In this important work, Child's thesis is that a canonical approach to the scriptures of the Old Testament opens up new possibilities for exploring the theological dimensions of the biblical text.
Brevard S. Childs was Sterling Professor of Divinity, Emeritus at Yale Divinity School (New Haven, Connecticut). He was the author of several Fortress Press books: Introduction to the Old Testament as Scripture (1979), Old Testament Theology in a Canonical Context (1989), and Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments (1993).
Preface Abbreviations INTRODUCTION TO OLD TESTAMENT THEOLOGY The present task A survey of the history of the discipline Continuing problems A canonical approach to Old Testament theology Canonical approach and the modern debate The importance of Old Testament theology THE OLD TESTAMENT AS REVELATION The criticism of analytical philosophy The criticism of sociological analysis HOW GOD IS KNOWN Introduction God is known through creation Revelation through wisdom Revelation through history Revelation through the name Is the God of the Old Testament a male deity? Characteristic features of God's self-disclosure GOD'S PURPOSE IN REVELATION The goal of self-disclosure The obscuring of God's will The eschatological restoration of his purpose THE LAW OF GOD The knowledge and will of God The divine imperative God's will and its realization The canonical shape of the Sinai witness Theological implications of the Law KNOWING AND DOING THE WILL OF GOD The dialectical poles Contextual illustrations THE THEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DECALOGUE The prologue 'You shall have no other gods before me' 'You shall not make yourself an image' 'You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain' 'Remember the sabbath to keep it holy' 'Honour your father and mother that your days may be long in the land' 'You shall not kill' 'You shall not commit adultery' 'You shall not steal'/(x) 'You shall not covet...' 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor' THE ROLE OF THE RITUAL AND PURITY LAWS The scope of the subject Problems of method Towards a canonical interpretation THE RECIPIENTS OF GOD'S REVELATION Israel as God's chosen people The individual as recipient The individual as representative of humanity The individual as representative of Israel The nations as recipients of God's revelation AGENTS OF GOD'S RULE: MOSES, JUDGES, KINGS The role of Moses Judges Kings THE OFFICE AND FUNCTION OF THE PROPHET Methodological issues The theological role of the prophets The prophetic promise TRUE AND FALSE PROPHETS The search for biblical criteria The case of Jeremiah and Hananiah The effect of the canonical shaping I Kings 13 THE THEOLOGICAL ROLE OF PRIESTHOOD The nature of the critical problem Towards a canonical construal of the priesthood Smmary of the theology of priesthood BENEFITS OF THE COVENANT: THE CULTUS Methodologcal issues The canonical shape of Leviticus The sacred dimension of reality The cult as blessing Sacrifice and atonement The psalms and the cult The prophets and the cult STRUCTURES OF THE COMMON LIFE The modern debate A theological interpretation of Israel's institutions MALE AND FEMALE AS A THEOLOGICAL PROBLEM Male and female in Genesis 1-3 Male and female in the Song of Songs THE THEOLOGICAL DIMENSIONS OF BEING HUMAN Introduction Canonical indices within the tradition Theological reflections on Old Testament anthropology THE SHAPE OF THE OBEDIENT LIFE A review of some theological approaches Canonical guidelines to Israel's response Theological reflections in a canonical context Summary LIFE UNDER THREAT The primaeval threat, Genesis 1-11 Covenant and curse Prophets Daniel and apocalyptic The Psalms, de profundis Wisdom The limits of the threat Summary LIFE UNDER PROMISE The scope of the material Methodological issues Patterns of canonical shaping Forms of the promise Index of Authors Index of Biblical References
