Reading the Old Testament as Christian Scripture: A Literary, Canonical, and Theological Survey

Southwestern Journal of Theology 2025 Book Award (Biblical Studies)

This survey textbook by two respected Old Testament scholars is designed to meet the needs of contemporary undergraduate students. The book effectively covers the Old Testament books and major topics in the Old Testament, assuming no prior academic study of the Bible.

Mark Gignilliat and Heath Thomas pay attention to the subject matter of the Old Testament: God's revelation of himself. Their focus is on the triune God and God's engagement with the world. The authors attend to the Old Testament's literary, theological, and historical dimensions and explore how these texts are received and interpreted in Christian (and Jewish) tradition. The book is organized according to the Hebrew structure of the Old Testament: Law, Prophets, and Writings. The authors utilize this structure to generate numerous interpretive and theological insights as well as fresh avenues of discovery for Christian readers who may lack familiarity with the Hebrew ordering of the Old Testament documents. Chapters can be assigned in any order, making this an ideal textbook for one-semester courses.

Beautifully designed in full color, this addition to the Reading Christian Scripture series offers a full array of pedagogical aids that hold interest and aid learning: photographs, sidebars, maps, time lines, charts, glossary, and discussion questions. Additional resources for instructors and students are available through Textbook eSources.

Mark S. Gignilliat (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School, Samford University, and theologian in residence at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Birmingham, Alabama. He previously taught at Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford. Gignilliat is the author of several books, including Reading Scripture Canonically, A Brief History of Old Testament Criticism, and Karl Barth and the Fifth Gospel.

Heath A. Thomas (PhD, University of Gloucestershire) is president and professor of Old Testament at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and associate fellow of the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge, England. He has served on staff at churches in Oklahoma, Texas, North Carolina, and the United Kingdom and is the author or editor of several books, including The Minor Prophets: A Theological Introduction, Habakkuk: A Commentary, and The Gospel of Our King (with Bruce Riley Ashford).