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Arguably the most thoughtful and dynamic interpreter of the Pentateuch today, John H. Sailhammer has produced a monumental theological exposition of the Torah in The Meaning of the Pentateuch: Revelation, Composition, and Interpretation that will take its place alongside, and make an excellent companion to, his classic The Pentateuch as Narrative.
Sailhamer's methodological strategy is simple enough even if difficult to apply. He wants to understand the Pentateuch on the micro level in its verbal form (i.e. phrases sentences, etc.), but also wants to glue those pieces together in order to gain a unified understanding of the whole. Yet, for Sailhamer this is not possible apart from an understanding of the authorial strategies employed by the biblical author(s?).
But Sailhamer's questions do not end here. Indeed, his additional questions give this book a character that make Sailhamer's definitive volume bringing together his vast knowledge of the Pentateuch and his exceptional scholarly acumen. Who was to use the Pentateuch as an authoritative document to dictate faith norms? What, if any, continuing relevance does it have for today? Finally, he asks the most important question: What does it mean to believe that the Pentateuch is the Word of God?These and many other questions give rise to what may be termed a 'theological interpretation' of the Pentateuch. As such this book is a crucial resource for Pastors, students, and scholars who not only want to understand the Pentateuch as a document from history, but as a richly religious, thematically coherent, and theologically authoritative Scripture.
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