An Enlightening Journey

An Enlightening Journey

Such a Mind as This: A Biblical-Theological Study of Thinking in the Old Testament, Richard L. Smith (Wipf and Stock, Eugene, 2021).

This is a book for the serious student of the Bible. If you place yourself in that category, then this is a great book for you. Richard Smith, offers up a well-researched, theologically solid overview of the Old Testament thought in his book Such a Mind as This: a Biblical-Theological Study of Thinking in the Old Testament. In doing so, Smith ushers his readers through the centuries of Jewish writing and its historical epochs. His goal is to expand and unify the piece meal understanding of the Old Testament that most biblical students have acquired.

I appreciate Smiths clear, thorough writing style. He has an almost lawyerly approach; building his case point by point until he reaches the main conclusions that he wants to offer to his readers. Those points include a description of the historical milieu, in which the biblical writers found themselves, along with an identification of the religious, cultural and theological issues the writers faced. Readers will come away from the book with a wider perspective and clearer understanding of the movement of theological thought from Genesis to Malachi; the patriarchs to the prophets.

When I delve into Scripture, I do so on a literary level—stories of God’s relationship with humankind. I work with broad strokes. Smith, is a “jot and tittle” man. He goes for the details—word studies and phrase comparisons. At first I was uncomfortable with this approach. I was afraid that Smith had his feet in the infallible/inerrant camp of Christianity. Having read the book, I don’t think this is so. Instead, I think Smith simply exhibits a high regard for the words of Scripture and their interpretation. This is a position that makes his work even more credible.

My appreciation for the Old Testament and understanding of its thought was challenged, enlightened and expanded by this book. It is my belief that it will have a similar effect on anyone who seeks to mine the treasure that it holds. This book is highly recommended this book.

I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.