My friend and former colleague Scot McKnight, Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary, wrote the Foreword to my book Divine Violence and the Character of God. Scot is one of the major New Testament scholars today.

Scot is a prolific writer who writes academic books using the language of the church. Scot has written many books on the historical Jesus, early Christianity, and Christian living. His book, The Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others, won the Christianity Today book of the year for Christian Living. Scot’s blog, “Jesus Creed” is one of the most popular blogs on the Internet, attracting thousands of readers every day.

Among the many books Scot has written, Reading Romans Backwards: A Gospel of Peace in the Midst of Empire, is a book that must be read. His book on Romans is intended for the general reader who wants to gain a better knowledge of the theology of Paul and the pastoral concern that Paul expresses in his letter. I had the opportunity to review Reading Romans Backwards: A Gospel of Peace in the Midst of Empire and I learned much from this book. One of his latest books, A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing, has gained wide acceptance among pastors and church leaders because it addresses critical issues facing the church today.

In his Foreword to Divine Violence and the Character of God, Scot wrote,

The advice of Jesus to turn the other cheek stands in flat contradiction to the prevailing wisdom in the Old Testament but that “Oddly, most Christians, through the centuries, have not been bothered by this contradiction.” Mariottini has been bothered, both by the texts and some recent attempts to resolve, and I believe his solution helps us immensely. This book deserves to be read slowly.

The violence of the Old Testament is in front of us but so is the cross, a cross on which God absorbed and ended the violence so that we might be transformed from nationalisms and violence into peacemakers in the mode of Jesus. Peter Craigie said it well: “Over and over again, Christians have forgotten that God the Warrior became the Crucified God.” This book will help you remember.

On his Facebook post, Scot McKnight said that Divine Violence and the Character of God is “a fantastic book.”

Divine Violence and the Character of God will be published at the end of January 2022. The book deals with God’s violent acts in the Old Testament in light of God’s character as a gracious and merciful God. You can order a pre-publication copy of the book at a 40% discount. If you want to order the book at 40% discount, send an email to drmariottini@gmail.com and put Divine Violence in the subject line and I will send you information on how to order a pre-publication copy of the book at 40% discount. This discount will be available only on pre-publication orders. Once the book is published, the 40% discount will no longer be available.

Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

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