Contemporary readers often struggle with the Pentateuch, finding it difficult to understand, if not outright boring or even offensive. In this accessible survey textbook, David J. H. Beldman and Michael J. Rhodes help students discover the Pentateuch as the critical starting point for encountering God and God's ways in the world. The entire scriptural story takes shape from these first explosive texts.
Beldman and Rhodes help students read these texts within their literary, historical, canonical, and theological contexts. Textboxes highlight the way the Pentateuch can spark the theological, ethical, and missional imaginations of contemporary readers, and substantial "Living the Text" sections explore how God's people might live differently in response. In addition to main chapters that examine each book of the Pentateuch, shorter chapters offer guidance on how to interpret some of the Pentateuch's trickier terrain, both in terms of genre (law, ritual, narrative) and content (violence).
This textbook is grounded in the view that the Pentateuch should be read as Christian Scripture. Although it covers critical issues such as authorship, background, and history, its primary focus is on the message and theology of the Pentateuch and its contribution to the Christian canon. The authors argue that the Pentateuch opens horizons for Christian readers on some of today's most pressing theological, ethical, and missional questions. The book is beautifully designed in full color with maps, sidebars, images, and illustrations, with additional instructor resources available through textbook eSources.
