Encountering the Old Testament, 3rd Edition

A Christian Survey

Bill T. Arnold (Author), Bryan E. Beyer (Author), Walter Elwell (Series Editor) Part of Encountering Biblical Studies Series Release Date: 8/18/15

Overview

This new edition of a bestselling evangelical survey of the Old Testament (over 180,000 copies sold) has been thoroughly updated and features a beautiful new interior design. It is lavishly illustrated with four-color images, maps, and charts and retains the pedagogical features that have made the book so popular:

· chapter outlines, objectives, and summaries
· study questions
· sidebars featuring primary source material, ethical and theological issues, and contemporary applications
· lists of key terms, people, and places
· further reading recommendations
· endnotes and indexes

The book is supplemented by web-based resources through Baker Academic's Textbook eSources, offering course help for professors and study aids for students.

Contents

Preface to the Third Edition
Preface to the Second Edition
To the Professor
To the Student
1. What Is the Old Testament and Why Study It?
2. Where and When Did the Events of the Old Testament Take Place?
Part 1: Encountering the Pentateuch
3. Introduction to the Pentateuch: The Birth of God's People
4. Genesis 1-11: The Prelude to Israel
5. Genesis 12-50: The Patriarchs: Ancestors of Israel's Faith
6. Exodus: A Miraculous Escape
7. Leviticus: Instructions for Holy Living
8. Numbers: Failure in the Desert
9. Deuteronomy: Restoring the Covenant
Part 2: Encountering the Historical Books
10. Introduction to the Historical Books: The History of Israel's Nationhood
11. Joshua: Conquest and Division
12. Judges and Ruth: Israel's Moral Crisis
13. First Samuel: God Grants a King
14. Second Samuel: David's Reign
15. First Kings: The Glory of Solomon and the Beginning of the End
16. Second Kings: The End of National Israel
17. First and Second Chronicles: A Look Back
18. Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther: A Time to Rebuild
Part 3: Encountering the Poetical Books
19. Introduction to the Poetical Books: The Literature of God's People
20. Job: One Man's Search for Justice
21. Psalms: The Songbook of Ancient Israel
22. Proverbs: Advice on Living in God's World
23. Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs: Israelite Faith in Everyday Life
Part 4: Encountering the Prophets
24. Introduction to the Prophets: Voices of God's Servants
25. Isaiah 1-39: Prophet of Judah's Royal Court
26. Isaiah 40-66: Great Days Are Coming!
27. Jeremiah 1-20: Struggling with God's Call
28. Jeremiah 21-52 and Lamentations: Dealing with Disaster
29. Ezekiel 1-24: Rough Days Are Coming!
30. Ezekiel 25-48: God Is Planning an Exciting Future!
31. Daniel: The Kingdom of God--Now and Forever
32. Hosea, Joel, and Amos: A Call for Repentance and a Promise for Blessing
33. Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah: God's Plan for the Nations
34. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi: Rebuilding a People
Epilogue: A Final Word
Glossary
Indexes

Endorsements

Praise for Previous Editions

"Arnold and Beyer have produced an exciting new survey of the Old Testament with the college student specifically in mind. They have masterfully designed their work with text and graphics in a way that will not only grip the student's attention but will guide students through the material with their expert touch. I enthusiastically recommend this volume to you."

Tremper Longman III, professor of Old Testament, Westmont College

"The authors are commended for providing their readers with a lucid survey of the Old Testament. They cover a wide array of issues in an easy to read text. Complex issues receive a balanced treatment. The illustrations, sidebars, glossary, and study questions open up the relevance of the biblical text both in its ancient context and in our modern situation. A very useful volume."

Willem A. VanGemeren, professor of Old Testament and Semitic languages, Trinity International University

"This volume is written in a clear and engaging style, and is generously graced with study questions, summaries, listing of key terms, suggestions for further reading, illustrations, charts, and maps. The college-level students for whom this is written will find that this is truly what it claims to be: a textbook aimed at them. It is not the generic, all-purpose work that is too often produced, aimed at all (college and seminary students, pastors, scholars, and interested laypeople) and succeeding at hitting very few. Arnold and Beyer are well-versed in their fields and they succeed at explicating the message of the Old Testament in clear, readable style. A fine, college-level survey that sets a high standard for all such surveys in the future."

David M. Howard Jr., professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

"Encountering the Old Testament is packed with data, but is not cluttered. An abundance of visuals, including charts that clearly summarize complex issues, together with a most inviting format whet the appetite for study. Hardly could an inquisitive student ask for better guidance."

Elmer Martens, Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary

"For college students who are encountering the Old Testament for the first time, this attractively produced textbook offers a clear and helpful orientation to the world and literature of the Old Testament. The full-color photographs and maps, as well as the user-friendly charts, sidebars, and review aids, combine to invite everyone who opens this book to begin reading it immediately--a refreshing improvement over the standard textbook fare!"

Richard Schultz, Wheaton College

Authors

Bill T. Arnold

Bill T. Arnold (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is Paul S. Amos Professor of Old Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is the author or editor of more than a dozen books, including Ancient Israel's History, Who Were the Babylonians?, Encountering the Old Testament, Encountering the Book of Genesis, Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books, A Guide to Biblical Hebrew Syntax, and a commentary on 1 and 2 Samuel.

Bryan E. Beyer