Customer Reviews

A Survey of the Old Testament (Second Edition)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Of the half dozen Old Testament Introductions and Surveys that I own, this text by Hill and Walton is consistently the one that is most useful and satisfying.

There are several features that I appreciate about this work:

1. Consistent excellence. Many Old Testament Introductions have both strong and weak sections. This Survey is solid and helpful at every turn. For this reason, if you could have only one Old Testament Survey - this is the own to buy.
2. This work is well written and edited. The clear prose is a joy to read and the text has a layout that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
3. While Biblical themes are made clear throughout this Survey, the purpose is unquestionably to help the student understand the text of Scripture. Rather than using this Survey to push their individual hobby-horses, Hill and Walton have kept the focus consistently on understanding the text of Scripture. The student will not come away saying: "Hill and Walton say ..." but rather "Now I understand that Deuteronomy says ..." This is no small achievement.

For those who are looking for a trustworthy guide to help them thoughtfully engage and better understand the Old Testament - this is it.

For professors, this is the Old Testament Survey to assign. You will be delighted with the clarity and solid scholarship. Your students will have a valuable resource that they will use throughout their lives.

In college I usually borrowed textbooks but occasionally one would be so good that I'd part with my money so I could keep a copy. This is one of those rare finds. This book is a wonderfully odd mixture, it is scholarly but it is also written from a perspective of belief. It's a great read for anyone seeking a greater understanding of the Old Testament, especially a student preparing for a graduate level class in Old Testament Introduction.

I have found this book to be estremely informative and ehlpful in my studies. It is obvious that the authors, Andrew E. Hill and John H. Walton, really put a lot of time and effort into this work. The information it contains puts the Old Testament Scriptures into proper perspective and shows it relevance to me as a New Testament believer. I am especially delighted at how the authors present the Old Testament from the vantage point of the geographical setting, incorporating the culture of the time. Consequently, I am able to properly apply the scriptures, without compromising the context, to circumstances in my own time and culture. Two Thumbs up!!

I had to use this book for an Old Testament Studies class. I learned a wealth of information from reading this book. It is very easy to use as every book of the Bible is covered independently. So whenever I want to go back to the book of Ruth or Job, I can just quickly refer to that chapter. There is a treasure of information concerning the historicity and archeological context of the Scriptures. Overall, excellent book!

This is an excellent old testament survey. Deals with historical issues, authorship issues, content and much more. Definitely a resource to educate one about the old testament writings.

My prof. changed editions mid course (O.T. 1 to O.T. 2). This edition is certainly more enjoyable to read than previous editions, with relevant, valuable, and interesting photos/graphics. I takes an academic work and makes it more palatable to most any serious adult believer without compromising academic quality. This is not one of those books that will only be read by people who "had to read it for a class".

You will enjoy reading this book, it has so many writings to refresh your mind and to enlighten you on what it is all about. Sometimes we avoid it, but it is HIS Story, we say History. There is so much history here that it will bring clarity on many things you have been told. Read it for yourself and see what you have been missing.

The book really is amazing for the price. Excellent paper quallity.
The only thing is was the almost 30 days it took to arrive Portugal, it is in Europe!!

This is a very good book for lay persons and students who want to learn more about the Old Testament. Both of the authors Andrew E. Hill and John H Walton are professors of the Old Testament. They both have a PhD, Professor Hill from the University of Michigan and Professor Walton from the Hebrew Union College. Professor Hill teaches Old Testament Studies at Wheaton College. Professor Walton teaches Old Testament at Wheaton College Graduate School. They do a survey of each book of the Old Testament. Being Professors they really try to make the book student friendly. They try very hard to make it interesting for the person studying and not just another dry old History book. At the beginning of each book there's given an outline, key ideas, a purpose statement of the book, major themes and God's presence in the book. There are a lot of pictures, time line graphs, questions for further study and bibliographies for further reading at the end of each book. If you want a very well written book, with a lot of information for studying the Old Testament books, weather it is by yourself or in a study group, this is one book I would really recommend.

great quick outline of the Old testament. It does not have all the information of the old testament, but it has most of the main themes briefly explained (like a mini descriptive outline). Good to have when you just want to brush up on the main points real quick.