The Vitality of Old Testament Traditions

Book excerpt: "The Vitality of Old Testament Traditions" offers the best current handling of Pentateuchal traditions as they operated in the past and as they help the church now. Wolff sees Israel's faith tradition as a continuous kerygmatic response to a variety of cultural challenges. Brueggemann introduces this dynamic view of tradition. Both authors approach the Pentateuch as a treasury of new expressions of faith resulting from conflicts between traditional formulas and changing social conditions. Today's church can remain spiritually alive only if its traditions continue to be as resilient as they were in the Old Testament community. Wolff and Brueggemann affirm that modern crises of faith should be met with fresh articulations in the manner of ancient Israel-- innovative and pertinent if they are strengthened by the relevance of the past.