On August 16, 2021, I will celebrate the 16th anniversary of my blog. From a humble beginning, where, for several months, fewer than 100 people visited my blog daily, my blog has expanded in circulation and readership.

Today there are more than 2900 subscribers to my blog. Many people follow my blog on Facebook, on Twitter, and Tumblr. Every year, almost one million people visit my blog to learn more about the Old Testament. The last time I checked, my blog was read in 208 different countries and territories of the world.

What has contributed to the growth of my blog is the fact that many people all over the world have a genuine desire to learn more about the Old Testament. Many people today believe that the Old Testament is not useful to Christians in the 21st century. But the fact is that the Christian Bible begins with Genesis and not with Matthew.

The Old Testament is an integral part of the Christian Scriptures and faithful readers of the Bible want to know more about it. Let us face it: some sections of the Old Testament are difficult to understand and some texts may be understood in more than one way.

This is the reason, I believe, that many people read my blog. I try to present an understanding of the text that is based on the social, religious, and cultural contexts in which the text of the Old Testament was produced. I put dogma aside and seek to present what the biblical authors were trying to communicate to their audience. It is after this process of interpretation that I make a bridge to the proper understanding of how an Old Testament passage in used in the New Testament.

In order to celebrate the sixteenth anniversary of my blog, I will give away six copies of my book, Rereading the Biblical Text: Searching for Meaning and Understanding, during the month of August, 2021.

Free Books

One free copy of my book will be given on each Monday in August. The dates for the next giveaway in August are: August 16, 23, 30. Then, on the 16th anniversary of my blog, August 16, I will select an additional person who will receive a free copy of my book.

Submitting Your Entry

To enter the free book giveaway, send an email to drmariottini@gmail.com. In the subject line of the email put “16th Anniversary.” Please, include your name and address where you will receive the book. Each Monday in August a name will be selected to receive the free book. On August 16, an additional name will be selected to receive the free book. So, the earlier you enter the giveaway, the better your chances are to win a free copy of my book.

Deadline for Submission

All entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m., August 27, 2021. Those who submit their names by this deadline will qualify for the last giveaway in August. Late entries will not qualify for the giveaway.

A Promise

Winners must allow their names and their states or nations to be published on the blog. If you are a winner, the book will be sent anywhere in the 208 countries my blog is read.  Names and emails will not be used for solicitations, junk email, or any promotional purposes. Names and emails will be used only for the selection of winners.

As I prepare to celebrate the 16th anniversary of my blog, I would like to thank every reader who subscribes to my blog or visits the blog on a regular basis. It is your comments, emails, and personal words of encouragement that motivate me to continue to blog on a regular basis.

Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

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If you are looking for other series of studies on the Old Testament, visit the Archive section and you will find many studies that deal with a variety of topics.