Writing with clergy and students in mind, Walter Brueggemann provides guidance for interpreting Old Testament texts. He offers both advice for the interpreter as well as examples of working with different sorts of passages: from narratives, prophecies and Psalms. He also demonstrates how to work thematically, drawing together threads from different traditions. His goal is to work through the rhetoric of these passages to reach toward theological interpretation. These investigations indicate Brueggemann's conviction that the process of moving from text to interpretive outcome is an artistic enterprise that can be learned and practised.

Redescribing Reality: What We Do When We Read the Bible

Religion & Spirituality

Brueggemann, William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament Emeritus Walter

Christian Books & Bibles

SCM Press

The Bible and its preaching are for every generation urgent and indispensable, but they are especially urgent today. Within the preaching of Elijah and Elisha lie the possibilities and inspiration for the church to recover its voice in a way that is unfettered and unencumbered by old habits. It is the chance, and the responsibility, of this new voice to replicate in the present life of the church alternatives underway in the biblical text itself, to show that life "could be otherwise, " and to make it so. Considering these narratives canonically, Walter Brueggemann shows how the memories of Elijah and Elisha took on a quality and authority of lasting testimony. They exhibit a world profoundly open to the gifts, energies, and visions given by God. Brueggemann shows how such prophetic narratives summon listening Israel to a radical either/or decision, endlessly insisting that there are choices to be made that hold options for the world as otherwise.

Testimony to Otherwise: The Witness of Elijah and Elisha

Chalice Press

Each book in this series provides an in-depth look at a major recurring theme in the Bible and its lasting theological influence. The series is designed to enhance the reader's understanding of our biblical heritage and its relevance to faithful life today. Brueggemann traces the concept of shalom -- the biblical vision of one community embracing all creation -- through the Old and New Testaments. He offers an in-depth analysis of the major scriptural references, links the vision of shalom to the search for peace and justice in the world today, and shows we can work toward it in our congregations and in our everyday lives.

Peace (Understanding Biblical Themes)

This collection of essays is drawn from a series of previous collections to which the author has contributed that were designed to honor senior scholars in the discipline of Old Testament study. Each of these essays reflects a distinct intention depending on the nature of the original collection in which they appeared and the scholar who was being honored. Taken together, however, this collection amounts to an articulation of Brueggemann's distinctive approach to theological interpretation of the Old Testament. Already in his major volume on Old Testament theology, Brueggemann proposed a dynamism of tension, dispute, and contradiction as the text of ancient Israel sought to give voice to the mystery of God as a sustaining and disruptive agent in the life of the world. Over a long period of time, this collection reflects the author's growing clarity about the task of Old Testament theology. It further reflects on the nature of the biblical text and the way in which the God who inhabits the text runs beyond all of our attempts to define and explain. These essays reflect not so much on methodological issues, but take up the substantive questions that regularly occupied these ancient text-makers. ""This book collects several eloquent, eminently readable essays by Walter Brueggemann that 'lay display' his interpretive approaches to Old Testament theology. The book can serve both as introduction to his theological legacy and to his work as a public theologian during many battles of our times. Using language that never fails to engage, he illuminates texts, the world, and relationships between the two."" --Kathleen M. O'Connor, William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament emerita, Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GA ""The present collection of essays by Walter Brueggemann, handily edited by K. C. Hanson, is most welcome. All of the essays originally appeared in Festschriften, which means they are often hard to locate or track down. Readers will be very happy, as am I, to have them gathered together in one place, especially since each essay, and the collection as a whole, is vintage Brueggemann."" --Brent A. Strawn, Professor of Old Testament, Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA ""The proper subject of the discipline of Old Testament theology is the God of the Old Testament. The role of the Old Testament theologian is to interrogate the living text of the Old Testament relentlessly and passionately, so that its living God might be sought out, brought out, and thought about. No scholar of the last generation has exhibited more constancy in this high calling than Walter Brueggemann, who has been steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work and word of the Lord. These essays offer a profoundly renewing gift to the field of Old Testament interpretation from one of the finest practitioners of Old Testament theology."" --Rolf Jacobson, Associate Professor of Old Testament, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN Walter Brueggemann is William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament Emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia. He is past president of the Society of Biblical Literature and the author of numerous books, including A Pathway of Interpretation, David and His Theologian, Divine Presence amid Violence, and Praying the Psalms (2nd ed.).

