11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Biblical-theological and Christological approach to OT. Good, June 11, 2005
This review is from: Immanuel in Our Place: Seeing Christ in Israel's Worship (Gospel According to the Old Testament) (Paperback)
This book belongs to a series entitled The Gospel According to the Old Testament designed to encourage Christ-centred reading, teaching and preaching of the Old Testament. The series is committed to the proposition that the Bible, Old and New Testaments, is a unified revelation of God, and that its thematic unity is found in Christ.
In this volume, Longman considers especially the "priestly theology" of the OT and explores its christological dimensions. In order to bring his people to Christ and Christ to his people, God, in the OT, consecrated certain space, people, acts and time. The book, divided into four main parts, deals with each of these: sacred space, sacred actions, sacred people, and sacred time. The priests were largely involved in each of these four areas, and in every instance, the area and the work done by the priests has been fulfilled in and by Christ.
In Part One, "Sacred Space," Longman traces the biblical-theological (redemptive-historical) lines from Eden, that sacred space at the beginning, to Jesus our Immanuel (God with us). To show how the line flows from Old to New, the author discusses altars, the tabernacle, the temple, and the furniture in the sacred place.
In Part Two, "Sacred Acts," he discusses the various sacrifices especially as found in the first chapters of Leviticus. He explains the actual rituals as they were to be performed and the various functions of the sacrifices. The NT proclaims our Lord Jesus Christ as the final and perfect, once-for-all sacrifice fulfilling all offerings of the OT.
Next Longman has a chapter on "Sacred People." He traces the rise of the priesthood, Levites, and the priestly life style demanded. A very interesting chapter in the one is which he shows that the priests were God's bodyguards. Jesus, as the Book of Hebrews clearly demonstrates, is the great and final priest.
The final part is about "Sacred Time." First he deals with the Sabbath and how Christ has fulfilled this day. Christ is now our Sabbath. Acknowledging that among Reformed Christians there are both sabbatarians and non-sabbatarians, he pleads for a spirit of generosity on both sides towards the other. He has a non-sabbatarian view. This fourth part also includes chapters on the several festivals mention in the OT.
This is a good book. As it is written in non-technical language, it is very accessible. Longman took one slice of revelation, to do with the priestly ministry, and ably demonstrated how Jesus Christ fulfilled sacred space, actions, people and time.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Informative but disappointing, September 26, 2007
This review is from: Immanuel in Our Place: Seeing Christ in Israel's Worship (Gospel According to the Old Testament) (Paperback)
There is a lot of very good information in this book - much of it is rarely considered. The structure that Longman uses, sacred space, sacred places, sacred people and sacred time, is a helpful tool. While this isn't a place to go into a point for point refutation of all the disagreements I have with his conclusions, much of the data is right on.
However, two points of concern, though - 1.) Longman frequently says his conclusions are in line with "most commentators". I'm not entirely who he's referencing, but these comments normally pop up when he's siding with Higher Critical scholarship. This is surprising from an evangelical author, from an evangelical publisher, and from a series of books that fundamentally argue for a singular, Divine Author who is using all of Scripture to attest to Christ. 2.) This is related to point 1 - it seems as if Longman has drunk too deeply from the well of Critical methods, especially when it comes to the dating of Scripture and the essential trustworthiness of Joshua and Judges (chpt 17 on the Pilgrim festivals, esp.).
I think this is worth reading, not as "devotional" as other books in this series, and readers need a discerning eye. We've been using this series to encourage devotional thought in my family, but this book has ultimately been a disappointment.
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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
fantastic introduction, February 18, 2004
This review is from: Immanuel in Our Place: Seeing Christ in Israel's Worship (Gospel According to the Old Testament) (Paperback)
This is a fantastic book introducing key concepts in O.T. worship in the light of New Testament fulfillment. The style is very accessible, and this could mislead you to think that the content is flimsy, but it is not.
Especially helpful is his categories of "sacred acts," "sacred people," and "sacred places."
I minister in a real-world church and I've read many books on worship (check out some of my other Amazon reviews) and this is essential. I'm requiring each of my staff to read this book this year.
Tremper Longman is THE foremost OT in the evangelical camp. This book serves an excellent function in his formidable written output.
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