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Rating: 
Summary: Prof. Bruegge Scores Again!
Review: As he gives Kathleen O'Connor credit for helping him to choose discrete entries that have some interpretative coherence, Professor Bruegge chose topics "which reflect a focused theological center to his listing." In order to connect our favorite Professor's Preface comments to my personal point of seeing this new Theological Handbook of Old Testament Themes alongside my other 8 copies of Bruegge's creations, I relate two other Gems: GENESIS and THEOLOGY Of The OLD TESTAMENT! After becoming familiar with GENESIS, his Interpretation Commentary, I was transported back to his numerous books focused on Psalms. When I stopped over in his classes at Columbia Seminary, I quickly became entranced with his Survey of the Hebrew Bible and his next session with THEOLOGY Of the OLD TESTAMENT, his signature work! Reverberations of Faith has for me a specific number of Seven topics which are the longest of over ninety: Deuteronomic Theology, Exodus, Image of God, Persian Empire, Priestly Tradition, Suffering and Theodicy. In the Image of God he moves from being "astonished in the priestly creation narrative of GENESIS" to the New Testament texts of John 14, Corinthians and Colossians. He lists ten pages of Scripture references with the most from Exodus, Deuteronomy and Psalms! Not only is Bruegge a first class writer and research artist, he displays his fantastic memory in every class. He is constantly moving from one scripture to another with his endless naming of resources for future study of these memorable themes. From years of multiplied classes, I have discovered the unforgettable example of the consumate teacher! This ranks in the top of his long list of all-inclusive books for layman and scholar.
Retired Chaplain Fred W. Hood
Rating:
Summary: useful, insightful, scholarly, and engaging
Review: Walter Brueggemann is a prolific writer and teacher of Biblical Theology. He has a remarkable knack for understanding the ancient Israelite context and meaning in Scriptural narratives, while applying them appropriately and powerfully in situations that relate to Christian faith and practice. Brueggemann is a brilliant scholar, so you are getting top notch material. But many of his books are user-friendly and oriented to the people in the trenches. This book, which is subtitled "A theological handbook of Old Testament themes" is no exception. It contains about 100 entries, arranged alphabetically. Each entry is a powerful theme from the Hebrew Scriptures, which is explained with clarity and insight. Some examples of entries are: Covenant, Day of the Lord, Faith, Forgiveness, Jerusalem, Land, Messiah, Neighbor, Redemption, Retribution, Sacrifice, Suffering Servant, Torah, Wilderness, Wisdom. As you can see, each one of these represents just the kind of theme that really matters when reading Scripture! Most entries are about 1 to 3 pages, and a few are 4-5. They will give you the basic ideas you need to know (with key passages noted), the historical context, a sense of the theology involved and why it matters, and sometimes ends with a paragraph or two giving a sense where there is a connection to the New Testament and Christian doctrine. Each entry ends with a bibliographic list of references for further study. I think this text is perfect for anyone involved in studying Hebrew Scripture (you can just keep it with you all the time!), as well as for teachers and preachers. Basically, it will do for anyone interested in the really important messages of the Bible and understanding their relevance in theology and faith. I assume, by the way, that most readers will be Christians, but I think it would be acceptable to Jewish readers as well, as there is no anti-Judaism or anti-semitism to be found in it.
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