The Role of Old Testament Theology in Old Testament Interpretation

Wipf and Stock

Social Criticism and Social Vision in Ancient Israel

Contents 1. Social Criticism and Social Vision in the Deuteronomic Formula of the Judges 2. A Poem of Summons (Isa 55:1-3), a Narrative of Resistance (Dan 1:1-21) 3. Psalms 9-10: A Counter to Conventional Social Reality 4. Prophetic Imagination toward Social Flourishing 5. A Royal Miracle and Its Nachleben 6. The Living Afterlife of a Dead Prophet: Words That Keep Speaking 7. The Tearing of the Curtain: Matthew 27:51 8. Five Strong Rereadings of the Book of Isaiah ""These buried nuggets of interpretive wisdom from earlier years, by a scholar whose intellectual career could only be described as unique, display the arresting combination of exegetical insight, hermeneutical energy, and ethical intensity long welcomed by students, pastors, and teachers alike."" --Robert B. Coote, Old Testament Emeritus, San Francisco Theological Seminary ""Brueggemann's production consistently vouches for its expansiveness and depth. Few are modern scholars with his ability to address both scholars and laypeople. This socially oriented book once more demonstrates the broadness of his horizon and the clarity of his visionary understanding. The reader responds with delight and inspiration. Wipf and Stock is to be congratulated for offering us this insightful contribution by a much-loved exegete and thinker."" --Andre LaCocque, Emeritus Professor of Hebrew Scriptures, Chicago Theological Seminary; author of the trilogy on the early Yahwist (Cascade Books) ""One of today's most prolific and wide-ranging critics of the Hebrew Bible, Walter Brueggemann assembles here eight studies of diverse biblical texts and traditions. They all reflect his consistent interest in sociological analysis, and they share in common a focus on the poignant need for justice in the face of power imbalances and social, economic, and political oppression. A powerful and compelling resource for biblical studies."" --Douglas A. Knight, Drucilla Moore Buffington Professor of Hebrew Bible, Emeritus, Vanderbilt University Walter Brueggemann is William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament Emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia. He is past President of the Society of Biblical Literature and the author of several books from Cascade Books, including: A Pathway of Interpretation, David and His Theologian, Divine Presence amid Violence, Praying the Psalms (2nd ed.), and The Role of Old Testament Theology in Old Testament Interpretation.

This set of seven sermons follows the traditional church sequence of "The Seven Last Words of the Cross," utterances that the gospel narratives place on the lips of Jesus. These utterances are drawn from the several gospel narratives. In the liturgical life of the church, however, the sequence has a significance and staying power of its own quite apart from the gospel narratives in which the utterances are embedded. These sermons take seriously the faith voiced by Jesus in his context of wretched abuse by the Roman Empire. They attempt, moreover, to connect that reality of faith and abuse in our contemporary world of concentrated, ruthless power. The intent of such sermons on Good Friday is to replicate for us in our context what such an interface of faith and abuse must have been like. These sermons were preached last Good Friday in the preacher's home congregation.  "As I read each powerful meditation and perfectly connected psalm, I experienced the healing power that contact with big truth will always give. This was not the sentimentalized Good Friday 'seven last words' that I had grown up with, but a full body blow of contact with reality. Making use of the biblical scholarship and sharp insight that we have all come to expect from him, Walter Brueggemann then goes further. He reveals an amazing awareness of human suffering, family, relationships, despair, hard-won faith, and personal grief that the crucifixion accounts beautifully and subtly reveal." --from the foreword by Richard Rohr  "What a gift that Walter Brueggemann's sermons on the seven last words are in print for others to read! His ability to connect Jesus's final words to the psalms and the emotional extremities of our lives made for a life-changing experience in our parish's Good Friday observance. We have returned to these sermons many times, opening our lives to the saving power of the crucified one." --Roger Green, St. Timothy's Episcopal Church, Cincinnati, OH  "Here is Walter Brueggemann preaching us through Good Friday, psalms in one hand and Jesus's seven last words in the other. In hosting these words that lie at the crux of the gospel, Brueggemann unearths surprising news of life amidst the evidence of death. This truth-filled meditation will make a wondrous companion on the pilgrim's journey through Holy Week to Easter." --Edwin Searcy, University Hill Congregation, Vancouver, BC, Canada  Walter Brueggemann is William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament Emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia. He is a prolific author, whose works include several volumes from Cascade Books: Praying the Psalms (2nd ed., 2007), Truth-Telling as Subversive Obedience (2011), Remember You Are Dust (2012), Embracing the Transformation (2013), and The Practice of Homefulness (2014).

