Old Testament History

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A Book Report
Presented to
Dr. T.J. Betts
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

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In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for BL101

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by
slytle

October 22, 2008

Sailhamer, John H., Old Testament History. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998. 96 pp.

Introduction
Old Testament History by John H. Sailhamer is one book in the Zondervan Quick-Reference Library. It is divided into easy to read one-page sections in eleven chapters. Sailhamer begins with “Primeval History” and ends with the “Intertestamental Period”.
Summary
John H. Sailhamer introduces his book by asking, “What is the Bible?” (9) He gives one definitive answer, that it is a book, or series of books that tell God’s story. He asserts that it is divinely inspired because, if not, the authors would appear presumptuous.
Sailhamer goes on to explain what history is and how it applies to the Bible. He maintains that everything that happened to Israel is not necessarily in the Bible. He also says that it is important to study Bible history because it is “essential for demonstrating the truthfulness of the biblical message” and it “can also help fill in the details of many stories in the Bible.”(13)
In the next section, Sailhamer deals with primeval history. He discusses whether Genesis is literal or poetic. He also includes a basic overview of the controversy of Biblical days in the Genesis account of creation. Sailhamer describes the difference between the views of theism (Biblical assumptions), materialism (scientific assumptions) and naturalism (historical assumptions.) He also explains the difference between the positions evangelicals typically take in the conflict between science and the Bible: creationism, progressive creationism and theistic evolution. He ends this section with a brief one-page account of the flood and repopulation of the earth.
The rest of the book discusses Israel’s foundation and creation as a nation. Sailhamer begins with the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He continues with the Exodus from Egypt and the wandering in the dessert. Also covered are the judges, the kings, the Babylonian exile, the return from exile, and finally the period of time between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Critical Evaluation
In Old Testament History, John H. Sailhamer has tried to cover many topics, and none of them well. One of the major problems with the book is that Sailhamer fails to cite references for the information that he delivers. One is left wondering if he has sources or if he made up the data and statistics. He devotes little over a page to the topic of creationism and evolution. This is not nearly enough to explain the differences in opinion.
It is hard to determine what Sailhamer’s beliefs are in regards to the creation. He gives reasons that evolution is a problem, but presents dates of the creation in terms of billions of years. Sailhamer gives one clue by the way he compares theistic evolutionist and creationists, “theistic evolutionists are similar in the approach to creationists. Both view the meaning of the biblical account in terms of their own particular scientific understanding of the world. The theistic evolutionists apply their evolutionary theories to Genesis 1, and the creationists read Genesis 1 in light of their view of the Genesis Flood. In both cases the meaning of the Bible is ‘explained’ and shown to be true by scientific laws and theory.” (21) One can take from this that Sailhamer sides with the only other choice, progressive creationism. In that, he fails to give the reader any indication why one view might be better than the others.
In the “Patriarchal History” section, Sailhamer states, “Recent studies of agricultural changes suggest that the migration of Abraham may have been associated with a more general migration of peoples throughout the Near East as a result of widespread famine.”(30) His reasoning for this is that “in fact, Abraham himself felt forced to travel beyond Canaan into Egypt because of famine (Gen. 12:10).”(30) Sailhamer ignores the fact that God called Abraham to leave his country, his people, and his father’s household to go to the land that God would show him. (Genesis 12:1)
In another example of statements that have no basis in theology, Sailhamer ends the chapter on Balaam by saying that, “Though Balaam was a pagan diviner, he apparently came across elements of the true knowledge of Israel’s God, either through tradition or through reports of the great things God had done for Israel in Egypt. In that way, Balaam was drawn to identify himself with the Lord without, however, actually becoming a prophet.” (46) The author presents no evidence for believing this, nor does he explain the inconsistency of believing a pagan diviner would submit himself to the will of God without actually becoming a believer and wither being a true prophet or giving up his pagan abilities.
There appears to be no real purpose to Old Testament History. By the end of the book, one is left wondering which elements in the book are true and which are Sailhamer’s conjectures. It would have been a much more worthwhile read had the author included documentation to back up his statements and he had been more coherent in his statements regarding the theology of the Old Testament.
Conclusion
Old Testament History is supposed to be a quick reference guide, but it is difficult to find the exact information that one is looking for. John H. Sailhamer has tried to cover too much information in ninety-six pages. The book does not have enough information to be an in depth study guide, yet it is not well organized enough to be the reference it was intended to be. Sailhamer has made some assertions that are dubious and some that are just wrong. One cannot be sure of the validity of information presented in Old Testament History. This book can only be recommended as a supplement to a more intensive Old Testament Bible study and then only with a skeptical eye.

MAKING SENSE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT:
THREE CRUCIAL QUESTIONS


A Book Report
Presented to
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary


In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for BL101


by
slytle
September 10, 2008

Longman III, Tremper, Making Sense of the Old Testament: Three Crucial Questions.Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998. 136 pp.

