Introducing Old Testament Theology - by W H Bellinger (Paperback)

About the Book

A senior scholar and teacher offers a concise, student-level theology of the Old Testament.

Book Synopsis

A senior scholar and teacher with four decades of classroom experience offers a concise, student-level theology of the entire Old Testament. W. H. Bellinger Jr. uses ancient Israel's confession of faith, the Psalms, to introduce the sweep of Old Testament theology: creation, covenant, and prophecy. He shows how these three theological dimensions each entail a portrayal of God and invite a human response to God. Bellinger also discusses how to appropriate Old Testament theology for contemporary life.

From the Back Cover

"Eminently useful in a wide range of courses on the Old Testament and its theology"

Senior scholar and teacher W. H. Bellinger Jr. offers a concise, student-level theology of the entire Old Testament.

"For a generation, Bellinger has been at the forefront of our shared scholarship on the book of Psalms. Now, near the end of his teaching-scholarly career, he has moved out to a most ambitious undertaking in this book. It is clear from this work that the enterprise of Old Testament theology is well, healthy, and demanding. Bellinger's discussion is sure to evoke new explorations."
--Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary (emeritus)

"Bellinger (who knows his way around the Bible) here presents a shape for Old Testament theology that is founded on, if not centered in, the book of Psalms. Bellinger identifies a kind of three-legged stool, with creation theology, covenant theology, and prophetic theology all supporting a seat that is nothing less than salvation itself. I am confident that this book will prove eminently useful in a wide range of courses on the Old Testament and its theology."
--Brent A. Strawn, Duke University

"Bellinger offers an innovative approach to an Old Testament theology. This volume will be a valuable resource for professors, students, and pastors."
--Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford, McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University

"An engaging and elegant introduction that deftly navigates the 'Older' Testament's diversity and interconnections. Bellinger's judicious exegetical insights are matched by his keen conceptual thinking--a perfect combination for a theological introduction."
--William P. Brown, Columbia Theological Seminary

"Bellinger invites readers to ponder select theological ideas that he draws out from his reading of 'Older Testament' texts. The volume reinforces the point that readers create meanings for biblical texts and that all theological content needs to be assessed critically and hermeneutically."--Carol J. Dempsey, University of Portland

"Bellinger's elegant presentation of creation, covenant, and prophecy keeps the movement of the Old Testament's narrative in view while attending to the complexity and diversity of its literary components."
--Mark McEntire, Belmont University

"I hope professors will take this book up, offer it to their students, and lean into Bellinger's creative thinking and expansive grace as he leads us through the text with a paradigm for how to engage the First Testament's words about its God. The book is a gift worth exploring."
--Valerie Bridgeman, Methodist Theological School in Ohio

About the Author

W. H. Bellinger Jr. (PhD, University of Cambridge) is professor of religion emeritus at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He has served on the editorial board of Catholic Biblical Quarterly and has written several volumes on the Psalms.