Reading Scripture in the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 9-10: 31 - 2 Kings 22-23, Jeremiah 36, Nehemiah 8 (Series: Old Testament Studies. Volume XLVIII)

This study concentrates on four narratives in the Old Testament in which books, especially the Book of the Torah, play a key role: Deuteronomy 9-10 and 31:24-26, 2 Kings 22-23, Jeremiah 36, and Nehemiah 8.
In the first part of this book the composition of the texts are analysed. In the second part, which has the title 'Re-reading', the various connections and references are listed and evaluated. The conclusion is that the position of the Book of the Torah is strategic: it connects the component parts of the canon of the Old Testament into a whole.
This study is a major contribution to the theology of the Old Testament, because it demonstrates how a detailed literary analysis may lead to a better understanding of the structure of the canon.

G.J. Venema, (1960) studied Theology and Semitic Languages at the University of Amsterdam. D.D. in 2000 (cum laude). He is editor of ACEBT (Amsterdamse Cahiers voor Exegese van de Bijbel en zijn Tradities).