Deus Misereatur

  The Theology of Jeremiah: The Book, the Man, and the Message John Goldingay IVP Academic ivpress.com ISBN: 978-0-8308-5527-8; January 20201; $22.00   Truly a man of sorrows that Jeremiah. And it just so happened that in my daily devotional reading while I was studying this biblical prophet, out comes a new 160-page paperback by John Goldingay, professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, titled, “The Theology of Jeremiah: The Book, the Man, and the Message”.   I was delighted to delve into Goldingay’s work while reading through Jeremiah. The volume’s arrival was as timely as can be, and very accessible. This is a volume I will refer back to throughout the years.   The manuscript is not a commentary, in the typical sense, but it has a lot to say about the book, the man, and the message! Goldingay breaks his work down into two sections. The first takes the 20,000-foot view, perusing who Jeremiah was, what he did, the connections b...

Old Testament Ethics: A Guided Tour by John Goldingay My rating: 5 of 5 stars Old Testament Ethics may sound to some like an oxymoron, with all of the bloodshed, wrath of God, conquests, sexual trysts, aged legal requirements, and prohibitions. But John Goldingay, professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, past principal and professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at St. John's Theological College in Nottingham, England, and prolific author, takes a stab at laying out the ways and means of morality in the Hebrew Scriptures in his new book. "Old Testament Ethics: A Guided Tour" is 288 pages of reading fun and fastidiousness, ideal for seminarians, pastors, professors and interested parties. Neither fatiguing nor flocculent, this softback is accessible to most any reading audience. The author focuses mostly "on what is the Old Testament's own agenda and how it raises questions that we have to respond to" (2). And so his approach is to side ...

The First Testament: A New Translation by John E. Goldingay My rating: 4 of 5 stars John Goldingay, professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary and accomplished scholar and writer, has compiled his own translation of the Hebrew Scriptures in a soon-to-be-released 944 page hardback, "The First Testament: A New Translation". This sturdy tome puts forth, in one place, a substantially revised version of the author's rendition of the Old Testament that he had published in the commentary series "The Old Testament for Everyone". It is a work intended for those who have a familiarity with "some standard translations but might appreciate something a bit different" (vii). The translational work of "The First Testament" stands on its own. In other words, it's not "The Message," it's not the "Authorized Version," but it's definitely not the "New World Translation of Holy Scriptures"! It is u...

A Reader's Guide to the Bible by John Goldingay My rating: 5 of 5 stars Over the years I have observed that many Christians struggle with reading the Bible. When we have talked it becomes clear that the majority of them have difficulty connecting the dots: fathoming how it all fits together and why. John Goldingay, the David Allan Hubbard Professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, has just provided a comfortably readable aid for interested Christians in his brand-spanking-new "A Reader's Guide to the Bible." This 192 page softback easily tackles the big picture of Scriptures' trajectory, and the overall emphasis of the different genres in the Bible. It is written for interested students of Scripture, whatever stage of their faith-walk they may be in. "A Reader's Guide to the Bible" begins by covering the historical and political events surrounding the Scriptures from the creation account through the Assyrian and Babylonian exile...

Biblical Theology: The God of the Christian Scriptures by John Goldingay My rating: 4 of 5 stars Pick up most versions of systematic theology and it becomes quickly obvious that the writer is balancing both system and theology. Normally they loosely follow the categories laid out by the Apostles’ Creed, with excursions into this corner or that. They also, consciously or not, draw along with them theological concepts from ages past, using specialized language and assumptions. But recently John Goldingay, associate pastor at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Pasadena, David Allan Hubbard Professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary and seasoned author, has taken a stab at breaking out of the traditional confines of a systematic theology in his new 608 page hardback, “Biblical Theology: The God of the Christian Scriptures”. This brick of a book has been penned with pastors, parish priests, and professors in mind. “Biblical Theology” is concerned with answering the question:...