A House for My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament [Paperback]

Peter J. Leithart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 20, 2000

The best stories subtly weave themes and characters and symbols into a stunning final tapestry. This Old Testament survey, written for family and classroom reading, reveals the rich weave that makes Scripture the Story of stories.

Editorial Reviews

Review

One of the most important lessons any Christian reader of the Old Testament must learn in order to truly understand its message is its connection to the New Testament. Jesus himself said that the whole Old Testament looked forward to his coming suffering and glorification (Luke 24:25-27, 44-48), but it is surprising how many ignore this crucial principle of interpretation. Peter Leithart has written A House for My Name with that lesson in mind. He not only gives us a first-class introduction to the Old Testament in the context of its own time, but he also shows how all the Scriptures point to the ultimate object of our faith—Jesus Christ. I strongly recommend this book. --Tremper Longman III, author of Making Sense of the Old Testament

About the Author

Peter Leithart (Ph.D. Cambridge) is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and a Fellow of Theology and Literature at New St. Andrews College, Moscow, Idaho. He is the author of The Kingdom and the Power, Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide to Six Shakespeare Plays, and Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature. He and his wife Noel have nine children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 279 pages
• Publisher: Canon Press (June 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885767692
• ISBN-13: 978-1885767691
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #232,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The OT Survey I've Been Waiting For, June 24, 2003

By 

Robert Huffstedtler (Cary, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A House for My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament (Paperback)

Most Old Testament survey books quickly get bogged down in details about dating, theories of composition, and the like. As such, the end up being pretty useless to the person who simply wants to better understand what is actually *in* the Old Testament.

Thankfully, Leithart avoids this. There is not a word about composition or dating of the documents themselves. Instead, he focuses on the themes of the Old Testament, beginning in Genesis, and shows how these themes are reiterated throughout the Old Testament in preparation for the work of Christ and revelation of the New Testament.

The book is intended to be used for family devotions or study classes. To facilitate this each chapter is divided into a few (generally 3-5) sections with associated scripture readings, review questions, and questions intended to stimulate further thought. There are 8 chapters in all, focusing primarily on the narrative portions of the Old Testament. The prophets are discussed where appropriate, but primarily in relation to the coincident narrative sections.

My only complaint is that the psalms and wisdom literature are mostly omitted. This is understandable given that Leithart's focus is the Old Testament as a single story of redemptive history. Perhaps someday Dr. Leithart will be persuaded to produce a companion volume.

If you have difficult understanding how all those stories (and even those pesky genealogies) that you vaguely remember from Sunday School fit together into a coherent whole, this book is a must read.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars OT History with a difference, October 24, 2004

By 

Kathy F. Cannata "Rev. Dr. R. Cannata" (New Orleans, LA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A House for My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament (Paperback)

Leithart has a Cambridge Ph.D., is a Presbyterian pastor (PCA), and about the smartest guy on earth.

Wonderful book, but its mislabeled as an OT Intro. Its more an OT history. There is very little on the wisdom literature in there. It is a briilliant redemptive-historical tour. The typology gets kind of heavy and at times forced. But brilliantly draws parallels between various OT stories and convincingly illustrates how the original reader would have made the same connections.

This should not be your OT Intro textbook (use R.K. Harrison or Longman/Dillard for that). But really fun and compelling stuff.

The binding by Canon Press softcover is attractive enough, but not very durable (glued but not sewn). I own 3 or 4 copies, and I have had pages fall out after just one use.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not What You Typically Learned in Sunday School, May 20, 2003

By 

P. C. Lindstrom (Arlington Heights, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A House for My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament (Paperback)

This book will challenge your typical "Sunday-school-like" interpretation of the Old Testament. Far more than just a series of somewhat applicable moral lessons, Leithart shows the stories of the Old Testament have been placed by God to tell a much larger story. This book is a must read for students. It should also be read by all Sunday School teachers and Christian school teachers. The information and insights located in the footnotes should not be overlooked.