Each resource listed in this guide will include one of the following icons:
Open Access: This is an online resource that is freely available and does not require an institutional login.
KGS Login: This is an online resource open only to affiliates of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary. Access from off-campus will require a login through OpenAthens.
KGS Print: This is a print resource available in the Souvay Memorial Library. Click on the link to see the item's current status, location, and call number. Most items listed under "Essential Readings" in the LibGuides will appear in current and recent Kenrick syllabi, and will have a copy in our reference section.
MOBIUS Print: This is a print resources that is not available at Kenrick but that can be requested through MOBIUS.
Internet Archive: The Internet Archive has a digital copy of this book. It is completely free to read online, but you will need to set up a personal account, through which you "check out" (get temporary access) to the e-book. Kenrick alumni and non-Kenrick patrons can also freely access these volumes once they set up their own accounts.
The following are recommended introductions to the study of the Hebrew Scriptures:
Pope Benedict XVI
Based upon the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops 2008 meeting in the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI offers his inspiring reflections and comments. Divided into three sections, Pope Benedict explores the meaning of God's Word and how it relates to the individual, the community of the Church, and the cultural world at large in both a historical and modern context.
John Bergsma & Brant Pitre
Unique among introductions, this volume places the Old Testament in its liturgical context, showing how its passages are employed in the current Lectionary used at Mass. Accessible to nonexperts, this thorough and up-to-date introduction to the Old Testament can serve as an idea textbook for biblical studies. Its unique approach, along with its maps, illustrations, and other reference materials, makes it a valuable resource for seminarians, priests, Scripture scholars, theologians, and catechists, as well as anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the Bible.
Lawrence Boadt
Lawrence Boadt’s Reading the Old Testament was recognized as a classic almost from its date of publication in 1984. Without in any way diminishing its famed clarity, judiciousness, and theological depth, two prominent scholars, Richard Clifford and Daniel Harrington, have brought the book into the twenty-first century with this second edition (2012) that updates the archaeological reports, incorporates the research of the last three decades of biblical scholarship, and continues the Christian-Jewish dialogue that was a feature of the original. SLU has online access here.
Michael David Coogan
The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures is a balanced, engaging, and up-to-date introduction to the Hebrew scriptures, which distills the best of current scholarship. Employing the narrative chronology of the Bible itself and the history of the ancient Near East as a framework, author Michael D. Coogan covers all the books of the Hebrew Bible, along with the deuterocanonical books included in the Bible used by many Christians. He treats every book of the canon with careful attention to its historical context, its particular genre, and its distinctive features. Working in detail with ancient Near Eastern sources and archaeological data, Coogan works from a primarily historical and critical methodology but also introduces readers to literary analysis and current interpretive strategies.
Michael Duggan
Duggan has thoroughly revised this edition of The Consuming Fire, rewriting many chapters to reflect the best in contemporary scholarship, the direction of current Vatican documents, and respect for the Jewish heritage of the Bible. Each chapter includes a "Meditative Reading," a feature that provides selected texts and questions to aid readers in prayerful reflection.
Jon Levenson
Levenson's contribution to developing a decidedly Jewish understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures by "delineate a theology of the Old Testament alone."
Victor H. Matthews & Don C. Benjamin
In this readable, portable anthology, ancient Near Eastern laws and stories share parallel themes and issues with biblical stories. The volume has been completely revised in light of the ongoing discoveries of ancient Near Eastern texts.
Aiden Nichols, OP
The highly regarded spiritual writer and theologian Fr. Aidan Nichols presents an overview of the Old Testament by showing what it is and its relationship to the New Testament. He explains that it is essential for one to be familiar with the Old Testament in order to understand properly, and in a deeper way, the richness and message of the New.
Matthew J. Ramage
Ramage weds the historical-critical approach with a theological reading of Scripture based in the patristic-medieval tradition. Whereas these two approaches are often viewed as mutually exclusive or even contradictory, Ramage insists that the two are mutually enriching and necessary for doing justice to the Bible's most challenging texts.
Kenton L. Sparks
The conclusions of critical biblical scholarship often pose a disconcerting challenge to traditional Christian faith. Between the two poles of uncritical embrace and outright rejection of these conclusions, is there a third way? Can evangelical believers incorporate the insights of biblical criticism while at the same time maintaining a high view of Scripture and a vital faith? In this provocative book, Kenton Sparks argues that the insights from historical and biblical criticism can indeed be valuable to evangelicals and may even yield solutions to difficult issues in biblical studies while avoiding pat answers. This constructive response to biblical criticism includes taking seriously both the divine and the human aspects of the Bible and acknowledging the diversity that exists in the biblical texts.
The Bible is a religious masterpiece. Its authors cast a profound vision for the healing of humanity through the power of divine love, grace and forgiveness. But the Bible also contains "dark texts" that challenge our ethical imagination. How can one book teach us to love our enemies and also teach us to slaughter Canaanites? Why does a book that preaches the equality of all people also include laws that permit God's people to trade in slaves and to persecute those of a different faiths or ethnicities? Kenton Sparks argues that the "dark side" of Scripture is not an illusion. Rather, these dark texts remind us that all human beings, including the biblical authors, stand in need of God's redemptive solution in Jesus Christ.
John H. Walton
Much of the Old Testament seems strange to contemporary readers. However, as we begin to understand how ancient people viewed the world, the Old Testament becomes more clearly a book that stands within its ancient context as it also speaks against it. John Walton provides here a thoughtful introduction to the conceptual world of the ancient Near East. Walton surveys the literature of the ancient Near East and introduces the reader to a variety of beliefs about God, religion, and the world. In helpful sidebars, he provides examples of how such studies can bring insight to the interpretation of specific Old Testament passages. Students and pastors who want to deepen their understanding of the Old Testament will find this a helpful and instructive study.