Best book on OT theology I've read so far . . .

I just finished Stephen G. Dempster's Dominion and Dynasty: A Theology of the Hebrew Bible (link to the right), and it is without doubt the best book on Old Testament theology that I have yet read. I don't have time for a full review, but in brief, Dempster traces the twin themes of geneology and geography (seed and land/dynasty and dominion) throughout the Old Testament Hebrew canon (the order of the books in Hebrew is different from our English canon) and shows them to be the unifying themes of the Old Testament.

Dempster's book did something more for me than even Graeme Goldsworthy's excellent book Gospel and Kingdom (which hitherto has been my favorite book on the Old Testament). Goldsworthy's book gave me an understandable outline of redemptive history in broad brush strokes. And it was invaluable to me, and really the foundation for understanding Dempster's book. But Dempster added to those broad brush strokes color and texture. Whereas Goldsworthy framed the puzzle for me, Dempster started putting significant pieces into place. So, really the two books complimented one another.

Be warned: Goldsworthy writes for the layman, but Dempster writes on a more academic level. But that doesn't mean his book is boring. Far from it! It really is one of the most compelling books I've ever read. If you want to read a book that will help you make better sense of the Bible and open your eyes to see just how interwoven the tapesty of the Old Testament actually is, get Dempster. It is a great book and one that I am sure I will return to over and over again for many years.

1 comment:

David McKay said...

Hi Brian.
Australia's Koorong Books has a special on New Studies in Biblical Theology books at the moment, and I have just purchased Dominion and dynasty and look forward to reading it even more after your enthusiastic recommendation.

But first I'm reading Henri Blocher's Original Sin.