1 & 2 Samuel (Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible)

by David Jensen

Publisher:

Westminster John Knox

, 2015

Overview

First and Second Samuel describe the beginnings of monarchy in ancient Israel and introduce us to intriguing characters: Samuel—prophet, priest, and judge; Saul—the tragic figure who becomes Israel’s first king; and David—Saul’s celebrated successor and Israel’s key leader whose influence endured for generations. But as Jensen makes clear in his splendid commentary, there is another figure who is a central character: God. Throughout his theologically rich treatment of these biblical books, Jensen explores what makes these texts important for us. He suggests that we read 1 and 2 Samuel because they reveal the complexities of the human person; the ambiguities of our social arrangements as nations; and God’s agency in a conflicted world. Jensen notes that as we are shaped by and grapple with the biblical stories, we are invited to find our own stories within them. “What keeps us coming back to faith,” he says, “is its stories: stories that tell the truth about the human condition, our shared corporate life, and the life God gives to the world.”

Product Details

• Title: 1 & 2 Samuel (Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible)
• Author: David Jensen
• Edition: First edition
• Series: Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox
• Print Publication Date: 2015
• Logos Release Date: 2018
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Bible. O.T. 1 Samuel › Commentaries; Bible. O.T. 2 Samuel › Commentaries
• ISBNs: 9780664232498, 0664232493
• Resource ID: LLS:BELIEFSAMUEL
• Resource Type: Bible Commentary
• Metadata Last Updated: 2023-01-16T23:02:57Z

About David Jensen

Prior to his appointment to Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 2001, Dr. Jensen was assistant professor of religion and philosophy at Manchester College in North Manchester, Indiana, where he taught theology, church history, and ethics. Jensen’s teaching career began with a Fulbright Teaching Fellowship to Austria after graduation from Carleton College in 1990. While a doctoral student at Vanderbilt University, Jensen received the Harvie Branscomb Fellowship, given to an entering doctoral student showing the most promise for academic contribution in the field of religion. He was a Master Teaching Fellow and university-wide consultant on effective teaching. He is currently among forty invited participants nationwide in the Workgroup in Constructive Theology. His teaching interests include systematic and constructive theology, comparative religion and interreligious dialogue, Protestant theology, and philosophical theology. He has published several articles in the area of interreligious dialogue, and in his first book, In the Company of Others: A Dialogical Christology (Pilgrim Press, 2001), Jensen sets forth a christology that encourages dialogue among Christians and people of other faith traditions. His latest books include Graced Vulnerability: A Theology of Childhood (Pilgrim Press, 2005), Responsive Labor: A Theology of Work ( Westminster John Knox, 2006), and The Lord and Giver of Life: Perspectives in Constructive Pneumatology (Westminster John Knox, 2008) for which he was the editor. He is currently writing two book manuscripts. One is a short introduction to Christian hope and the other a theology of human sexuality.