What is Old Testament Theology? For the past two hundred years Old Testament Scholars have developed a distinctive presentation of the theological significance of this literature on the basis of a penetrating historical criticism. Increasingly, however, the form and structure of this discipline has moved away from other areas of theological investigation. The result is that today Old Testament Theology bears little relationship to the historic ways in which Christians and Jews have actually found theological meaning in the Bible.
In order to establish a better understanding, and to recover its proper contribution to man's knowledge of God, Old Testament Theology must be prepared to accept new starting points for itself. In advocating such a fresh approach Dr Clements outlines three basic factors which must be taken fully into account.
The actual canonical form of the Old Testament literature must be respected more fully than has been customary in such theologies, since this determines how its contents are actually read and heard in a theological setting.
Secondly more attention must be given to those fundamental categories of interpretation by a which a unity has been found in the Old Testament. This points to the major categories of "Law" and "Promise" which have provided the fundamental unifying themes of the Old Testament for Jews and Christians.
Thirdly the setting of the Old Testament in the ancient Near East must be more fully taken into account, in evaluating the uniqueness of its own religious traditon.
Far from the Old Testament being of only marginal interest to modern theological discussion, it is argued that it raises questions which have become central to the very nature of man's quest for truth in religion.
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