Invitation to the Torah: A Guide to Reading, Teaching, and Preaching the Pentateuch

by George Van Pelt Campbell

Publisher:

Wipf and Stock

, 07/10/2020

Overview

We all love a good story. The Torah, or Pentateuch, is regularly defamed as “law.” Actually, it’s a saga about our search for happiness and how the God of the Bible fits into it. Lacing legal material into narrative punctuated with poetry, the Torah contrasts two provocative personalities named Abraham and Moses. Fascinating and fickle, their adventures portray two visions of approaching God. The Torah was written to render a verdict on who is the best model.

This book demonstrates that Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are a unified narrative, framed as contrasting biographies, proclaiming a coherent message. It surveys each book’s structure and themes to determine its argument and then articulates the Torah’s message for people of all time, its vision of human happiness. It establishes that the Torah is the core of the Jewish and Christian Bibles and shows how the rest of the Bible elaborates its message. Ending with suggestions to help you read it, this book is your invitation to the Torah.

Key Features

• Seeks to present the first five books of the Bible, the Torah, as the most important, significant and relevant thing in it.
• Approaches the Torah, not simply as a collection of ancient laws, but as a continuous story that acts as one big book and serves as the source for the rest of the Old Testament story.
• Analyzes the Torah, book by book, from Genesis to Deuteronomy, to determine its message and present its principles to foster a better reading, understanding, teaching and preaching of the Torah message

Praise for Invitation to the Torah

The subtitle tells it all—Reading, Teaching, and Preaching Torah—and in the right order. This is the finest work of its kind that I have ever come across. Technical, yes, and properly so, but written with a clarity and delightfulness of prose that it almost reads itself. I highly endorse it for serious Bible students from lay beginners to seasoned scholars.

Eugene H. Merrill, Distinguished Professor of Old Testament Studies (Emeritus), Dallas Theological Seminary

All too often, too many believers, teachers, and pastors have avoided using the first five books of the Bible because they wrongly regard these books of the Pentateuch as containing just assorted laws. But I agree with the author, these books are foundational to the rest of the Bible and begin a narrative that carries through the rest of the Bible. It is well outlined and is often discussed in contemporary terms that will catch the eye of the younger reader as well. It is a most enjoyable read.

Walter C. Kaiser Jr., President Emeritus, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Campbell does a marvelous job illustrating the coherence and importance of the Torah within the sweep of redemptive history as it is recounted in Scripture. This eminently readable, trim volume is packed with keen literary observations, theological insight, and practical points that together highlight how the Old Testament brims with life for the church. I warmly commend it.

William A. Ross, Assistant Professor of Old Testament, Reformed Theological Seminary

Product Details

• Title: Invitation to the Torah: A Guide to Reading, Teaching, and Preaching the Pentateuch
• Author: George Van Pelt Campbell
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Print Publication Date: 07/10/2020
• Logos Release Date: 07/10/2020
• Pages: 174
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Resource ID: LLS:NVTTNTRHPPNTTCH
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2020-10-06T18:12:34Z

About George Van Pelt Campbell

George Van Pelt Campbell is Professor of Biblical and Religious Studies and Sociology at Grove City College, PA, and a popular lecturer. He specializes in Old Testament, Torah, and sociology of religion. His book Everything You Know Seems Wrong (2005) analyzes globalization’s challenges for cultures and faith communities. He is a founding board member of Harvest Bridge International.