Introduction
Tremper Longman III has written a very informative book called Making Sense of the Old Testament: Three Crucial Questions. The book has been divided into three logical sections. The first section describes what the Old Testament is and how it is organized. The second delves into a comparison between God in the Old Testament and God in the New Testament. The final part of the book discusses the most important question, “How is the Christian to apply the Old Testament to life?”
Summary
Longman has three points that he wants to make with this book. The Old Testament can be understood, it reveals more of the character of the God of the New Testament and it is still an important guide for living in today’s world. He opens the book by describing how to understand the Old Testament. He explains why one might be attracted to it. Several reasons are given why the Old Testament is so difficult for some to understand. At the end of the chapter, he gives nine points in understanding the Old Testament.
Chapter two asks the question, “Is the God of the Old Testament also the God of the New Testament?” In this chapter, Longman meanders from topic to topic, but finally concludes that yes, there is only one God who has not changed, but has revealed more of Himself to mankind.
In chapter three, the author gives practical advice for using the Bible in everyday life. He explains the difference between dispensationalism and theonomy and how it relates to using the Old Testament in one’s life. Longman believes that while specific case law may not have an application in today’s world, it can be used to better understand the general law and how to apply it.
Critical Evaluation
Longman first explains what the Old Testament is. He gives five points with the most important being background to the New Testament. Longman was correct when he summarized it by saying, “That one cannot really understand the New Testament without being steeped in the Old Testament is an inescapable conclusion.” (17)
Tremper Longman then describes why it is so hard to understand the Old Testament. Length and diversity was his first example. He said, “a frequent obstacle to reading large portions of the Old Testament, and the New for that matter, is the type of translation used by many Christians.” He goes on to say, “Please understand that I think literal versions like the New American Standard Bible and the New International Version have an important place in the church and in our study, as do high-style versions like the King James and the New Revised Standard. However, we must also acknowledge that they hinder sustained reading of large portions of the Scripture.” (19) He asserts that these versions may be obstacles to understanding the whole Bible, but never makes a recommendation of a version that is reliable and easy to understand.
The last section of chapter one includes principals for understanding the Old Testament. Longmans general goal in this section is that the reader should know the context of the Old Testament in order to understand it. He also says that experience should be interpreted in light of the scripture, not scripture in light of experience. He cites several examples and concludes, “The proper procedure is to read the Bible self-critically and in community.” (51) Another good point presented is to always seek the full counsel of Scripture. Longman contends that it is easy to misunderstand the Old Testament by not taking into account what other passages say about a topic. He makes a valid point when he says, “The most important ideas in the Bible are stated hundreds of times.” (52)
At the end of chapter one, Longman interjects an obviously personal view. He says to be open-minded and tolerant of other interpretation. This view, while virtuous in intentions, may lead an overly liberal interpretation of the Bible. He lists several ideas that can be interpreted different ways, but fails to include any examples that could be argued under this point, but should not be. Many feel that the Bible is not clear on homosexuality, while it is clearly stated in the Old Testament and New that this is abnormal behavior and is an abomination to the Lord. Using Longmans theory of tolerance, it can be argued that it is not wrong.
Chapter two asks the question, “Is the God of the Old Testament also the God of the New Testament?” (55) Tremper Longman explains that undoubtedly He is. His primary arguments are the covenant nature of God, the aspect of God as a warrior and the idea of Christ as the Temple. Concerning the covenant nature, he says that Christ is an extension of the covenants made with Noah, Abraham, Moses and David. He states, “The new covenant of Jesus Christ is certainly different from the old covenants, but it is not as if the former replaces the latter. Rather, the covenant king of the New Testament is the fulfillment that is anticipated in the Old. The God of the New Testament is clearly the same as the God of the Old Testament; the difference is that we have come to know Him better.” (71) Longman goes on to explain the nature of God as warrior in the Old and New Testaments as well as the end times. With this he bridges the apparent difference in God’s personality from Old to New Testament. The last argument that Longman makes is to describe Jesus Christ as a replacement for the temple. This argument is strengthened by Longmans use of the New Testament texts of 1 Peter 2:4, Hebrews 9:11-10:18 and Revelation 21:22.
The final chapter addresses how Christians are to apply the Old Testament to their lives. He explains that there are two different viewpoints regarding this topic, dispensationalism and theonomy. He describes the difference in the two and says, “It is clear that neither dispensationalism nor theonomy provides and adequate basis for understanding the law of the Old Testament.” (108) Longman argues that each genre has a specific purpose. The history gives us lessons from the past. The poetry helps us to search our souls and to provide models for prayer. The prophets should serve to warn us and to give us hope if we abide in God’s covenants. The author made these points clear when he said, “the Old Testament can have transformative power in our lives. In particular, they serve to shape Christian behavior by illustrating the blessings of obedience and making concrete the observe that the wages of sin is death.” (130)
Conclusion
Making Sense of the Old Testament: Three Crucial Questions is a good book. It helps one to understand how to read the Old Testament, its links to the New Testament and how to apply it to modern life. This book is best suited for one with a basic understanding of Christian theology. While it had some shortcomings and unneeded personal interjections, it can be useful for defining the Old Testament and its purposes.