Introducing the Old Testament, 4th ed.

by John William Drane

Publisher:

Lion Scholar

, 2019

Overview

Continuously in print for over 30 years, and available in many different languages, John Drane’s Introducing the Old Testament has long been recognized as an authoritative and accessible survey of the subject.

This new edition has been fully revised and updated with fresh material on a range of topics, especially the political and cultural context that influenced the compilation of its books and the development of the faith of ancient Israel and Judah. Specific issues that will be of particular interest to students are highlighted in special boxed feature sections, along with an extensive glossary of technical terms and key maps and diagrams.

This book is the ideal starting point for readers who wish to explore the Old Testament and its world in the light of recent scholarship, and its relevance to life in the twenty-first century.

Key Features

• Features an extensive glossary of technical terms and key maps and diagrams
• Includes highlighted boxes with feature sections containing specific issues of particular interest
• Serves as the ideal starting point to explore the OT and its world in the light of recent scholarship

Contents

Introduction

Part I: Nations and Peoples

• Ancient Mesopotamia
• Egypt
• Canaanites, Israelites, and Everyday Life
• Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and Greeks

Part II: The Books and the Stories

• The Founding of a Nation
• New People in an Old Land
• ‘A King Like Other Nations’
• Two kingdoms
• Judah and Jerusalem
• Reflecting on the Past, Imagining a Better Future
• New Possibilities and Old Temptations
• The Challenge of a New Age

Part III: The Faith Behind the Story

• The Living God
• God and the World
• Living as the People of God
• Worship
• From Hebrew Bible to Old Testament

Product Details

• Title: Introducing the Old Testament, 4th ed.
• Author: John William Drane
• Edition: Fourth edition
• Publisher: Lion Scholar
• Print Publication Date: 2019
• Logos Release Date: 2025
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subject: Old Testament
• Resource ID: LLS:NTRDCNGLDTS4THD
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-06-05T23:27:41Z

About John William Drane

Dr. John William Drane (Ph.D.) is a Scottish theologian who is probably best known for his two best-selling books on the Bible, Introducing the Old Testament and Introducing the New Testament (both published by Lion in the UK and Fortress Press in the US). He is also the author of The McDonaldization of the Church (London: DLT 2000), Do Christians Know How to Be Spiritual? (London: DLT 2004), and numerous journal and encyclopaedia articles.

He studied in the University of Aberdeen where he was a student of I. Howard Marshall, and he holds a PhD from the University of Manchester, where his mentor was F. F. Bruce. John has taught in the Scottish universities of Stirling and Aberdeen and is currently teaching in the professional doctorate programmes of Fuller Seminary as well as working with CMS in the Pioneer Mission Leadership Training Programme.

John is married to another theologian, Revd Dr. Olive Fleming Drane, with whom he regularly works in church contexts as well as the academy. Time out might involve gardening, bread making, travel, cycling, camping, posting on social media, or simply doing ‘nothing’.