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WORK TITLE: The Old Testament Is Dying
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http://candler.emory.edu/faculty/profiles/strawn-brent.html * http://candler.emory.edu/faculty/profiles/cv-files/strawn-brent_cv.pdf * http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/authors/brent-a-strawn/2510
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LC control no.: n 96120157
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/n96120157
HEADING: Strawn, Brent A.
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100 1_ |a Strawn, Brent A.
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400 1_ |a Strawn, B. A. |q (Brent A.)
670 __ |a The Dead Sea scrolls, c1996: |b title page (Brent A. Strawn) page 147 (B.A. Strawn, fellow in O.T. at Princeton Theological Seminary)
670 __ |a A God so near, 2003 |b E-CIP data sheet (Strawn, Brent A.; b. 07-20-70)
670 __ |a Candler School of Theology Emory University WWW site, Jan 17, 2016 |b (Dr. Brent A. Strawn, Professor of Old Testament; Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program)
953 __ |a ye94 |b sh20
PERSONAL
Born July 20, 1970.
EDUCATION:Point Loma Nazarene College, B.A., 1992; Princeton Theological Seminary, M.Div., 1995, Ph.D, 2001.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Rutgers University, former faculty; Asbury Theological Seminary, former faculty; Emory University, professor and director of the Doctor of Ministry Program, 2001—. Visiting lecturer, Princeton Theological Seminary; visiting professor, Columbia Theological Seminary.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Brent A. Strawn earned his bachelor of arts degree from Point Loma Nazarene College in 1992. He then went on to complete his master’s of divinity and his doctorate at Princeton Theological Seminary (in 1995 and 2001, respectively). Strawn has continued his academic career on the faculty of Rutgers University and Asbury Theological Seminary, and he has also served as a visiting lecturer at Princeton Theological Seminary and visiting professor at Columbia Theological Seminary. Since 2001, Strawn has worked at Emory University, where he serves as professor of Old Testament and director of the Doctor of Ministry Program.
Strawn is an expert in Old Testament studies, including theology, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and legal strictures as applied or set out inthe Old Testament. His research focus often centers on the Psalms, theological exegesis, and Deuteronomy. Strawn is additionally well versed in Near Eastern iconography, and he is the editor of several theologically-minded books. His first effort as coeditor, The Dead Sea Scrolls: Rule of the Community, was released in 1996, and it was followed seven years later by the coedited volume A God So Near: Essays on Old Testament Theology in Honor of Patrick D. Miller. Strawn next coedited Qumran Studies: New Approaches, New Questions and Psalms for Preaching and Worship: A Lectionary Commentary in 2007 and 2009. From 2012 to 2015, Strawn solely edited and released four volumes about the Bible: The Bible and the Pursuit of Happiness: What the Old and New Testaments Teach Us about the Good Life, When Prayer Takes Place: Forays into a Biblical World, The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Law, and What Kind of God? Collected Essays of Terence E. Fretheim. Strawn then returned to coediting with Iconographic Exegesis of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament : An Introduction to Its Method and Practice in 2015 and The World around the Old Testament: The People and Places of the Ancient Near East in 2016.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Law
With The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Law, Strawn explores the many ways in which the Old and New Testaments have informed legal practices over time. The book connects biblical laws about marriage, inheritance, and even the treatment of animals to secular laws, legal practices, and enforcement. Each entry in the book ranges from four to six pages, and each entry also includes its own bibliography and a list of cross-references.
Reviews of The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Law were largely positive, and critics noted that the comperhensive volume is well-organized and informative. Indeed, a Library Journal critic called the book “a wide-ranging scholarly study of the Bible’s enduring, ongoing impact.” Wade Osburn, writing in Booklist, was also impressed, and he felt that “most entries here cover exactly what one would expect from a theological reference work.” Osborn also found that the entries strike “a perfect balance between academic meatiness and academic overload.”
The Old Testament is Dying
In addition to his extensive work as an editor, Strawn is also the author of the 2005 book What Is Stronger than a Lion? Leonine Image and Metaphor in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East and the 2017 book The Old Testament Is Dying: A Diagnosis and Recommended Treatment. In the latter volume, Strawn claims that the Old Testament is comparable to a dying language, and he warns that the loss of cultural connection to the Old Testament does not bode well for Christianity or society. The book is divided into three sections: “The Old Testament as a Dying Language,” “Signs of Morbidity,” and “Path to Recovery.” Each section takes a linguistic approach to the study and dissemination of the Old Testament, and the author condemns atheists and theists alike. For the former camp, Strawn declares that atheists linguistically spread disdain; while for the latter camp, popular evangelicals use Biblical “pidgin,” reducing complex concepts to the level of aphorism. From there, the author explains that increased ignorance of the Old Testament can be traced to theological and social struggles to reconcile the Old Testament with the New. Given that failure, most Christians focus entirely on the New Testament. Yet, Strawn claims that this has further limited Biblical linguistics, and he correlates this limitation to the rise of anti-Semitism. Turning to solutions in the final section of the book, Strawn simply advises the renewed and continued study of the Old Testament.
Discussing his theories in an online Huffington Post article, Strawn remarked: “So many Christians don’t know what to say, let alone do, about politics these days. It’s because very few Christians today know much about their sacred book, the Holy Bible, and how it might speak to important social and ethical issues. This widespread lack of knowledge is sad proof that the language of Christianity, especially as reflected in the Bible, is endangered and dying.” The author added: “Looking at this situation in terms of linguistics and the life cycle of languages suggests that many people—Christian people, mind you—just don’t know how to speak their faith anymore.”
