The Old Testament in Seven Sentences - (Introductions in Seven Sentences) by Christopher J H Wright (Paperback)

About the Book

It's easy to see the Old Testament as confusing, out of date, or irrelevant. Using seven key sentences drawn straight from the Old Testament, Christopher J. H. Wright fits the pieces together, shows us the coherent whole, and points us toward Jesus. This short survey shows God's faithfulness and love for his people and illuminates how the Old Testament Scriptures prepared for the identity and mission of Jesus.

Book Synopsis

Some people find the Old Testament to be confusing, out of date, and essentially replaced by the New Testament. They are missing out. The Old Testament offers us a grand narrative that reveals God's work, God's purposes, and God's wisdom.Christopher J. H. Wright fits the pieces together and shows us the coherent whole. Using seven key sentences drawn straight from the Old Testament, he connects the dots and points us toward Jesus.

• "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
• "All peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
• "You shall have no other gods before me."
• "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news."

Such sentences as these are not merely beautiful or helpful (though they are that). They are part of the great drama of Scripture, the story of God's plan of redemption that embraces all nations and the whole of his creation. Wright starts from the beginning, describing God's promises and covenants with his people and his mission to bless the world. At the end of this short survey, readers will clearly see God's faithfulness and love for his people and will understand how the Old Testament scriptures prepared for the identity and mission of Jesus as Messiah, Savior, and Lord.

The accessible primers in the Introductions in Seven Sentences collection act as brief introductions to an academic field, with simple organization: seven key sentences that give readers a birds-eye view of an entire discipline.

Review Quotes

"The Old Testament in Seven Sentences sounds like an impossible task, but Chris Wright makes it work beautifully, capturing the central features of the Old Testament in a way that is both rich and accessible. I'm not surprised really--Wright is one of our best, most mature thinkers about the Bible today. His book gives readers an essential and impressive orientation to the life-giving message of the Old Testament. I recommend it highly."

--Tremper Longman III, distinguished scholar and professor emeritus of biblical studies, Westmont College

"In his typically clear and concise style, Wright offers us a helpful synthesis of the Old Testament. As always, he is textual and theological. The foundational passages chosen for The Old Testament in Seven Sentences, indeed, set the agenda for the drama of Scripture as it unfolds across the canon. This slim volume is yet another tool that Wright has produced to demonstrate the relevancy of the Old Testament. He is a gift to the church."

--M. Daniel Carroll R., Blanchard Professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College and Graduate School

"Wright's The Old Testament in Seven Sentences is a tour de force, capturing the heart of the Old Testament, its epic drama, and God's passion for his people with clarity and depth. Wright takes readers on a journey through the mountains and valleys of the Old Testament, sharing vistas of its beauty, its pain, and its picture of God's continuing plan of redemption and mission for God's people, culminating in Jesus Christ and the new creation of all things."

--Beth Stovell, associate professor of Old Testament at Ambrose University, national catalyst for theological and spiritual formation for Vineyard Canada

About the Author

Christopher J. H. Wright (PhD, Cambridge) is international ministries director of the Langham Partnership, providing literature, scholarships, and preaching training for pastors in Majority World churches and seminaries. He has written many books, including The Mission of God, Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit, Old Testament Ethics for the People of God, Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament, and commentaries on Deuteronomy, Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Ezekiel.