How to Read Exodus Tremper Longman Review

Longman III, Tremper. How to Read Daniel. Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Academic, 2020. 189 pp. Pb; $20. Link to IVP Academic

Tremper Longman has previous published five volumes in the How to Read series (on Psalms, Proverbs, Genesis, Exodus, and Job [with John Walton]). In this series, Longman intentionally targets the lay person, pastor and seminarian rather than an academic audience. Like the previous volumes in this series, Longman provides a articulate introduction to this fascinating but sometimes frustrating prophetic book.

In the first part Longman deals with some introductory bug in three capacity. In the start affiliate he deals with the genre, linguistic communication and structure of the book of Daniel. Daniel is composed of a serial of "court tales" (Dan 1-half-dozen) and apocalyptic visions (Dan 7-12). Longman uses the genre to divide the book into two units, although he does consider using the employ of Aramaic in chapters 2-7 and the clear chiastic pattern as a mode to construction the book.

Second, he sets the book of Daniel into the historical context of the Babylonian exile. He briefly treats a historical problem for the historicity of Daniel, the identity of Darius the Mede. Non surprisingly Longman accepts an early date for the book. Since the prophecy in Daniel 11 is so detailed many scholars consider information technology an example of prophecy after the fact, a common feature in apocalyptic literature. Since Longman believes God often predicts the hereafter, he sees no reason to subclass out his organized religion when he interprets Daniel eleven. If the prophecy is after the fact, then "these texts traffic in deception" (p. 33).

3rd, Longman sketches a brief theology of the book by tracing the principal theme of God'south control of the events of history (which guarantee his ultimate victory). This is true despite nowadays difficulties, every bit illustrated in the court tales. This theme of God'due south sovereign control of the events of history should be comforting to those enduring oppression. A secondary theme in Daniel is that God's people can survive and thrive in a toxic culture. While the theme is found throughout the book, Longman illustrates this theme with the testimony of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when Nebuchadnezzar demands they demonstrate their loyalty to him or dice in the fiery furnace. These two themes are developed further in the terminal 2 chapters of the book.

The second part of the book devotes a affiliate to each of Daniel's chapters with the exception of final vision (Daniel 10:1-12:four) and 12:five-13 (the conclusion to the book). This is a light commentary on major sections of the English text. Longman offers insight into primal details when necessary, simply this is an introduction non an exposition of the text. For controversial issues, Longman usually does non take a side. For the empires represented by the 4 metals, he says "it does not really matter which kingdoms are represented past these metals" (69). When he summarized the vision of four beats in Daniel vii, he does non consider the possibility the arrogant little horn represents Antiochus IV Epiphanes (although the contemptible person in eleven:21-35 is Antiochus).

The final part of the book concerns the application of Daniel for the twenty-first century Christian. These final ii capacity are more detailed expansions of the ii themes he introduced in affiliate 3. First, Longman returns to Daniel one-six and makes several suggestions for living in a toxic culture. Daniel and his friends engage with civilization and provide a model for navigating how Christians can engage contemporary culture. Second, the visions of Daniel 7-12 offering comfort in God's ultimate victory. Longman says Daniel 7-12 gives readers "the long view to help them live with confidence in a troubled world" (166). Here Longman refers to Jesus'southward ain apocalyptic discourse which cites the volume of Daniel. This affiliate as well relates the volume of Daniel to Revelation. Daniel certainly looks forward to God's intervention in history to rescue his people, but Longman is clear: Daniel's visions practise "not have an interest in giving us data that will allow usa to predict when that great even will happen" (140). Although he briefly mentions Hal Lindsey and Harold Camping (along with the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary) as using Daniel and Revelation to predict the return of Christ (or interpret electric current events), he refrains from bashing them unfairly and he does not relate these attempts to dispensationalism. He concludes, "peradventure the saddest outcome of the obsession with Daniel every bit a tool to reconstruct an apocalyptic timetable is that we often miss the important bulletin the book has for u.s. today in the twenty-starting time century" (142).

Each chapter concludes with several discussion questions which could be used in the context of a minor group Bible study or classroom. An annotated commentary list appears as an appendix including Goldingay (WBC), Business firm (TOTC), Longman (NIVAC), Lucas (AOTC), Miller (NAC), Widder (SOG), and Eastward. J. Young, The Prophecy of Daniel (Banner of Truth, 1949). Occasional endnotes betoken interested readers to other literature.

Conclusion. Like Longman's other How to Read books, How to Read Daniel succeeds in introducing the reader to the book past providing the background necessary to better sympathize Daniel. Longman's careful explanations and judicious application of the text to contemporary issues volition appeal to lay Christians who want to dig deeper into Daniel.

NB: In that location is a minor typographical fault on page 24, Nebuchadnezzar's reigns until 662 BC; this ought to be 562 (it is right in the next paragraph). On page 128, Antiochus Epiphanes Iv ought to read Antiochus Four Epiphanes (it is correct elsewhere in the text).

Thanks to IVP Academic for kindly providing me with a review copy of this book. This did non influence my thoughts regarding the work.

How to Read Exodus Tremper Longman Review

Source: https://readingacts.com/2020/06/18/tremper-longman-iii-how-to-read-daniel/

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