books about the Old Testament for Evangelical Readers
OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY AND INTRODUCTION Archer, Gleason L. Jr. A Survey of Old Testament Introduction. Chicago: Moody, 1964. This is a good conservative summary of the Old Testament. It is written at a college level. Arnold, Bill T. and Beyer, Bryan E. Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008. This is a generally conservative college level text book about Old Testament History. Chisholm, Robert B. Jr. Interpreting the Historical Books: An Exegetical Handbook. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2006. Chisholm's book is a conservative study written at a college or masters level. It explores the Old Testament as narrative and literature. It centers of things like literary structure. It is useful to understand how Biblical texts were structured. Cline, Eric J. The Battles of Armageddon: Megiddo and the Jezreel Valley from the Bronze Age to the Nuclear Age. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 2000. While Cline is not a particularly conservative author, this is a useful summary of the battles that have been fought on the plains of Megiddo from the biblical period down to the present time. It is written at a college level. Dillard, Raymond B. and Longman, Tremper III. An Introduction to the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994. This is a solid, conservative text book on OT Survey. It is written at a college level. Hill, Andrew E. and Walton, John H. A Survey of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000. This is a good conservative introduction to the Old Testament. It is written at a college level. Hindson, Edward E. The Philistines of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1971. This is a conservative study written at a college or masters level. It gives a good summary of the evidence for the Sea People and the Old Testament Philistines. However, it is a little dated. The academic discussion has gone in some different directions since 1971. Hummel, Horace D. The Word Becoming Flesh: An Introduction to the Origin, Purpose, and Meaning of the Old Testament. St. Louis, MO: Concordia, 1979. This is a conservative study, and it is written at a masters level. Hummel was one of the best scholars that I've known. His book is an outstanding introduction to the Old Testament. The book would be stronger if it assumed an 18th Dynasty exodus chronology instead of the 19th Dynasty model. Kaiser, Walter C. Jr. Toward Rediscovering the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1987. This is a conservative study written at a college or masters level. Lasor, William S. et al. Old Testament Survey: The Message, Form, and Background of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1996. This is a conservative college level text book about Old Testament Survey. Sailhamer, John H. The Pentateuch as Narrative: A Biblical-Theological Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992. This is a good conservative overview of the Pentateuch written at a college level. Thiele, Edwin R. A Chronology of the Hebrew Kings. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1977. This is a conservative study. It is important information for anyone working at a college, masters, or doctoral level. One common argument to disprove the inerrancy of Scripture is to contrast descriptions of the lengths of kings' reigns in Kings and Chronicles. Thiele demonstrates that the Bible always uses a description that would have been used by someone living at that time. Thiele, Edwin R. The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 1983. Wenham, Gordon J. Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Pentateuch. Volume One. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2003. This is a loosely conservative introduction to the Pentateuch. It discusses arguments for and against the accuracy of the Bible without making a firm commitment to either position. It is written at a general or college level, and it can be useful at that level. Wolff, Herbert. An Introduction to the Old Testament Pentateuch. Chicago: Moody, 1991. Wolff's study is conservative, and it is written at a general or college level. It is a good general introduction to content of the Pentateuch, the impact of the Pentateuch on the rest of the Bible, and the theology of the Pentateuch. THE CREATION DEBATE Gillispie, Charles Coulston. Genesis and Geology: A Study of the Relations of Scientific Thought, Natural Theology, and Social Opinion in Great Britain, 1790-1850. New York: Harper & Row, 1951. This is a good study of the history of the debate about creation. Gish, Duane T. Evolution: The Challenge of the Fossil Record. El Cajon, CA: Creation-Life Publishers, 1985. Gish is one of the most popular defenders of the young earth perspective. This book is written at a college level. Ross, Hugh. The Genesis Question: Scientific Advances and the Accuracy of Genesis. Colorado Springs, CO: Navpress, 1998. This is a conservative study written at a college level. For those who accept a young earth model, this is a good study. Sailhamer, John. Genesis Unbound: A Provocative New Look at the Creation Account. Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 1996. Sailhamer is a conservative, and his book is written at a college level. Sailhamer offers an unusual compromise. He suggests that the earth as a whole is a very old place. However, he suggests that the land of Palestine was created by God in six 24 hour periods. The weakness of his position is that the same geology lies beneath Palestine that can be seen anywhere else in the world. Sarfati, Jonathan. Refuting Compromise: A Biblical and Scientific Refutation of "Progressive Creationism" (Billions of Years) as Popularized by Astronomer Hugh Ross. Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2004. This is a conservative study written at a general or college level. Sarfati argues for a young earth. Sarfati, Jonathan. Refuting Evolution. Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 1999. Sarfati, Johathan. Refuting Evolution 2. Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2002. Warfield, B. B. Evolution, Science, and Scripture: Selected Writings. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2000. B. B. Warfield was one of the most important conservative Reformed scholars a century ago. His work is consistently evangelical. This volume reprints many of his articles related to the creation debate. Warfield argued for an old earth. He was willing to see some role for evolution in the origin of the human race, although he argued that God turned a pre-human type into modern man by a miracle. Wonderly, Daniel E. Neglect of Geological Data: Sedimentary Strata Compared with Young-Earth Creationist Writings. Hatfield, PA: Interdisciplinary Biblical Research Institute, 1987. While this may be a hard book to find, it is a very valuable conservative study. It argues for an old earth interpretation of the geological strata. It is written at a college or masters level. Young, Edward J. Studies in Genesis One. Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1964. This is a conservative study of the Hebrew text written by one of the great Reformed scholars of the last generation. It is written at a masters or doctoral level. Zabilka, Ivan L. Scientific Malpractice: The Creation/Evolution Debate. Lexington, KY: Bristol House, 1992. Zablka wrote a generally conservative study. However, he attacked the young earth movement in very strong terms. The book is written at a general or college level. GENESIS Fields, Weston W. "Sodom and Gomorrah: History and Motif in Biblical Narration. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1997. This is a mainstream book, but it is interesting. It is written at a masters or doctoral level. Hess, Richard S. and Tsumura, David Toshio, eds. "I Studied Inscriptions from before the Flood:" Ancient Near Eastern, Literary, and Linguistic Approaches to Genesis I-II. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1994. This book contains articles by a number of authors. They hold a variety of theological positions, but the majority of them would not accept that idea of biblical inerrancy. It is a useful set of articles about Genesis 1-11, and several of the articles make quite valuable points. The book is written at a masters or doctoral level. Jacobs, Mignon R. Gender, Power, and Persuasion: The Genesis Narratives and Contemporary Portraits. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007. This is a generally conservative study written at a college or masters level. It traces the relationships between gender and power in the Genesis narrative. Longman, Tremper III. How to Read Genesis. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2005. This is a conservative study written at a college level. It places Genesis in its ancient Near Eastern cultural context. Mosley, Harold B. "Joseph : Ruler in Egypt." Biblical Illustrator 33 (2007): 73-76. This is a conservative study written at a general or college level. Nelson, Richard D. From Eden to Babel: An Adventure in Bible Study. St. Louis, MO: Chalice, 2006. This book is aimed to a general audience rather than an academic one. It is not a very conservative study. Its value lies in a call to read the Genesis text in new ways, and it offers a few good ideas. However, it's methods and conclusions should be evaluated carefully. Radday, Yehuda T. and Shore, Haim. Genesis: An Authorship Study in Computer-Assisted Statisticala Linguistics. Rome: Biblical Institute Press, 1985. Radday and Shore are not conservative authors, but their book is very valuable for masters and doctoral level work. Radday and Shore began with the assumption that the Documentary Hypothesis must be correct. They created a computer program to find different kinds of Hebrew in Genesis so that they could finally pin down the verses in Genesis that should be attributed to J, E, D, and P. Instead, they found four kinds of Hebrew in the book: divine speech, human speech, narration before Joseph, and narration of the Joseph account. They noted that the two kinds of narration were very similar. They concluded that at least in Genesis, the Documentary Hypothesis could not be correct, and the book was written by one author. Schaeffer, Francis A. Genesis in Space and Time: and the Flow of Biblical History. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1972. This study is conservative, and it is written at a general or college level. Anything that Francis Shaeffer wrote is valuable to read. Wiseman, P. J. Ancient Records and the Structure of Genesis: A Case for Literary Unity. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1985. This is a conservative study written at a college level. It looks at the possibility of sources behind the Genesis text that were used by Moses as he wrote it. EXODUS Bimson, John J. Redating the Exodus and Conquest. Sheffield: JSOT, 1978. This is a conservative study written at a masters level. It is a good defense of an 18th Dynasty exodus chronology. Davidman, Joy. Smoke on the Mountain: An Interpretation of the Ten Commandments. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster, 1957. This is a fairly good discussion of the implications of the ten commandments. It is written at a general or college level. Davis, John J. Moses and the Gods of Egypt: Studies in Exodus. