The 10 Best Old Testament Books
Special Honors
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Editor's Notes
June 11, 2020:
No matter your denomination, it's very probable that you've encountered and discussed the New Testament much more than the Old Testament in your faith. On top of that, many preachers avoid pulling from the Old Testament because they feel it is outdated and difficult to expound upon, or else are unsure about how to handle it correctly. So once you decide to learn more, volumes like the ones on this list are crucial to getting a deeper understanding of the text. They work well in conjunction with study or amplified bibles for extra clarification.
We wanted to touch on a range of needs, so you'll find accessible introductions like The Old Testament: A Very Short Introduction and A Survey of the Old Testament as well as critical tomes like The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction and On the Reliability of the Old Testament.
We brought on a handful of new additions today, including A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the Old Testament. We felt this would be more inclusive than the previous How to Preach and Teach the Old Testament, which was geared primarily toward practicing pastors. A Biblical-Theological Introduction is gospel-centered, goes much further, and is just as helpful for students as it is for teachers and leaders.
So much of the Bible can be analyzed using personal interpretation, so any text that you encounter could be accused of bias depending on your denomination and the writer's slant. Rather than go into reading one of these selections worrying about that, it's best to do your research on the authors so you can isolate their opinions when they shine through and use them to inform your own perspectives and knowledge.
This can be tricky when you're a beginner, but an openness and curiosity paired with supplementary research on opposing viewpoints can be extremely helpful. For our list, we did our best to source as fair treatments as possible, written by respected scholars with extensive experience in various fields. Still, additions like A Catholic Introduction to the Bible will naturally give that particular perspective, while some cursory knowledge on the author of Women of the Old Testament will help you understand why she references beliefs particular to the Church of Latter-Day Saints.