Called to Be God's People

Called to Be God's People is an introduction to the Old Testament designed for those who wish to have a comprehensive guide to the contents, theology, and important passages of the Old Testament. Written from a Lutheran perspective, this book is especially designed for those within that tradition and others who seek a guide to the canonical books of the Old Testament that consciously presents the Scriptures' message of Law and Gospel as well as the traditional Christian messianic understanding of Moses and the Prophets that points to Jesus as the fulfillment of God's promises to Israel. This book is ideal for university students and other Christian adults who seek to expand their knowledge of the background, content, and message of the Old Testament and its importance for Christian faith and life. It not only introduces important background information on each book of the Old Testament along with a general discussion of its contents and theology, but it also contains analyses of major passages within the Old Testament. Key terms, study questions, a glossary, a gazetteer of Old Testament people and places, maps, tables, charts, and sidebars make this book a useful and handy reference as well as a textbook. A concluding chapter on the centuries between the Old and New Testaments overlaps with a similar treatment contained in the New Testament volume in this series, Called by the Gospel, allowing for a smooth transition to the study of the rest of the Christian Scriptures. Andrew E. Steinmann is Distinguished Professor of Theology and Hebrew at Concordia University Chicago. He is the author of several books, including The Oracles of God: The Old Testament Canon; Is God Listening: Making Prayer a Part of Your Life; Fundamental Biblical Aramaic; Intermediate Biblical Hebrew; From Abraham to Paul: A Biblical Chronology; and commentaries on Daniel, Proverbs, and Ezra-Nehemiah and forthcoming commentaries on 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel in the Concordia Commentary Series. Michael Eschelbach is Professor of Theology at Concordia University, Irvine, California. He is the author of Has Joab Foiled David? A Literary Study of the Importance of Joab's Character in Relation to David. Curtis Giese Giese is Professor of Theology at Concordia University, Austin, Texas. He is author of the commentary on Jude in the Concordia Commentary Series. Paul Puffe is Professor of Theology and Hebrew at Concordia University, Austin, Texas.