Who Needs the
Old Testament?

Author Katherine Dell
Publisher SPCK  £9.99
Format pbk
ISBN 9780281065042

This well-written book perfectly fills the territory between obscure, ‘over-academic’ scholarship and biblical ignorance, producing an inspiring introduction to the complexities of the Old Testament. Dell’s principal objective is to thwart the bias of the ‘New Atheists’ (Dawkins, Hitchens) who have used selected parts of the Old Testament to question the validity and ethical value of all scripture. While not afraid to address difficult passages, Dell also illuminates these and many other texts for those who need to understand their wider context and to preach them with confidence and integrity. She succeeds admirably in illustrating the diversity of biblical genres, wearing her own formidable scholarship lightly, and showing the relevance of the Hebrew Scriptures to the New Testament and modern Christianity. I strongly recommend this book to all who need a general but authoritative guide to the Old Testament.

PETER CLOUGH

Old Testament Analysis