The Crucial Bridge - by Thomas L Brodie (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The Elijah-Elisha narrative (1 Kings 16:29-2 Kings 13) is perhaps the most underestimated text in the Bible. Far from being a disparate collection, it is a carefully crafted double drama that both mirrors life and synthesizes the entire Primary History (Genesis-Kings). In a bold hermeneutical move it transforms the language of historiography - of patriarchs and kings - into the language of prophetic biography. The prophetic biography, rooted in historiography, later becomes the evangelists' primary literary model. The Elijah-Elisha narrative is the crucial bridge between the foundational narratives of Judaism and Christianity.

Review Quotes

Brodie has thought long and well on these unsettling prophetic narratives. He is alert to critical problems but moves beyond such restraints to see the patterned whole and the artistic power of the narratives. Readers will be stimulated by this theological exercise that reaches to the roots of biblical faith and stretches toward the Jesus narrative. Brodie shows in persuasive ways how odd, powerful, and compelling is this vision of reality that contradicts most dominant assumptions.Walter Brueggemann