The Old Testament Roots of Our Faith: Revised edition

by Paul J. Achtemeier, Elizabeth Rice Achtemeier

The heart of the Christian faith rests upon the confession "Jesus is Lord," yet faithful Christians sometimes overlook the fact that the Lordship of Jesus is firmly rooted in the promises and prophecies of the Old Testament. Moreover, knowing Jesus more fully entails knowing the story of God's salvation that was planned before the foundation of the world. Modern readers tend to forget that the declaration “before Abraham was I am” underscores the continuity between the promise to Abraham and its fulfillment in Christ. Acquiring a basic understanding of the relationship between the Old and New Testaments with respect to salvation’s drama will enrich every reader’s faith and appreciation for the Scriptures.

Genres: Theology

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Michael Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best explanation of the Old Testament and its relation to the New Testament that I have read, and concisely told, too! The authors do mix in a dab of their "higher criticism" such as their belief that Genesis stories are (based on) myths, a view I do not share, but it does not interfere with the basic premise of the book. Nor do they espouse a "Replacement Theology," for the replacement of the Jews' task as given them at the base of Mt. Sinai is the Jewish born Jesus Christ, who claimed that no one comes to the Father except through him alone, who came to fulfill, not do away with, the Law. None of Replacement Theology is addressed in this book - not overtly, anyway.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were parts of this that were great, but i didnt like all of the assumptions and inferences that were drawn based on higher criticism.

[Jeannine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. Not exactly basic but definitely for someone in need of an overview of the OT. Not for someone who's done a fair bit of study.

[Julbs ジュル · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book started out well—until Replacement Theology stepped in. I cringe that the authors avoided using the terms "Jewish people" or "Judaism" in good light. In fact the only time Judaism was mentioned was when it was described as a legalistic transformation of the "Hebrew religion" (another loathsome word usage by the authors). Moreover, Jews were only mentioned to describe those Israelites who adhered to this legalistic "Judaism" and excluded others who did not. The implicit anti-Semitism of this book is utterly ridiculous, especially for one which claims to unearth the Old Testament roots of the Christian faith. It is as if Christianity inherited everything right and Judaism was simply an aberration from the "true religion"; suffice it to say, it robs Judaism of the truths within it.

The last chapter seemed a bit out of place and rushed. In the previous chapters, the authors gradually built up on concepts which will culminate in the idea of a Messiah. Unfortunately, the last chapter does little in explaining why Jesus was the Messiah. The book simply accepts a priori that Jesus is indeed the Messiah and just goes on to talk about the meaning of Jesus' death and resurrection. Nothing was even discussed in the previous chapters that the Messiah had to bear the sins of the world and had to die. Therefore, there is a gap in the overall argument of the book—a gap which I believe is crucial to linking the Old and New Covenants—that the Messiah had to suffer and die.

I am a Christian and I love learning more about my faith. This book simply disappointed me. Not recommending this to anyone.

[Davidus1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for a ministerial course that I was in. I do not agree with many points the author makes. I don't believe that Genesis has "Stories based on myths" but is rather the inerrant and complete Word of God. There are areas of the book that I did like but comments about myth and legend makes me wonder if the authors are actually believers or not. There is some information included that may be useful but I wouldn't recommend this book to an inexperienced believer. Not sure I'd recommend it to anyone based on some of the comments made.