Customer Reviews

The Stories of the Old Testament

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Theologian Jim Campbell presents The Stories of the Old Testament: A Catholic's Guide, a guide for Catholic readers to the central texts, stories, and figures of the Old Testament. One hundred carefully chosen readings from the Old Testament are discussed at length. "When Job's friends tell Job that he is refusing to admit his wickedness, Job replies that his complaint is bitter: he has not made the violence that stalks the earth. Job's friends ask how anyone can stand in a right relationship with God. Job replies that God's ways are a mystery no one can fathom. What is fascinating about the dialogue is that Job's friends seem so sure that they know the answers to Job's dilemma. They do not for an instant consider Job's side of the story or ask questions of either Job or God. Without questioning or listening hearts, they cannot begin their own journey into the heart of God." A candid and insightful discussion, highly recommended for self-study or as a supplementary resource for bible study groups.

I teach 10 grade Catechism, which in our Parish covers the Old and New Testaments . When I first started teaching I taught only the New Testament, which I felt very comfortable teaching to a rather tough age group. In summer of 2007 a decision was made to keep the classes with the same teacher for the entire year. That meant I had to leave my comfort zone and teach the Old Testament to 15 and 16 year olds. I had very little knowledge of the Old Testament. How was I going to make that fun for the teens? Was I going to turn into the type of teacher that I hated in my High School CCD classes? I started to look around for books that I could use to quickly educate myself.

I found this book.

It was such a blessing. I think the best way to describe what I found in "The Stories of the Old Testament" was the story behind the story for each of the books in the Old Testament. The stories that we have heard over and over were finally put into context for me. This book brought out the human details that I needed to know to make the Old Testament "Real" to the teens in my class.

I could tell the story of Cain and Abel by heart but never in my life had I thought about Cain's hurt feelings when his sacrifice is not accepted. That I could explain and make alive for my teens while teaching them how sin can eat away at all of us and how we can't hide our sins from God. They also were given something to think about. God certainly punished Cain but he did not give him the death penalty. He actually made sure he was safe while "serving his punishment".

The detail about the many stories of David gave me great hope. If David was worthy to serve God with all the sins he piled up then He just might use me too! The kids in my class absolutely loved hearing this detail. It made the stories so real to them. God must really love and care for us to put up with all these servants of his put Him through. Suddenly I could see in my students faces that they felt better about themselves. They were not alone in their struggle. They now had a unique window into the world of the Old Testament that they had never been allowed to look through before. They had heard these stories in Mass but they had never been given context before. This book allowed me to share the complete situations these people were living through with them. They left my class with a better understanding of what our faith was built on. They certainly saw God in a different light. The people in the Old Testament were not perfect. That rarely comes through in what we hear in Mass from these readings. They had to have those details to make these stories real to them.

This book transformed the Old Testament from a collection of historical stories to real life for me and my class. I now actually enjoy teaching the Old Testament as much or more than the New Testament because I am able to bring these stories to life. "The Stories of the Old Testament, A Catholic's Guide" By Jim Campbell, has given me the information I needed to make the Old Testament exciting and alive. It brings great satisfaction to me when I witness the expression on their faces when they are able to put these lessons in the context of their own lives.

This book is a wonderful tool which allows you to expand the stories of the Bible. After reading this book you can never look at these stories in the same way. They become alive.

I personally suggest this book to every Catholic I know. It is a fun read. It makes you think. It helps you to recognize and appreciate God's love for us in ways you may not have realized before.

J Breaugh

This was an easy read and seemed more geared to instructing young people or those who had never read the Old Testament. It would be a good study guide or an excellent resource for family reading along with the Bible. Adults who have spent time reading the Old Testament might find it a little skimpy on detail.

Excellent purchase. I bought one for myself and my father. Nice read if you do not want to read the old scriptures in latin in the Bible. I would reccomend this book to anyone wanting to know about the Old Testament. I would consider making other purchases along these lines. price was a winner too!