An Introduction to the Old Testament

`An Introduction to the Old Testament' by Longman and Dillard is an outstanding survey of the Old Testament from a moderate conservative perspective. The following comments are offered for potential purchasers. Structure - The text provides a book-by-book analysis of the Protestant Old Testament, including a bibliography, discussion of authorship, literary analysis and theological analysis for each individual book. At a little over 500 pages it has the right detail for an introduction, comprehensive yet not overly detailed. At the same time, for readers seeking more, the authors do a nice job of surfacing key issues that warrant further study. Approaching the text from a non-reformed perspective I would have appreciated inclusion of the Deuterocanonical or apocryphal books. Bibliographies - Though it is always a challenge to strike the right balance between the competing desires to be both comprehensive and detailed, I would have preferred a smaller more detailed list of recommendations. Theology - The authors represent a moderate reformed position, advocating divine inspiration, while also engaging with relevant aspects of critical scholarship. As most readers are likely aware, in this field `critical scholarship' is a rather technical term - critical in the narrow sense of opposing traditional views - not critical in a broader more neutral sense. Indeed, critical biblical scholarship is quite dogmatic, often, ironically, more so than its non-critical counterpart. Overall, this text is highly recommended for readers seeking a scholarly introduction to the Old Testament. Additionally, there are a plethora of outstanding MP3 lectures available from itunes (Reformed Theological Seminary, Concordia Seminary, Covenant Theological Seminary, Yale, etc.), that readers may find helpful.

I was much pleased when I bought this intro to the Old Testament. In short, Dillard and Longman have done the church and teh believing community a great service by providing a scholarly and evangelical introduction that is not afraid to tackle the hard questions of the Bible.They divide each section of the introduction into Historical/literary/Theological message/Approaching the New Testament. As to one reviewer commenting that this is very biased, I actually think that this was quite objective. Longman analyzes the prevailing critics presuppositions and then provides a logical counterpart. And also, they are (while remaining robustly evangelical) more balanced in their conclusion than other evangelical scholars (cf. Gleason Archer for a passionate, well written, if a little biased example).In my eyes, this books greatezt strengths were its incorporating the theological message and approaching the New Testament into each book. The Bible then comes alive. Its weakness is similar to many other scholarly works, it could get overly teachnical at times. Overall, a well organized intro.

I find this Old Testament Introduction easy to read, but also reasonably comprehensive. It is not as complete as R. K. Harrisons' 1970 work, but much more inviting. It is both a handy reference work, and a book to read from cover to cover.The New Testament applications at the end of each article are thought-provoking and essential for the Christian, for whom the New Testament opens and explains the Old.Highly recommended.

This Old Testament Introduction maintains the delicate balance between scholarly pertinence and practical usefulness. Dillard & Longman capably present the various issues necessary to address in OT Introduction--authorship & dating, textual issues, etc.--while always offering thorough theological understanding & New Testament/Christological significance. This volume is difficult to put down; this is not simply a reference book but also a book that can be read from cover to cover. This is the best way to understand Dillard's & Longman's overall perspective of the OT. An insightful & incisive work.

Good discussions of date, authorship, text, audience and message of the books of the Old Testament. More in depth than Hendriksen's "Survey of the Bible."It really does go beyond simple cultural information. This title was a required text for me in Seminary...it was one of the best investments I've ever made. The information in the book will overflow into your personal studies.Extremely helpful insights into why the human authors of Scripture phrased certain things in the way they did.This is a great tool!