A Story in Search of an Ending: Interpreting the Old Testament Within History and Scripture
This course seeks to interpret the Old Testament in its redemptive-historical and canonical contexts. On the one hand, the order of class topics follows the Old Testament timeline, tracing in the course of the semester the movement of redemptive history from creation and the fall, through the patriarchs, the bondage in Egypt, and the exodus, to the national history of God’s people as far as the exile and restoration. On the other hand, this history is consistently interpreted in terms of God’s covenants with Adam and Israel and in constant view of the fulfillment of God’s purposes in Christ and the church. Topics taken up along the way include covenants and covenant theology, the image of God, the presence of God, the importance of the land, holy war, son of God, son of man, suffering servant, and wisdom/word theology.