Title: How to Read and Understand the Biblical Prophets
Series: Theology
Published by: Crossway
Release Date: June 30, 2017
Contributors: Peter J. Gentry
Genre: Theology
Pages: 144
ISBN13: 978-1433554032

A Concise Guide to Reading the Prophetic Books

The Prophetic Books of the Bible are full of symbolic speeches, dramatic metaphors, and lengthy allegories–a unique blend of literary styles that can make them hard to comprehend. How can we know if we are reading them the way God intended them to be read?

In this accessible guide, leading Old Testament scholar Peter Gentry identifies seven common characteristics of prophetic literature in the Bible that help us understand each book’s message. With illustrations and clear examples, Gentry offers guidance for reading these challenging texts–teaching us practical strategies for deeper engagement with the biblical text as we seek to apply God’s Word to our lives today.

Title: Kingdom of Priests: A History of Old Testament Israel
Series: Theology
Published by: Baker Academic
Release Date: January 1, 2008
Contributors: Eugene H. Merrill
Genre: Theology
Pages: 560
ISBN13: 978-0801031991

Kingdom of Priests provides a comprehensive introduction to the history of Old Testament Israel. Now updated and revised, this volume addresses and interacts with current debates in the history of ancient Israel, offering an up-to-date articulation of a conservative evangelical position on historical matters. The text is accented with nearly twenty maps and charts.

"Kingdom of Priests has served several generations of students and colleagues with distinction, so it is with delight that I welcome this second edition. Judiciously updated throughout, its most important improvement is the engagement of recent historiographical discussions, including a burgeoning literature among evangelicals. I am pleased to recommend it."--David M. Howard, professor of Old Testament, Bethel Seminary

"The second edition of Eugene Merrill's now-classic Kingdom of Priests is a model of the seamless relationship of Old Testament history and theology. While technically a history of Israel, updated and refurbished by the latest biblical research, this book illustrates by its structure, style, and content that OT history was written for theological purposes. But history is not the unwitting servant of theology; rather, they stand alongside one another as co-servants of the message of redemption."--C. Hassell Bullock, professor emeritus of Hebrew Bible, Wheaton College

"In Kingdom of Priests, Eugene Merrill follows a sound methodology that uses explicitly stated and well-reasoned principles in analyzing Old Testament events. He demonstrates how the 'facts' of Old Testament history emerge only after sound hermeneutics that gives attention to issues of style, genre, and rhetorical strategies are applied to the biblical text. Merrill provides historical background for each biblical book and period of Israel's history and gives up-to-date information from extrabiblical sources regarding nations and rulers with whom Israel often found itself in conflict. This work is a crowning achievement of a distinguished career devoted to the study of Old Testament history and is destined to become the standard evangelical treatment of biblical history for decades to come."--Mark F. Rooker, senior professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

Title: Old Testament Wisdom Literature: A Theological Introduction
Series: Theology
Published by: IVP Academic
Release Date: May 1, 2018
Contributors: Craig G. Bartholomew, Ryan P. O'Dowd
Genre: Theology
Pages: 336
ISBN13: 978-0830852185

The books of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes are rooted in the order created by the one true God. Their steady gaze penetrates to the very nature of created reality and leads us toward peace and human flourishing. Craig Bartholomew and Ryan O'Dowd tune our ears to hear once again Lady Wisdom calling in the streets. Old Testament Wisdom Literature provides an informed introduction to the Old Testament wisdom books Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Job. Establishing the books in the context of ancient Near Eastern wisdom traditions and literature, the authors move beyond the scope of typical introductions to discuss the theological and hermeneutical implications of this literature.

Title: Awake O Harp: A Devotional Commentary on the Psalms
Series: Theology
Published by: CreateSpace Independent Publishing
Release Date: July 8, 2017
Contributors: Dr William C. Varner
Genre: Theology
Pages: 404
ISBN13: 978-1548743789

Awake O Harp is a rich and encouraging study of the Psalter, focusing on its devotional impact. It combines clear writing with a thorough knowledge of the message of the OT and NT, a passion to recognize the Messiah in the OT, and a great appreciation for the biblical psalms. Awake, O Harp offers us a great companion to reading the Psalter, encouraging us to read, pray, sing and meditate on these powerful passages.

Title: The New Testament in Antiquity, 2nd Edition: A Survey of the New Testament within Its Cultural Contexts
Series: Theology
Published by: Zondervan Academic
Release Date: April 14, 2020
Contributors: Gary M. Burge, Gene L. Green
Genre: Theology
Pages: 624
ISBN13: 978-0310531326

This completely revised and updated second edition of The New Testament in Antiquity skillfully develops how Jewish, Hellenistic, and Roman cultures formed the essential environment in which the New Testament authors wrote their books and letters. Understanding of the land, history, and culture of the ancient world brings remarkable new insights into how we read the New Testament itself.

Throughout the book, numerous features provide windows into the first-century world. Nearly 500 full-color photos, charts, maps, and drawings have been carefully selected. Additional features include sidebars that integrate the book's material with issues of interpretation, discussion questions, and bibliographies.

Title: The World and the Word: An Introduction to the Old Testament
Series: Theology
Published by: B&H Academic
Release Date: June 15, 2011
Contributors: Eugene H. Merrill, Mark Rooker, Michael A. Grisanti
Genre: Theology
Pages: 560
ISBN13: 978-0805440317

The World and the Word is a fresh introduction to the Old Testament driven largely by the fact that so much Christian preaching and teaching today increasingly ignores what is eighty percent of the Bible. Authors Eugene Merrill, Mark Rooker, and Michael Grisanti work through the world and text of the Old Testament always making three major points:

• The Old Testament is a rich source of theology and doctrine that is presupposed by the New Testament. Without it, Christian theology would be seriously deficient.

• Mastery of the Old Testament is crucial to an understanding of the New Testament.

• The Old Testament offers, by teaching and example, practical principles of belief and behavior for contemporary times. Who God was and what He did then can be replicated in the lives of men and women today.

Separating the verifiable biblical and extra-biblical data from the various interpretations of that same information, the book further shows how the Old Testament forms the platform and matrix from which sprang the life, ministry, and teachings of Jesus and the church. The World and the Word will help students see an entry point into the very heart and design of God who loves them and wishes to make them the special object of His grace.

Title: Giving the Sense: Understanding and Using Old Testament Historical Texts
Series: Theology
Published by: Inter-Varsity Press
Release Date: January 1, 2004
Contributors: Hermann Austel, Richard E. Averbeck, Robert D. Bergen, Daniel I. Block, C. Hassell Bullock, Robert B. Chisholm Jr., R. Dennis Cole, Byron G. Curtis, David Fouts, Michael A. Grisanti, David M. Howard,Jr., Gordon H. Johnston, Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Eugene H. Merrill, Richard D. Patterson, Carl G. Rasmussen, Mark F. Rooker, Allen P. Ross, William H. Shea, Bryan G. Wood, Edwin M. Yamauchi
Genre: Theology
Pages: 482
ISBN13: 978-1844740161

Brimming with insights, this volume by evangelical scholars explores a broad range of Old Testament studies. The contributors explore methodological issues, survey the five major areas in Israel's history, and focus on specific issues related to understanding Old Testament historical texts--such as the dating of the Exodus, the use of large numbers during Israel's monarchy, and the literary features in the book of Esther. Compiled in the honor of Eugene H. Merrill, this volume helps Old Testament students understand how to "give the sense" (in the words of Nehemiah 8:8) of what God's Word says in historical narratives.

Editors: David M. Howard Jr., Michael A. Grisanti

Title: Coming to Grips with Genesis: Biblical Authority and the Age of the Earth
Series: Theology
Published by: New Leaf Publishing Group
Release Date: November 3, 2008
Contributors: Terry Mortenson
Genre: Theology
Pages: 450
ISBN13: 978-0890515488

Fourteen theological scholars address key topics related to the age of the earth, which is the crucial issue of debate in the church today regarding origins. Bringing to bear rigorous biblical, theological, and historical arguments in favor of a six-day creation, the global Flood, and a young earth, they also provide much-needed critiques of a number of contemporary old-earth interpretations of the book of Genesis.

