Grace in the End

by James Gordon McConville

The book of Deuteronomy is one of the great theological documents of the Bible. The main lines of its thought can be traced not only in the book itself, but throughout the Old Testament, especially in the historical books from Joshua to 2 Kings--hence the term "Deuteronomic theology." In this book, the first in a series on Studies in the Old Testament Biblical Theology, McConville surveys and evaluates both older and more recent scholarly approaches to Deuteronomic theology. He shows how Israel persistently failed to keep God's covenant by rejecting him and relying on themselves instead. For that reason, God consistently brought his judgment on them, but that was not his final word to them. They survived as a nation only because of God's overpowering grace; there is grace in history in the end.

Genres: Old Testament

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 9, 1993

About the author

J. Gordon McConville is Professor of Old Testament Theology at the University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, England.

Reviews

[Graham Heslop · Rating 4 out of 5]

As readable as academic work can be. McConville presents a compelling case for reading Deuteronomy as a unified book, distinguishable from other Old Testament books that contain Deuteronomistic theology. Though he flirts with being tedious, as any good scholar must, McConville challenges historical critical methods - touching on dating, sources, and redaction - by (1) pointing out their theological presuppositions; (2) highlighting their numerous inconsistencies, often smoothed over by arbitrarily creating canons within the canon; and (3) adopting a more literary critical approach to the book in its completed form. Those boring conversations aside, his chapters of the theological themes of Deuteronomy and how they are repeated as well as reshaped in the New Testament made me want to study Deuteronomy

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful overview of the theology of the body of biblical literature usually identified as Deuteronomic: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. McConville makes it clear that the theology reflected in these books is much more subtle and sophisticated than is commonly reflected in the secondary literature about them.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not uninteresting, if rather dry.

Majors on a survey of scholarship, which could be summed up by saying that refusing to atomize every book in the Deuteronomic history gives you a much richer and more nuanced theological picture.

[Jerome · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most helpful books to understand grace in the Hebrew Bible and the ways that view has been denigrated.

[Davin · Rating 5 out of 5]

good introduction to issues affecting interpretation of Deuteronomy and its theology - assumptions of dating, historical-critical approach and also synchronic approach

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

another book i should've read when i was at wts...
gives a good overview on how to read deuteronomy in the context of the whole bible.

[Ashley]

Had to read it for a class - easier to understand than Moberly though.