The Old Testament: A Concise Introduction

by Brent A. Strawn

This concise volume introduces readers to the three main sections of the Hebrew Bible ( Tanakh ) and to the biblical books found in each. It is organized around two primary "stories": the story that scholars tell about the Old Testament and the story the literature itself tells. Concluding with a reconsideration of the Old Testament as more like poetry than a story, three main chapters cover: With key summaries of what the parts of the Old Testament "are all about," and including suggestions for further reading, this volume is an ideal introduction for students of and newcomers to the Old Testament.

Genres: Biblical Studies, Christianity, Nonfiction

206 pages, Hardcover

Published October 4, 2019

About the author

Brent A. Strawn (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary) is professor of Old Testament at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, in Atlanta, Georgia. He has authored or coedited various volumes and is on the editorial board of Catholic Biblical Quarterly and Journal of Biblical Literature.

Reviews

[CJ Bowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good intro, including but not majoring on the critical perspective, giving attention to literary themes and canonical function. Valuable summaries of both individual books as well as major sections and subsections.

[Kelsey Grissom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good brief overview of the scholarly consensus and content of the OT. Only a few books were a little light on coverage, and for that I supplemented from other textbooks. However, this is the best short read on the OT that is still scholarly that I have found.

[Austin Spence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very concise, hits the academic points. Other than that, might recommend Ellen Davis' "Opening Israel's Scriptures" for more narrative.

[Matthew Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This intro packs quite a punch for its size. It was very helpful to me as I planned and taught my OT intro course.

[Aaron Z Carlson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a good cliff notes version of the Old Testament. I don’t feel the text offered a great deal of value given the price.