John Goldingay began his Old Testament theology with a 900-page book that followed the narrative of the First Testament, entitled Israel’s Gospel. But the First Testament is more than narrative—the rest be heard! Thus, volume two: Israel’s Faith. And yes, it’s another 900-pages!

Israel’s Faith begins with the wisdom books before moving to the prophets and Psalms. If the First Testament is “primarily the story of what God did to create the world and then put it right” (19), this book expounds Israel’s commentary on their story.

The story of the First Testament is not singular. Following Brueggemann, Goldingay affirms a “pluralism of faith affirmations” (17). He doesn’t follow the postmodern theme as far as Brueggemann, however. Goldingay argues that unity can be constructed from the diversity of voices, “even if we find ourselves leaving some ambiguities and antimonies, and even if we still grant that the end result needs to recognize once more that we see only the outskirts of God’s ways”(17).

Goldingay excels at allowing the voices of the First Testament to challenge our theological (often Greek) presuppositions. Take, for example, his mic-drop statement on prayer:

Yhwh intends prayer not as a way of aligning us with Yhwh’s will but as the means of changing Yhwh’s will. (Goldingay, Israel’s Faith, 90)

I can’t remember how many times I’ve heard preachers explain that the purpose of prayer is to align ourselves with God’s will. I’ve taught it, myself! But is that what the First Testament says? Is that what Abraham, Moses, or Hezekiah would say?

Who would read a book like this? It only makes sense to read this after his narrative volume which means the reader is committing to reading around 2,000 pages of Old Testament theology. Of course, if you’ve made it this far, you’re probably planning to commit to volume three as well. That’s a lot of Old Testament theology! Obviously, academics can pick and choose the chapters that suit their research topic. Old Testament teachers have much to gain from immersing themselves in the entirety of these books.

I’d also suggest that pastors who take scripture and theology seriously would enjoy spending time with Israel’s Faith. Despite its length, the chapters are divided by sections usually two to three pages long. This makes it a fine book for devotional reading. Were a pastor to read a section per day, they would never lack for sermon ideas!

Goldingay, John. Israel’s Faith. IVP Academic, 2006. Old Testament Theology 2.