I am taking a few days away from posting because I am preparing the final revisions of my forthcoming book titled Divine Violence and the Character of God. The book will be published in January 2022.
The Taking of Jericho
by Jean Fouquet, c.1452-1460
The issue of divine violence has been a topic of debate in the first two decades of the twenty-first century among scholars, college and seminary students, pastors and lay people, believers and non-believers. There are many reasons for this interest in divine violence. One reason is the rise of secularism and atheism in our society. The rejection of religion leads to the criticism of the God of the Bible.
Another reason is the practical rejection of the Old Testament by many pastors and church members. Some church members believe that Christians do not need to read the Old Testament anymore because the Old Testament has been superseded by the New Testament. This rejection of the Old Testament has created a group of people who could be classified as twenty-first-century Marcionites.
The Marcionites were a heretical group that followed the teachings of a man named Marcion in the second century. Marcion and his followers rejected the Old Testament and taught that the God of the Old Testament was a tyrant. Marcionites believed that the wrathful God of the Old Testament was not the loving and all-forgiving God of the New Testament. They believed that Jesus Christ was not the Son of the God of the Old Testament, but the Son of the good God, who was different from the God of the Old Testament. My book seeks to present a different picture of the God rejected by Marcion.
Another reason for the interest in divine violence is because many people want to know what kind of God the God of the Old Testament is. During my tenure at Northern Seminary, I taught a course titled “Old Testament Theology: The God of the Old Testament” in which I taught my students how to gain a better understanding of the God of the Old Testament. In the process, I developed a model for understanding divine violence in the Old Testament, a model that I will share in this book.
Hundreds of students who took my seminary class on Old Testament Theology have had an impact on the development of this book. I am sure those students will want to read this book.
In addition, most of the people who read my blog regularly are also interested in reading and dealing with the problem of divine violence in the Old Testament.
My book Divine Violence and the Character of God will be published in 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 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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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.
Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament 