Can you trust what you read in the Old Testament?Are its documents historically reliable?Are its teachings relevant in the twenty-first century? These are important questions for all who believe that Christianity is a religion founded on events that took place in space-time history, indeed for all who care about truth and meaning in life.In this thought-provoking book Walter C. Kaiser Jr. makes the case that the Old Testament documents are both historically reliable and personally and socially relevant. He begins by looking at the origins of the Old Testament books and how well their texts were preserved. Next he explores Old Testament history, giving close attention to the book of Genesis, the patriarchal narratives, and the chronicles of the kings of Judah and Israel. He then surveys the larger questions of the trustworthiness and authority of the various Old Testament genres: historical narrative, wisdom and prophecy. Lastly, Kaiser probes the relevance of the Old Testament for Christian faith today. And in an epilogue he asks--and answers--the question "What is the Old Testament all about?"Here is a helpful, even essential, book to help you face the challenges of reading and applying the Old Testament in today's world.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Good introduction:
Walter Kaiser believes that the Old Testament documents are both reliable and relevant for Christians today. While he does not try to "prove" the infallibility of the Old Testament scriptures, his argument in favor of their reliability and relevance is generally persuasive. Especially fascinating is some of the supporting archeological evidence, such as Baruch's bullae and investigations into the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Kaiser also notes problems with the evidence when applicable; for example,... more info
The Relevancy and Reliability of the Old Testament:
Kaisers work with the Old Testament Documents is an interesting read. I had the belief that the Old Testament documents were both reliable and relevent before I began to read this book, and after reading it my belief still stands. There are only two arguments that I would like to confront after reading Kaiser's work. The first thing that I dislike is how Kaiser skims over some topics of debait and basically just says that they are historically accurate because they are found in historical documents from... more info
Good Introduction, But Needs Expansion In Some Areas.:
Most books dealing with the reliability of Biblical documents focus on their transmission history, and usually that of the New Testament, as we know more about it. How much less we know of the textual history of the Older Testament, however, is seen in that only 35 pages of this book are actually devoted to it! The rest of the work is filled out by discussions of whether or not the history and message recorded in those documents is reliable and relevant to today. These discussions are introductory and... more info
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