Fortress Press

Old Testament Theology in a Canonical Context

Old Testament Theology in a Canonical ContextOld Testament Theology in a Canonical Context

Old Testament Theology in a Canonical Context

Brevard S. Childs (Author)

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In this important work, Child's thesis is that a canonical approach to the scriptures of the Old Testament opens up new possibilities for exploring the theological dimensions of the biblical text.

  • Publisher Fortress Press
  • Format Paperback
  • ISBN 9780800627720
  • Dimensions 5.5 x 8.5
  • Pages 272
  • Publication Date January 1, 1990

Endorsements

"Brevard Childs has provoked more passionate response than any American Old Testament scholar of his generation. Like Childs' previous books, this one meets with its share of criticism because it is both provocative and interesting. It deserves to be widely read."
— Ben C. Ollenberger, The Christian Century

"As much, if not more than any other scholar, Childs knows the issues which historical criticism has pointed out. But his emphasis is on the attitude and doctrines that come from the Hebrew Bible as a whole...He points out a way that is both provocative and challenging."
— Roland E. Murphy, Duke University

Table of Contents

    Preface
    Abbreviations

  1. INTRODUCTION TO OLD TESTAMENT THEOLOGY
    The present task
    A survey of the history of the discipline
    Continuing problems
    A canonical approach to Old Testament theology
    Canonical approach and the modern debate
    The importance of Old Testament theology

  2. THE OLD TESTAMENT AS REVELATION
    The criticism of analytical philosophy
    The criticism of sociological analysis

  3. HOW GOD IS KNOWN
    Introduction
    God is known through creation
    Revelation through wisdom
    Revelation through history
    Revelation through the name
    Is the God of the Old Testament a male deity?
    Characteristic features of God's self-disclosure

  4. GOD'S PURPOSE IN REVELATION
    The goal of self-disclosure
    The obscuring of God's will
    The eschatological restoration of his purpose

  5. THE LAW OF GOD
    The knowledge and will of God
    The divine imperative
    God's will and its realization
    The canonical shape of the Sinai witness
    Theological implications of the Law

  6. KNOWING AND DOING THE WILL OF GOD
    The dialectical poles
    Contextual illustrations

  7. THE THEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DECALOGUE
    The prologue
    'You shall have no other gods before me'
    'You shall not make yourself an image'
    'You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain'
    'Remember the sabbath to keep it holy'
    'Honour your father and mother that your days may be long in the land'
    'You shall not kill'
    'You shall not commit adultery'
    'You shall not steal'/(x) 'You shall not covet...'
    'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor'

  8. THE ROLE OF THE RITUAL AND PURITY LAWS
    The scope of the subject
    Problems of method
    Towards a canonical interpretation

  9. THE RECIPIENTS OF GOD'S REVELATION
    Israel as God's chosen people
    The individual as recipient
    The individual as representative of humanity
    The individual as representative of Israel
    The nations as recipients of God's revelation

  10. AGENTS OF GOD'S RULE: MOSES, JUDGES, KINGS
    The role of Moses
    Judges
    Kings

  11. THE OFFICE AND FUNCTION OF THE PROPHET
    Methodological issues
    The theological role of the prophets
    The prophetic promise

  12. TRUE AND FALSE PROPHETS
    The search for biblical criteria
    The case of Jeremiah and Hananiah
    The effect of the canonical shaping
    I Kings 13

  13. THE THEOLOGICAL ROLE OF PRIESTHOOD
    The nature of the critical problem
    Towards a canonical construal of the priesthood
    Smmary of the theology of priesthood

  14. BENEFITS OF THE COVENANT: THE CULTUS
    Methodologcal issues
    The canonical shape of Leviticus
    The sacred dimension of reality
    The cult as blessing
    Sacrifice and atonement
    The psalms and the cult
    The prophets and the cult

  15. STRUCTURES OF THE COMMON LIFE
    The modern debate
    A theological interpretation of Israel's institutions

  16. MALE AND FEMALE AS A THEOLOGICAL PROBLEM
    Male and female in Genesis 1-3
    Male and female in the Song of Songs

  17. THE THEOLOGICAL DIMENSIONS OF BEING HUMAN
    Introduction
    Canonical indices within the tradition
    Theological reflections on Old Testament anthropology

  18. THE SHAPE OF THE OBEDIENT LIFE
    A review of some theological approaches
    Canonical guidelines to Israel's response
    Theological reflections in a canonical context
    Summary

  19. LIFE UNDER THREAT
    The primaeval threat, Genesis 1-11
    Covenant and curse
    Prophets
    Daniel and apocalyptic
    The Psalms, de profundis
    Wisdom
    The limits of the threat
    Summary

  20. LIFE UNDER PROMISE
    The scope of the material
    Methodological issues
    Patterns of canonical shaping
    Forms of the promise

    Index of Authors
    Index of Biblical References
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