Into Your Hand

Truth-Telling as Subversive Obedience

""Those who serve as truth-tellers in the church, like those who listen to the truth-telling in the church, are a mix of yearning and fearfulness, of receptiveness and collusion. In the end, the work of truth-telling is not to offer a new package of certitudes that displaces old certitudes. This truth to be uttered and acted, rather, is the enactment and conveyance of this Person who is truth, so that truth comes as bodily fidelity that stays reliably present to the pain of the world."" --from the Preface ""Although Truth-Telling as Subversive Obedience addresses preachers, it also calls urgently to anyone who desires to hear and do God's word. With characteristic eloquence, Brueggemann dares us to believe in new life amidst the sexual, financial, and political lies that surround us. He finds hope in the truth coursing through Scriptures and invites us to become courageous, obedient speakers of truth 'because our lives depend on it.'"" -Kathleen M. O'Connor Columbia Theological Seminary ""The provocative essays in this volume are yet another reminder that no one prods the consciences of preachers more effectively, discomfortingly, and profoundly than Walter Brueggemann. With imagination, resolve, and a comprehensive grasp of the issues, Brueggemann summons us once again to have the courage to speak 'truth that subverts our best self-deceiving certitudes.'"" -Thomas G. Long Candler School of Theology ""Walter Brueggemann has inspired more pastors and congregations than anyone else of our generation. And he continues this good work in a compelling collection of essays and sermons rooted deeply in the text and in prophetic imagination. Truth-Telling as Subversive Obedience trades in a sort of primal candor that dares to confront our most cherished conventions. Perhaps even more strikingly, this little book creates space for the loving embrace of God. Extraordinary stuff that we have come to depend on!"" -Louis Stulman University of Findlay ""The persuasion of a book that dares to address 'truth-telling' about God, the world, and humankind, rests largely on its author's capacity to discern and communicate clearly truths that may be easily overlooked or minimized by others. In this collection of articles . . . Walter Brueggemann demonstrates yet again his prescient theological skills. For those who linger over Pilate's question to Jesus, What is truth?, Brueggemann's contention that truth about God is relentlessly connected to the pain of this world is and remains an imperative in search of a faithful response."" -Samuel E. Balentine Union Presbyterian Seminary Walter Brueggemann is William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament Emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia. He is past President of the Society of Biblical Literature and the author of numerous books, including David and His Theologian, Praying the Psalms, A Pathway of Interpretation, and Ichabod toward Home.

Throughout Walter Brueggemann's career, he has repeatedly found his way back to the David and royal traditions. From some of his earliest articles and essays to monographs, commentaries, and sermons, he has explored this rich field in literary, social, and theological depth. As he has said, ""My preoccupation with David rests on the awareness that David occupies a central position in the imagination of ancient Israel and in the rendering of 'faith and history' by that community. As the genealogies locate David, he stands mid-point between the rigors of Mosaic faith and the destruction of Jerusalem; as a consequence he becomes, in the artistry of Israel, the carrier of all the ambivalence Israel knew about guarantees and risks in the world YHWH governs."" This volume brings together some of Brueggemann's key essays on the David traditions, as well as their interrelationships with traditions in the book of Genesis. --from the Foreword ""This volume usefully brings together a powerfully argued body of material from Walter Brueggemann relating to David and the development of Israelite theology. Its chapters feature the typical hallmarks of Brueggemann's scholarship: strong arguments on important themes, a very sharp eye for exegetical detail, a profound sensitivity to the theology of the narratives and a remarkable freshness of style. Students of the Bible encountering these contributions for the first time, or established scholars revisiting them, will find this book deeply enriching."" -Philip F. Esler DD (Oxon) FRSE St Mary's University College, Twickenham ""Various critical studies of the imposing figure and theological importance of David, written throughout the remarkable career of Walter Brueggemann, are brought together in this volume. Attentive to literary and historical matters, Brueggemann is always concerned about the impact the theological message can have on the church today. Grounded in the scholarship we have come to expect from this prolific author, this very readable book will appeal to a broad audience."" -Dianne Bergant, CSA Catholic Theological Union ""Walter Brueggemann is unexcelled in his ability to discern historical, literary, and theological connections between the Bible and our common work. This is amply demonstrated in this welcome collection of his essays on David, 'the carrier of all the ambivalence Israel knew about guarantees and risks in the world YHWH governs.' For a focused probe on the royal establishment, and on the man who most enigmatically embodied it, there is no better place to begin than by reading David and His Theologian."" -Samuel E. Balentine Union Presbyterian Seminary Walter Brueggemann is William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament Emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia. He is past President of the Society of Biblical Literature and the author of numerous books, including Truth-Telling as Subversive Obedience, Praying the Psalms, A Pathway of Interpretation, and Ichabod toward Home.

