The God of the Old Testament

August 24, 2020
In this cogent work of biblical criticism, Old Testament theologian Moberly (The Bible, Theology, and Faith), through creative hermeneutical interpretations of Old Testament scriptures, qualifies them theologically as fully consistent with Christian scripture. In six chapters, each corresponding to a different passage, Moberly sets out to delineate a “grammar” of God: “ground rules for appropriate speech and action in relation to the Lord.” Key narratives from Proverbs, Exodus, 2 Kings, and Psalms are chosen for their consideration of the nature of wisdom, judgment, and the mystery of the Tetragrammaton—the Hebrew name for God: YHWH. For instance, through reading Psalm 82 against the story of Cain and Abel, in Genesis 4, Moberly shows a God who is “intrinsically just,” but must also act unfairly: “recognition of certain inequities as intrinsic to life in God’s world is no excuse for being heedless of the need for justice.” Replete with the ideas of thinkers throughout history, such as Erasmus and Pascal, as well as contemporary scholars like Robert Carroll, John Gray, and Thomas Nagel, Moberly explores many diverse, novel interpretations of Old Testament lessons in light of Christian scripture. Any Christian scholar of the Old Testament will find persuasive ideas here.