In Christian Bibles, the Old Testament is arranged in a fourfold order: Pentateuch, History, Poetry, and Prophets. Many readers don't realize that this differs from the traditional threefold Hebrew canonical order known by the acronym TaNaKh: Torah, Nevi'im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). Although students are taught to consider context when interpreting Scripture--historical, cultural, linguistic, and canonical--the canonical context is often overlooked. Yet scholars have increasingly recognized the importance of the Old Testament's canonical arrangement for hermeneutics. Book order influences meaning and application.
This short, accessible book fills a gap in the literature and will be an excellent supplementary text for courses in Old Testament and hermeneutics. After introducing the threefold canon, the book covers six approaches for understanding the Tanakh's structure: triple canon, genre author, theological development, spiritual guidance, messianic trajectory, and sacred structure. The author favors the last of these approaches, but he gives fair treatment to each. He examines the rationale behind each approach, its key proponents, and the potential interpretive impact of approaching the Old Testament text from each perspective, which he demonstrates by applying each approach to key Old Testament passages.
The Order of the Old Testament is important reading for students and pastors alike.
