Christian theologians rarely study the Old Testament in its final Hebrew canonical form, even though this was very likely the Bible used by Jesus and the early church. However, once read as a whole, the larger structure of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) provides a 'wide-angle lens' through which its contents can be viewed.
In this stimulating New Studies in Biblical Theology volume, Stephen G. Dempster argues that, despite its undoubted literary diversity, the Hebrew Bible possesses a remarkable structural and conceptual unity. The various genres and books are placed within a comprehensive narrative framework which provides an overarching literary and historical context. The many texts contribute to this larger text, and find their meaning and significance within its story of 'dominion and dynasty,' which ranges from Adam to the Son of Man, from David to the coming Davidic king.
Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.
Stephen G. Dempster is the Stuart E. Murray Professor of Religious Studies at Atlantic Baptist University in New Brunswick, Canada. He is a contributor to the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology (IVP) and Biblical Theology: Retrospect and Prospect (Apollos).
