Popular Survey of the Old Testament, A [Paperback]

Norman L. Geisler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1996

The world of the Old Testament can seem hard to understand, especially for people living in times and places so far removed from the ancient Middle East. A Popular Survey of the Old Testament is designed to help Christians enrich their understanding of Old Testament people and events. Illustrated with colored photos, charts, and maps this accessible survey will enrich one's Biblical reading and understanding. (65)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The world of the Old Testament can seem hard to understand, especially for people living in times and places so far removed from the ancient Middle East. It's not just that we wear different clothes and hold different jobs--people in the West just don't have the same history, the same culture, or the same way of thinking as Old Testament characters like Abraham and David. And this disconnect can make studying the Old Testament an arduous and confusing process. A Popular Survey of the Old Testament is designed to help ordinary people enrich their understanding of Old Testament people and events.

Well-illustrated with color photos, charts, and maps, and written in an easy, informal style, this survey discusses the themes of the various groups of Old Testament books. Here is a solid, evangelical, and uniquely Christ-centered survey.

Two introductory chapters
• Christ: The Key to the Inspiration and Canonization of the Bible
• Christ: The Key to the Interpretation of the Bible
Lay the groundwork for the study, which is continued in four sections
• The Books of the Law: The Foundation for Christ
• The Books of History: The Preparation for Christ
• The Books of Poetry: The Aspiration for Christ
• The Books of Prophecy: The Expectation of Christ

Norman L. Geisler is dean of Southern Evangelical Seminary and Bible College. He is the author of more than sixty books, including the Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Norman L. Geisler (PhD, Loyola University of Chicago) has taught at top evangelical schools for over fifty years and is distinguished professor of apologetics and theology at Veritas Evangelical Seminary in Murrieta, California. He is the author of more than seventy books, including the Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Baker Academic (May 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801036844
• ISBN-13: 978-0801036842
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Norman Geisler (PhD, Loyola University) is president of Southern Evangelical Seminary and author or coauthor of over fifty books including Decide for Yourself, Baker's Encyclopedia of Apologetics, and When Skeptics Ask.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, Christological, Apologetical and thorough survey, December 3, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Port Elizabeth, South-Africa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Popular Survey of the Old Testament, A (Paperback)

I have a couple of Old Testament survey books and have seen many but this is definitely the best one of them all. Dr. Geisler approaches the Old Testament from a uniquely Christ-centered point of view. The whole ouline of his survey is based on Christ the substance of the OT shadows. He divides the OT in mainly 4 parts, the books of the Law: The foundation for Christ. The books of History: The preparation for Christ. The Books of Poetry: THe aspiration for Christ and the books of Prophecy the expectation of Christ. He follows the same excellent system of studying each book starting with the author (here he uses his excellent apologetics skills), then when they were written, to whom and also the historical, doctrinal and Christological purpose of the book. Thereafter he divides the book into main parts and begin his systematic survey of it. I highly recommend this book to any Bible student and also to the average Christian seeking to obtain a good understanding of the OT and it's message for us today.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Introduction to the Old Testament, March 23, 2007

By 

Michael Taylor "Michael Taylor" (Indian Trail NC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Popular Survey of the Old Testament, A (Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book during my seminary days and plan to use the book for a class I will teach as an adjunct instructor at a local community college.

The book is succinct, contains valuable information, and is very reasonably priced (certainly compared to educational publishing authors who sometimes have a decidedly more secular worldview).

The book's basic format is as follows for each Old Testament book:

1. Introductory information.
2. Who wrote the book.
3. When, why, to whom was the book written.
4. Doctrinal and Christological purpose of the book.
5. What the book is about.
6. Basic content of the book with a focus on particular chapters.
7. Study questions at the end of the chapter.

The book will help anyone who wants an introduction to the Old Testament instead of an intensive detailed study. Again, the price is also very reasonable compared to other publishers.

Read and enjoy. Highly recommended!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, June 24, 2009

By 

D. Greene - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Popular Survey of the Old Testament, A (Hardcover)

This makes understanding the bible really easy. It pulls all the main points of each book out and presents them in a logical manner. I love this book.