From Paradise to the Promised Land: An Introduction to the Pentateuch

When studying the Old Testament, the understanding of its application from a New Testament saint is of utmost importance. In this book T. Desmond Alexander do an excellent introduction of the Pentateuch from a theological and thematic view as a whole unit yet looking beyond its composition in which the expectations of fulfillment did not conclude there. The whole universe is about God our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ the King, and his people in that ultimate place wherever he is we will be. By the Operation of the Holy Spirit new Creation, righteousness, Love, perfection, holiness, joy, peace will be forever and ever Amen.

This book is divided into 2 sections. The first section deals with the criticisms on the authorship and source of the Pentateuch. The second section deals with the themes of the Pentateuch such as the blessings of the nation, faith, Passover, who is the LORD, Covenant, Tabernacle etc. It is easy to read with a great link section to the New Testament which makes it relevant for the 21st century readers.

Alexander brings a usable piece of scholarship to the world of academia with this book. It is a step above entry level texts on the Pentateuch, and is a good read. This book will help you figure out the themes in the beginning of the Old Testament, and point you in the direction of deeper sources for themes that you want to dig deeper into. I view this book as fairly progressive, not overly conservative and certainly not liberal scholarship. So, depending on what school of thought you are from, this book falls somewhere in the middle, which I appreciate. Joseph Dworak

T. Desmond Alexander is an Evangelical Christian who is a lecturer in Semitic studies at The Queen's University in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In this book, he tries to get past the nitty-gritty details of the Pentateuch (and tries to avoid dealing with some of the fruitless and destructive biblical criticism) by getting to the themes contained within the Pentateuch and showing what these are and also drawing New Testament parallels. (I didn't agree with everything he says, like he thinks that humans were created to be vegetarians but were changed by the Fall such that they now want to eat meat.) But I thought this was a solid work that brought out many of the themes within the Pentateuch that are sometimes clouded by biblical criticism (such as Wellhausen's source critical "Documentary Hypothesis" theory). This book was required reading for a Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary "Theology of the Pentateuch" Master level course.Although he tends to repeat himself, he brings out a number of excellent insights into the themes which unite the five books of the Pentateuch. He also brings out how the books relate to each other, such as Exodus presupposing knowledge of the Patriarchs and their promises, and so on. He thus is committed to the Mosaic authorship and traditional view of Scripture and brings out the unity within the Pentateuch. He surveys the Pentateuch (in the traditional order) and then brings out the themes.Some of his themes include the concept of a "Royal Lineage in Genesis," where the geneaologies highlight a redemptive line ("seed/offspring of the woman", a chosen seed), ultimately pointing to Abraham, David and then to Christ. A second theme is "Paradise Lost," and the cursing of the land and exile within Adam, Cain, Noah, Babel, Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph. In contrast, the reversal of the curse is found within God's blessing, from one man (Abraham) to one nation (Israel) to all nations (by Christ and subsequently the church). Faith then is highlighted in the life of Abraham (Gen. 12, 15, 17, 22). Then the theme of Exodus is "Who is the LORD?" (and "who knows the LORD?") Knowing God - knowing His saving acts and deeds, and thus His attributes, character, is central to Exodus. (This echoes J. A. Motyer's "Revelation of the Divine Name.") Then the Passover is discussed, and the covenant of Sinai (the Ten Commandments, covenants, the Book of the Covenant, and the moral or apodidic rules). Then there is an interesting dissertation on the Tabernacle (although a better and more fascinating treatment is probably M. G. Kline's Kingdom Prologue or Images of the Spirit). Then the calling within Levitticus is "Be Holy" (Alexander explores this theme in holiness, clean-ness, and unclean-ness, and the parallels in the sacrificial system and in food). Then in Numbers, Alexander highlights the role of the Levites, the preparation of the Conquest, and the complaints of the unbelieving Israelites. Alexander ends with Deuteronomy and

This is far and away the best introduction to the Pentateuch from a conservative viewpoint that is available today. It is accesible without compromising its scholarly integrity. It is a pleasure to read, and helpful in every way.