As its subtitle indicates, Hearing the Old Testament offers an approach to interpreting the Old Testament that aims at Listening for God’s Address. The book contains sixteen essays divided into four sections, with each section building on those preceding. The first section offers a single programmatic essay by Craig G. Bartholomew outlining the Trinitarian hermeneutic adopted throughout, which is grounded in the claim that “[f]or Christians ‘God’ is the starting point from which everything else is to be understood. And in Christian thought the doctrine of the Trinity specifies the meaning and reference of ‘God’” (p. 7). According to Bartholomew, a Trinitarian hermeneutic recognizes the authority of the OT and “attend[s] to [its] discrete witness” (p. 12), while also acknowledging its place in a larger canon culminating in the NT. Moreover, such a hermeneutic is both confessional and ecclesial, and it “opens up the feast of Scripture with its endless possibility of fecund, theological interpretation” (p. 19).

Part II includes eight methodological essays that further clarify the types of tools and methods that are consonant with the book’s Trinitarian hermeneutic, beginning with a historical survey of OT interpretation by Al Wolters (ch. 2). An essay on philosophy, again by Bartholomew, calls interpreters to give greater attention to their philosophical presuppositions (ch. 3) and advocates an epistemology rooted in Christ, who is “the clue to [both] theology and philosophy” (p. 61). Addressing modern literary approaches to the OT, David J. H. Beldman highlights various features of Hebrew narrative and poetry (ch. 4), while Tremper Longman III discusses challenges to the historicity of the OT (ch. 5), concluding with some observations on “the art of biblical history” (p. 115). Mark J. Boda calls interpreters to observe biblical-theological trajectories, noting both continuity and discontinuity (ch. 6), and Stephen G. Dempster explores the implications of the canon and canonical shaping for hearing OT texts (ch. 7). Finally, Christopher J. H. Wright considers how the OT may be read in light of “the ultimate mission of God for the redemption of humanity and creation” (p. 184; ch. 8), and M. Daniel Carroll R. examines its ethical framework (ch. 9).

The six essays in Part III apply these approaches to the OT text. Gordon J. Wenham covers the Pentateuch (ch. 10), Iain Provan the historical books (ch. 11), J. Clinton McCann Jr. the Psalter (ch. 12), Bartholomew the wisdom books (ch. 13), Richard Schultz the Major Prophets (ch. 14), and Heath Thomas the Minor Prophets (ch. 15). (Unfortunately, this division results in the exclusion of the Song of Songs and Lamentations, which perhaps could have been treated alongside the Psalms.) Each of these authors gives some attention to major scholarly debates, the message of the text itself, and the relationship between the Testaments, but the essays vary widely in both format and content. Whereas the bulk of Wenham’s essay is devoted to a book-by-book exploration of the Pentateuch, Provan focuses on describing various features of biblical historiography, illustrating his points with examples from the OT historical books. Moreover, while Schultz discusses ways in which the Major Prophets have been misheard and offers suggestions for a “hearing therapy” (p. 347), Thomas traces four major themes through the Book of the Twelve. In general, literary, biblical-theological, and canonical perspectives dominate, but other approaches may be found as well. For example, Provan interacts significantly with Wright’s chapter on mission (esp. pp. 269–70), and Bartholomew applies psychological analysis to Ecclesiastes and Job (pp. 312–16, 322–24). The volume concludes in Part IV with an essay on preaching by Aubrey Spears (ch. 16), which advocates a recovery of spiritual interpretation, drawing on the fourfold sense of Scripture popular until the modern period.

Not everyone will agree that the OT should be read through the lens of a Trinitarian hermeneutic or on what that should entail, and the essays in Part III reflect the struggle of discerning how such an approach works out in practice. Wenham picks up on Trinitarian “hints” in the creation narrative (pp. 237–38), McCann cautiously assesses the relationship between the messianic psalms and Jesus (pp. 284–85), and Schultz notes references to God as “Father,” the coming Messiah, and the work of the Spirit in the Major Prophets (pp. 335–36). However, for the most part, Trinitarian reflection is rather subdued in this section.

Nevertheless, Hearing the Old Testament is invaluable for its effort to break through the divide between the academy and the church, marshaling the best scholarly resources to help the contemporary people of God better discern God’s voice addressing them through the OT. The methodological essays provide theoretical clarity about what is involved in the task of interpreting the OT with an ear open to “listen for God’s address,” and they offer practical tips, drawing attention to the kinds of questions readers should ask of the biblical text. Moreover, the exegetical studies present informed, penetrating, and theologically rich readings of Scripture, providing significant fuel for pastors who seek to bring the living word of God in the OT to bear on the needs of their ecclesial contexts.

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