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1986. This is a conservative and useful study written at a college level. Stamm, J. J. and Andrew, M. E. The Ten Commandments in Recent Research. London: SCM, 1962. This is a mainstream but useful study at a masters level. NUMBERS TO DEUTERONOMY Römer, Thomas. The So-Called Deuteronomistic History: A Sociological, Historical and Literary Introduction. London: T & T Clark, 2007. This is a liberal critical book, and it is a masters or doctoral level study. It teaches little with which an Evangelical would agree, and it is about the academic debate within the liberal world. The value of the book is that it illustrates how even very widely held perspectives within the critical world come under attack by later authors. This book is consistent with the kind of attacks that the minimalists are raising against defenders of the Documentary Hypothesis. JOSHUA, JUDGES, RUTH Schaeffer, Francis A. Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1975. This is a brief conservative study of Joshua written by one of the most important Christian philosophers of the last generation. It is written at a general or college level. PSALMS AND WISDOM LITERATURE Estes, Daniel J. Handbook on the Wisdom Books and Psalms. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005. This is a good generally conservative study of the Bible's Wisdom books. It is written at a college or masters level. Glickman, S. Craig. A Song for Lovers. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1976. This is a useful and brief study of the Song of Songs. It is conservative, and it is written at a general or college level. It seeks to apply the song to personal relationships in the contemporary church. Kidner, Derek. A Time to Mourn & A Time to Dance: The Message of Ecclesiastes. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1976. This is a useful conservative study of Ecclesiastes. It is written at a college level. Perdue, Leo G. Wisdom Literature: A Theological History. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2007. This is a master or doctoral level study. While it is not written from a conservative perspective, it gives an interesting summary of the ways that biblical wisdom literature is understood in the mainstream academic world. Then it gives a wide variety of historical material about the wisdom tradition. HISTORICAL BOOKS Dillard, Raymond B. Faith in the Face of Apostasy: The Gospel According to Elijah and Elisha. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 1999. Ray Dillard taught me Hebrew at Westminster Seminary almost 40 years ago. He was a conservative and Evangelical Reformed scholar. His book was written at a general or college level. It is practical and a useful read. Vannoy, J. Robert. Covenant Renewal at Gilgal: A Study of I Samuel 11:14-12:25. Cherry Hill, NJ: Mack, 1978. This is a conservative study. It is Vannoy's dissertation, so it is a doctoral level study. It centers on the international treaty pattern. Varner, William. The Chariots of Israel: Exploits of the Prophet Elijah. West Collingswood, NJ: Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, 1984. This is a conservative study written at a general or college level. ISAIAH, JEREMIAH AND EZEKIEL Allis, Oswald T. The Unity of Isaiah: A Study of Prophecy. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1980. This is a solid conservative refutation of the attacks that have been made against the unity of the book of Isaiah. It was written at a college or masters level. Boadt, Lawrence. Ezekiel's Oracles against Egypt: A Literary and Philological Study of Ezekiel 29-32. Rome: Biblical Institute Press, 1980. While this is not a particularly conservative study, it makes some useful observations about the academic discussion over this passage. It is written at a doctoral level. Hindson, Edward E. Isaiah's Immanuel. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1978. This is a good conservative study of the Immanuel theme in Isaiah. It is written at a masters or doctoral level. MacRae, Allan. The Gospel of Isaiah. Chicago: Moody, 1977. This is a fine conservative study of the theology of the book of Isaiah. It is written at a college or masters level. Wood, Leon J. The Prophets of Israel. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1979. Wood's book is a conservative study written at a college or masters level. It is a useful summary of the biblical prophets and the nature of prophecy. Wood, Leon J. The Prophets of Israel. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1979. Wood's book is a conservative study written at a college or masters level. It is a useful summary of the biblical prophets and the nature of prophecy. THE MINOR PROPHETS Barton, John. Amos's Oracles against the Nations: A Study of Amos 1.3-2.5. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1980. This is a mainstream but valuable study of the social ethics taught by the prophet Amos. Hiebert, Theodore. God of My Victory: The Ancient Hymn in Habakkuk 3. Atlanta, GA: Scholars, 1986. This is a mainstream liberal study. It does make a few interesting points about the idea of theophany in the Old Testament. It is written at a masters or doctoral level. MacRae, Allan. The Prophets of Daniel. Singapore: Christian Life Publishers, 1991. This is a solid conservative study of Daniel's prophecies. It is written at a masters level. McKenzie, Steven L. and Wallace, Howard N. "Covenant Themes in Malachi." Catholic Biblical Quarterly 45.4 (1983): 549-563. This is a mainstream but useful article written at a masters or doctoral level. Petersen, David L. "Zerubbabel an d Jerusalem Temple Reconstruction." Catholic Biblical Quarterly 36.3 (1974): 366-372. This is a brief mainstream but useful study written at a masters or doctoral level. |
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Copyright © 2009 Dr. Rodger Dalman
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