The Old Testament and the Significance of Jesus: Embracing Change - Maintaining Christian Identity

by Fredrick Holmgren

Overview

A perennial question throughout the history of the Christian faith has centered on the character of the Old Testament and its relationship to Jesus Christ. It is in this area that Christians and Jews have parted ways, creating a deep and enduring chasm between the two faith communities. With this new volume, Fredrick Holmgren aids in closing this hurtful breach by engaging with views on both sides of this important conversation. Holmgren dialogues with Christians from every point on the theological spectrum, urging the church to a new respect for the Jewish Bible, the enduring role of the Old Testament as "Christian scripture," and the valuable contributions of Judaism to the Christian faith. Warning the church against either caricaturing the Old Testament and Judaism or romanticizing Christianity, Holmgren sensitively shows that the New Testament proclamation of newness in Christ carries forward the witness of the Old Testament without making obsolete its Jewish interpretation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802844538
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	02/10/1999
Pages:	222
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.51(d)

About the Author

Research Professor of Old Testament at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois. 

Table of Contents

Foreword, by Dr. Walter Brueggemann
Preface

Introduction
Jews and Christians: Seeing Matters as They Really Are

1. The Prophetic Denunciations of Israel
   Self-Criticism, Not Divine Rejection
2. Finding Jesus in the Depth of the Old Testament
   Approaching the Scripture as Jewish Christians
3. "And It Was Fulfilled"
   Reading the Old Testament out of Christian Experience
4. Jesus and the Sinai Covenant
   Diverse Thinking in the New Testament
5. Israel and the "New Covenant" in Jeremiah 31:31-34
   Faithfulness to Sinai Teaching Is the New Covenant
6. Jesus and the "New Covenant" in Jeremiah 31:31-34
   Original Meaning and Depth Interpretation in Tension
7. The New Testament Proclamation of Jesus
   What Does the Old Testament Contribute?
8. The Old Testament and the "New" in Jesus
   Is "Old Testament" a Suitable Title?
9. Jesus: Human and Divine
   Part 1: Jesus in the New Testament: Images from the Old Testament
   Part 2: Jesus in the Creeds: Wisdom Theology in Greek Dress
10. Final Reflection
    In the Beginning: The Experience

Index of Names and Subjects
Index of Scripture References

Editorial Reviews

Evangelical Quarterly
"Notable for its positive use of both conservative-evangelical and broader approaches to the Old Testament. The eirenic approach to the topic offers a commendable example of how dialogue should be conducted."

Theology Today
"The author has written a timely book on a matter of great significance. His chief purpose is to make us sensitive to the essential connections between Judaism and Christianity, particularly in the formative period but also today. The chief virtues of the treatment are outstanding clarity, good judgment, sensitive and persuasive exegesis, and attention to the problems inherent in any discussion of this sort. . . We are in Professor Holmgren's debt for the presentation of a very readable argument. The book can be used by a wide audience. It is a positive contribution to the discussions of Jewish-Christian exegesis and figural reading now taking place."

Review & Expositor
"All ministers should read this book. For the sake of the integrity of the church's mission and witness, Christian theology, proclamation, and practice must rediscover the importance and validity of the Hebrew Bible. Holmgren opens the door to this rediscovery."

The Expository Times
"This book serves as a clearly written and well-ordered introduction to the points of dispute in the field under review. Every chapter begins with a synopsis of its contents and ends with concluding remarks. It should prove to be a useful volume for discussion groups in colleges and churches alike."

Walter Harrelson in Interpretation
"Holmgren presents a thoughtful and sensitive exegetical study of texts and ideas in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament that have served to damage relations between Jewish and Christian communities through the centuries. . . The author carefully reviews a wide body of literature, Jewish and Christian in particular, and then clearly states his own judgments. His conclusions are sane, temperate, and widely useful. The book contributes distinctively to the ongoing dialogue between Jewish and Christian groups and individuals."

Catholic Biblical Quarterly
"Fredrick Holmgren's book reawakens our imaginations to new readings of the Bible. He draws on the contributions of scholars from many traditions and presents alternative interpretations of key texts which have shaped the Christian understanding of the OT. . . Holmgren's approach is both balanced and provocative. Even as he stretches our thinking, he stands firmly in his Christian identity. . . A single chapter from this book could easily be used to inform and challenge group discussion in seminaries, college classes, or parochial education. This book is an excellent tool by which to pull our imaginations out of the ruts in which they have run for all too long."

From the Publisher

Fredrick Holmgren's book reawakens our imaginations to new readings of the Bible. He draws on the contributions of scholars from many traditions and presents alternative interpretations of key texts which have shaped the Christian understanding of the OT.... Holmgren's approach is both balanced and provocative. Even as he stretches our thinking, he stands firmly in his Christian identity.... A single chapter from this book could easily be used to inform and challenge group discussion in seminaries, college classes, or parochial education. This book is an excellent tool by which to pull our imaginations out of the ruts in which they have run for all too long.

Catholic Biblical Quarterly

This book serves as a clearly written and well-ordered introduction to the points of dispute in the field under review. Every chapter begins with a synopsis of its contents and ends with concluding remarks. It should prove to be a useful volume for discussion groups in colleges and churches alike.

Expository Times

"Holmgren presents a thoughtful and sensitive exegetical study of texts and ideas in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament that have served to damage relations between Jewish and Christian communities through the centuries.... The author carefully reviews a wide body of literature, Jewish and Christian in particular, and then clearly states his own judgments. His conclusions are sane, temperate, and widely useful. The book contributes distinctively to the ongoing dialogue between Jewish and Christian groups and individuals."

Interpretation