135 - God With Us: A Theological Introduction to the Old Testament

God With Us: A Theological Introduction to the Old Testament.
By Christoph Barth
Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1991. 403 pp. $29.95.

I knew I had a special passion for the Hebrew Scriptures. Nevertheless, occasionally it's necessary to be reminded why. If you are in need of such a refresher, or if you have never given this portion of the canon its due, God With Us is a book to consider.

Christoph Barth is the second son of Karl Barth, which may explain his choice of "God's dynamic initiative" as the main theme of biblical testimony

136 - God With Us: A Theological Introduction to the Old Testament

This book is Geoffrey Bromiley's condensation of a larger work, originally written in Indonesian "for the use of lay Christians and their pastors," which may account for both its remarkable breadth and provocative directness. But it takes more than genes or location to tackle a subject on which many others have foundered: a theological introduction to the Old Testament for the church. It takes courage and a lifetime with the Scriptures. For both of these, Christoph Barth is to be thanked.

Barth arranges his book around nine divine acts with particular resonance throughout the Scriptures: creation, election of the patriarchs, exodus, wilderness wandering, Sinai revelation, gift of Canaan, election of David (kingship), election of Jerusalem, and sending of prophets. Though each of these acts has God as its subject and, thus, serves primarily to reveal God's character and purpose, each also has implications for the mission of God's people, the function of individuals as instruments of God's action, and the light in which the nations appear. This, therefore, is a study of God and the world, the Old and the New Testaments, Old Testament theology as one branch of theological science as a whole.

Of particular note is Barth's focus on the exodus as the key event in the story of God, Israel, and the world. As the earlier deeds of God look ahead to the liberation from Egypt (for example, election of the patriarchs), so all the later deeds depend upon it (namely, the events at Sinai, in the wilderness, and at the occupation). It is this emphasis on liberation, grounded in Barth's experience of Indonesian independence and nation-building that gives this work its contemporary edge and may well make it the Old Testament theology of choice for the late twentieth century.

Yes, God With Us sometimes reads like a translated condensation. Yes, Barth's deletion of a tenth chapter on New Testament fulfillment is disappointing. Even so, I believe this volume has won a place beside von Rad and Eichrodt on the shelf, whether in the seminary, the pastor's study or the church library.

Richard N. Boyce
Bedford Presbyterian Church,
Bedford, Va.