Old Testament 101

Greek is done and dusted. So now its on to the Old Testament. Which I like. Much. Much more. I dug up some past exam questions in the library today, and our exam is on Thursday, so I’m thinking I might engage in a little learning through blogging exercise…

Our first Old Testament subject covers Genesis to 2 Samuel (I think). Which means the following academic “chestnuts” are sure to feature strongly:

1. The creation account(s)
2. The flood (though this has been covered by an essay topic)
3. Something about the covenant promises to Abraham.
4. The patriachs/creation of a nation.
5. Something about the law
6. Something about violence (though this has also been covered by an essay topic)
7. Something about the historicity of the Genesis-Joshua accounts of occupation of the promised land.
8. Something about Judges
9. Something about Biblical theology
10. Something about kingship (1-2 Samuel, and probably, to a lesser extent, Judges).
10. Something about the documentary hypothesis (source criticism), form criticism, sociological criticism, literary criticism etc or the structure of the Pentateuch…

There’ll be eight questions, we’re expected to answer four. I like all of these topics. Does anybody have any recommended readings for the next 32 hours that will see me through?

Comments

Robyn says:

We need to answer three questions, not four. That ought to cut your reading list down a little.

You should apologise to any first years out there who just panicked as a result of your mistake.

You should make another certain first year (who no longer has FB so I can’t taunt him there) apologise to me for making me think that I was about to sit my OT exam this morning, not the Greek one I’d prepared for. Major panic right there.

Stuart Heath says:

I got through OT exams with Old Testament Survey (La Sor et al.), Story as Torah (Wenham), and The Faith of Israel (Dumbrell). Oh, and I just like Wisdom literature, so I had some of that ready-to-hand.

Gav says:

Hey Nath,
read your notes, over and over again. I’d pick Creation, Law,Kingship, Bib Theol and Criticisms. You want to cover five topics for 3 questions.

Also skim the intro text – Dillard and Longman? And maybe OT Theolgy by Paul (?) House.

Gav

PS Aren’t you glad you’ve got a wife who is smarter than you? You should be.