Old Testament Studies and Theologies

Of late, I have been immersing myself in OT studies of Genesis and Exodus and I confess that while at times I'm overwhelmed by the voluminous readings, I am thoroughly enriched at the end of it all.  It is hard not to be awed at the beauty and majesty that the biblical narratives weaves concerning the Creator. I've bought Paul Barker's "Deuteronomy: The God Who Keeps Promises" next for bedtime reading!

I have found that a majority of sermons are on the NT especially on the life and teachings of Jesus and there seems to be little on the OT.  Therefore I would challenge anyone to study the OT especially if you are a Christian for Luke 24:27 states that "[Jesus] ... beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself."

The start of OT studies have always led me time and time again to some Old Testament Theology books:

J.N. Schofield's "Introducing Old Testament Theology" published as part of the Biblical Classics Library by Paternoster Press is my first introduction to Old Testament Theology.  It is a little more than a survey, quite dated yet very readable.  Readers new to theological studies and as yet unexposed to historical critical studies may find some of the material a bit unsettling and questioning of one's pre-conceived & pre-modern (usually fundamentalist and/or literalist) understanding of God.

My first "real" Old Testament Theology book would be Walter Brueggemann's "Theology of the Old Testament".  Although many times thicker than Schofield's, it is a joy to read and I keep going back to this post-liberal scholar work again and again for its fresh ideas and brilliant insights.

Of course, in due time I would like to complement Brueggemann's tome with those by Evangelical scholars such as either Bruce Waltke's "An Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical and Thematic Approach" or if I had the money, I would go for John Goldingay's magisterial trilogy of Old Testament Theology books namely: Israel's Gospel, Israel's Faith and Israel's Life.

Lastly I found it useful in the course of OT studies to return to Graeme Goldsworthy, "Gospel and Kingdom" and "Gospel and Wisdom" (two of the books in his trilogy) as he traces out from the viewpoint of Bible Theology a common underlying theme or narrative linking the OT books.

These are the books that have helped me in the course of my studies.