For Christians, the Old Testament often presents a conundrum. We revere it as God’s Word, but we don’t always comprehend it. It has great truths beautifully expressed, but it also has lengthy lists of names that we cannot pronounce, detailed rules for religious rites that we never observe, and grim stories that we never tell our children. Theologians and laypeople throughout church history have struggled to define it, interpret it, and reconcile it with the New Testament. In The Problem of the Old Testament, Duane A. Garrett takes on this conundrum and lays a foundation for constructive study of the Old Testament. He surveys three primary methods Christians have used to handle the Old Testament, from the church fathers to today: hermeneutical, schematic, and conceptual. Garrett also explores major interpretive topics such as the nature of the law, the function of election and covenants, and how prophecy works, boldly offering a way forward that is faithful to the text and to the Christian faith.
I argue, Garrett writes, that the Old Testament is fulfilled in Jesus Christ and that it is authoritative and edifying for Christians. This thorough, accessible work is essential reading for all students of Scripture seeking to discover the Old Testament’s riches beyond the challenges.