Description: A clear and readable guide to the Old Testament for students and adult study groups. This brief but comprehensive introduction to the Old or First Testament does two things: first, Jacques Vermeylen provides the necessary background for reading the Bible with understanding and appreciation; second, he summarizes the contents of the biblical books. The first key introduces the variety of ways of reading the Bible, and here the author tries to steer a course between an archeological approach (the text as witness to a bygone age) and a dogmatic approach (the text as ready-made truth). The second key explores the geography of the Ancient Near East and of Palestine. The third offers a summary of the history of Israel from its nomadic origins to its two wars with Rome. The fourth illumines the differences between Jewish readings of the Hebrew Bible and Christian readings of the First Testament. The next five chapters or keys consider blocks of biblical books in the light of their historical origins. Areas examined are the foundation stories (Genesis to Judges), the monarchy (from Saul to the prophets), the great trial (the Deuteronomistic and priestly schools), the time of God's silence (Zerubbabel, Nehemiah, and Ezra), and the challenge of the new culture (Kohelet, Sirach, Daniel, and the Book of Wisdom). The final chapter considers Jesus and Scripture, with Scripture as the key to Jesus and Jesus as the key to Scripture. Key passages are recommended for reading throughout.>

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