Prophetic Scholarship
- Krish Kandiah
- Jun 30, 2016
- 2 min read
Dictionary of Old Testament Prophecy, IVP
Just thought of the title for this blog after I wrote the following review, but now that I think about it – it is sadly unusual to find scholarship that has a prophetic edge – speaking incisively into the contemporary situation or prophetic ministry that has a place for genuine scholarship. Will maybe post more on that another time. In the mean time can I draw your attention to this excellent book… The latest edition in IVP’s excellent dictionary series arrived on my desk this week .( Its a big book so it was less of an arrival and more of an invasion.)I have found their Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels and Dictionary of Paul and his letters exceptionally useful.This series brings world class scholarship that is evangelical and willing to engage with a range of opinions. This book might not be for everyone.
There only one tiny little thing that bugged me about the book and that was a weird little thing inside the dust jacket when it is noted that “in approximately 115 articles it puts readers in direct touch with contemporary scholarship” – firstly either the book has 115 articles or it doesn’t and secondly ‘direct touch’ is a difficult ask through a book. But that’s the only thing I can fault about this excellent book.
Who needs this book?
Preachers:
if you are preparing a teaching series on an Old Testament prophetic book. Reading these short articles alert you to the big ideas of critical scholarship without overwhelming you with too much technical detail.
Lecturers:
a great resource for discovering a pithy summary of up to date thinking and a great resource for sourcing bibliographical pointers.
Students:
a very useful tool to get you started in your research.
Hopefully this volume will find its way into a future edition of the excellent reference collection. In a time of economic anxiety – it is encouraging to see publishers creating important resources that are not quick and easily sales. Kudos to IVP for this important volume.
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