This fresh defense of the literal history of Genesis 1-11 nicely complements other studies which focus more on the scientific evidence of young-earth creationism. As such, this book can serve as a versatile supplement to other works but is also designed to be used as a standalone text for seminary and Bible college professors and students, pastors, missionaries, and others who want in-depth apologetic resources.

Coming to Grips with Genesis: Biblical Authority and the Age of the Earth includes:

Forewords by Dr. John MacArthur, President of the Master's Seminary and Senior Pastor of Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, CA; and the late Dr. Henry Morris, Founder and President Emeritus, Institute for Creation Research
Detailed analysis of the verbs of Genesis 1
A defense of the Genesis 5 & 11 genealogies as strict chronologies
Reasons for rejecting millions of years of death and natural evil before Adam's sin
Careful reflection on Jesus' teachings regarding a young earth

Title: What Happened in the Garden?: The Reality and Ramifications of the Creation and Fall of Man
Series: Theology
Published by: Kregel Academic
Release Date: April 27, 2016
Contributors: Abner Chou, Ernie Baker, George A. Crawford, Joseph W. Francis, Alexander Granados, Grant Horner, Taylor B. Jones
Genre: Theology
Pages: 304
ISBN13: 978-0825442094

Evangelicals are no strangers to the creation versus evolution debate. Now the argument has spread beyond the contents of the creation account and into Genesis 2-3, with speculation about the historicity of Adam, and the fall. But does it matter which position one holds? Is anything really at stake?

The faculty of The Master's College come together to contend that the second and third chapters of Genesis are indeed historical, that there are excellent reasons for believing so, and that it is an essential issue within Christian thought and life. The contents of these chapters establish the history of how everything in the world came to be what it is today. This Scripture passage—Genesis 3 especially—explains what we observe in the legal system, literature, gender roles, education, psychology, and science. Far from irrelevant, the theology and historicity of Genesis are in fact critical to our everyday lives.

What Happened in the Garden? includes new scientific, literary, business, educational, and legal perspectives on creation. Through this multidisciplinary look at the debate, the contributors prove that to change our understanding of the fall is to change the way we understand reality, to revise the Christian worldview, and to reshape the faith itself.

Title: Rooted: Connect With God, The Church, Your Purpose
Series: Theology
Published by: Mariners Church
Release Date: 2016
Contributors: Kenton Beshore
Genre: Theology
Pages: 220
ISBN13: None

The Rooted experience will redefine how you live your life and view your relationships with God and others, giving context to what it means to be a part of something bigger. You will begin to see God in new ways, allowing you to experience a different way of life: community, authenticity, and generosity. Rooted is an interactive 10-week experience where you’ll learn seven key rhythms of the Christian life: Daily Devotion, Prayer, Freedom from Strongholds, Serving the Community, Sacrificial Generosity, Sharing your Story, and Celebration. You will get together weekly with your Rooted group to talk about what God has been revealing to you as you go through the week’s readings, journal entries, and prayer.

Title: From Paradise to the Promised Land: An Introduction To The Pentateuch
Series: Theology
Published by: Baker Academic
Release Date: June 1, 2012
Contributors: T. Desmond Alexander
Genre: Theology
Pages: 384
ISBN13: 978-0801039980

This text has been a popular introduction to the Pentateuch for over fifteen years, offering a unique alternative to the critical approaches that focus on the composition of these books rather than the actual content. With this new edition, T. Desmond Alexander keeps the book fresh and relevant for contemporary students by updating the references and adding material that reflects recent pentateuchal research as well as the author's maturing judgments. The result is a revision that will prove valuable for many years to come.

Modern studies of the Pentateuch have too often focused on their origin rather than their actual content. By concentrating on the unifying elements, Alexander offers an in-depth look at this first section of the Old Testament, revealing the larger picture. With this accessible introduction, he also identifies prominent themes and connections between the Pentateuch and the New Testament.