David and His Theologian

Remember You Are Dust

Description: ""Walter Brueggemann is the master of finding fresh and compelling dimensions of meaning in texts so familiar they barely scratch the surface of our consciousness. In this exciting collection, Brueggemann finds that when we admit we are dust, we can be liberated. Why? Because we are free from acting like God. We are free to choose obedience to the one living, true Sovereign. The idols lose their grip on us and we live faithfully and in authentic joy."" --Ronald J. Allen, Christian Theological Seminary ""According to Walter Brueggemann, the autonomy, secularity, and individualism that characterize modernity have 'exiled' the contemporary believer. Always concerned with the manner in which one is to live in the world, he argues for a subversive imagination similar to that found in the biblical wisdom writings, the Psalms, and the Prophets. One comes away from this book both energized by the vision presented and challenged to make it a reality."" --Dianne Bergant, Catholic Theological Union in Chicago ""There is a reason why Walter Brueggemann remains, for preachers and pastors, the most loved and trusted of all biblical scholars--and that is simply because he writes for us. In every season and heartbreak of life and ministry, he writes for us. And over the years, we have come to see that when Brueggemann goes to the text before God, with his signature passion, candor, and ferocious energy, he goes not for our enlightenment or edification, but for our life and for his. Read this book and take off your shoes, because you will enter onto holy ground."" --Anna Carter Florence, Columbia Theological Seminary Endorsements: ""Walter Brueggemann is the master of finding fresh and compelling dimensions of meaning in texts so familiar they barely scratch the surface of our consciousness. In this exciting collection, Brueggemann finds that when we admit we are dust, we can be liberated. Why? Because we are free from acting like God. We are free to choose obedience to the one living, true Sovereign. The idols lose their grip on us and we live faithfully and in authentic joy."" --Ronald J. Allen, Christian Theological Seminary ""According to Walter Brueggemann, the autonomy, secularity, and individualism that characterize modernity have 'exiled' the contemporary believer. Always concerned with the manner in which one is to live in the world, he argues for a subversive imagination similar to that found in the biblical wisdom writings, the Psalms, and the Prophets. One comes away from this book both energized by the vision presented and challenged to make it a reality."" --Dianne Bergant, Catholic Theological Union in Chicago ""There is a reason why Walter Brueggemann remains, for preachers and pastors, the most loved and trusted of all biblical scholars--and that is simply because he writes for us. In every season and heartbreak of life and ministry, he writes for us. And over the years, we have come to see that when Brueggemann goes to the text before God, with his signature passion, candor, and ferocious energy, he goes not for our enlightenment or edification, but for our life and for his. Read this book and take off your shoes, because you will enter onto holy ground."" --Anna Carter Florence, Columbia Theological Seminary About the Contributor(s): Walter Brueggemann is William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament Emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia. He is past President of the Society of Biblical Literature and the author of numerous books, including Truth-telling as Subversive Obedience, David and His Theologian, Praying the Psalms, A Pathway of Interpretation, and Ichabod toward Home.

Embracing the Transformation

About the Contributor(s): Walter Brueggemann is William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament Emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia. He is past President of the Society of Biblical Literature and the author of numerous books, including Truth-Telling as Subversive Obedience, David and His Theologian, Praying the Psalms, A Pathway of Interpretation, and Ichabod toward Home.

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