Praising Strawn’s insights in Publishers Weekly, a critic noted that The Old Testament is Dying provides an “intriguing analysis” that “sounds an alarm.” The critic also felt that “this engaging scholarly work deserves serious attention from today’s church leaders.” David T. Lamb, writing in Christianity Today Online, offered praise as well, asserting: “Like a doctor examining a patient, Brent Strawn examines our Old Testament habits and makes a dire diagnosis.” Lamb then concluded: “As a fellow teacher of the Old Testament, and one who has attempted to address some of the obstacles Strawn has observed, I’m deeply sympathetic toward his project in The Old Testament Is Dying. I’m committed to doing my part to bring the language of the Old Testament back to life. Part of me wonders whether most readers of this book will be like me, people who already love the Old Testament, making the book essentially a sermon preached to the choir. I hope and pray, however, that this is not the case.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, July 1, 2015, Wade Osburn, “All about the Bible.”
Library Journal, July 1, 2015, review of The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Law.
Publishers Weekly, January 9, 2017, review of The Old Testament Is Dying: A Diagnosis and Recommended Treatment.
ONLINE
Christianity Today Online, http://www.christianitytoday.com/ (October 23, 2017), David T. Lamb, “Man Shall Not Live on the New Testament Alone.”
Emory University Website, http://candler.emory.edu/ (October 23, 2017), author profile.
Huffington Post, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ (October 23, 2017), Brent A. Strawn, “Social Media: Where the Bible Goes to Die.”
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Home » Candler Faculty » Brent A. Strawn
Brent A. Strawn
Professor of Old Testament; Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program
Brent A. Strawn
Email: brent.strawn@emory.edu
Phone: 404.727.4153
PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary, 2001
MDiv, Princeton Theological Seminary, 1995
BA, Point Loma Nazarene College, 1992
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The Rev. Dr. Brent A. Strawn joined the Candler faculty in 2001, and in addition to teaching Old Testament, serves as director of the Doctor of Ministry degree at Candler. He previously taught at Rutgers University and Asbury Theological Seminary, held a visiting lecturer position at Princeton Theological Seminary and taught as a visiting professor at Columbia Theological Seminary.
Strawn conducts research in ancient Near Eastern iconography, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Israelite religion, legal traditions of the Old Testament, and Old Testament theology. Within the Old Testament proper, he works in the Pentateuch and poetry, focusing especially on Deuteronomy, the Psalms, and theological exegesis.
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PUBLICATIONS AWARDS MEDIA COURSES
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Faculty PublicationFaculty PublicationFaculty Publication
The Old Testament is Dying: A Diagnosis and Recommended Treatment Baker Academic2017
Co-editor, The World Around the Old Testament: The People and Places of the Ancient Near East Baker Academic2016
Co-editor, Iconographic Exegesis of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible: An Introduction to Its Theory, Method, and Practice Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht2015
Co-editor, What Kind of God? Collected Essays of Terence E. Fretheim Eisenbrauns2015
Editor-in-chief, The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Law Oxford University Press2015
"What Is Cush Doing in Amos 9:7? The Poetics of Exodus in the Plural" Vetus Testamentum2013
"A Woman at Prayer (Psalm 131,2b) and Arguments 'from Parallelism'" Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft2012
Editor, The Bible and the Pursuit of Happiness: What the Old and New Testaments Teach Us about the Good Life Oxford University Press2012
Co-author, Psalms for Preaching and Worship: A Lectionary Commentary Eerdmans2009
What Is Stronger Than a Lion? Leonine Image and Metaphor in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht2005
BRENT STRAWN IN THE NEWS
Centennial Essays, Speeches Published in New Book
Continue reading »
Huffington Post: Strawn Writes About the Old Testament in Social Media
Emory News Center: Old Testament Headed to Extinction, Strawn Warns
2016 Brings New Books by Candler Faculty
More News »
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Brent A. Strawn, Ph.D.
Religion, Class of 1992
Brent A. Strawn Headshot
Dr. Brent A. Strawn practically grew up at PLNU where his dad was a professor of math and computer science, and his mom served on staff and taught several courses in speech and communications. Now a professor of Old Testament at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, Brent’s PLNU experience shapes him as a professor today.
Brent graduated from PLNU with a B.A. in religion with a Bible concentration in 1992. He then went on to earn his Master of Divinity and Ph.D. in biblical studies at Princeton Theological Seminary.
Emory University is a research university, so in his role as a professor, Brent divides his time between teaching courses at the masters and doctoral levels and doing research and writing in his primary area of expertise: Old Testament/Hebrew Bible studies. He first took Biblical Hebrew at PLNU as a senior, which is when he also wrote an honors thesis under the guidance of emeritus professor, Dr. Frank Carver. That thesis was over 150 pages long; while Brent wrote it, he confesses he “fell in love with the footnote.” It was Carver who first encouraged Brent to think about getting a Ph.D. someday.
Brent conducts research in several different areas. “That keeps me from getting bored,” he says. His specialities include ancient Near Eastern iconography, the Pentateuch (especially Exodus and Deuteronomy), Psalms, and Ecclesiastes.
Brent’s research ranges from specialized academic work to more practical matters. He has composed technical works on the textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible, for instance, but has also written a number of resources on how to better preach the biblical texts.
Brent has authored or edited numerous books. The most recent was published in March 2017: The Old Testament is Dying: A Diagnosis and Recommended Treatment. The work is a reminder of the Old Testament’s crucial place in Christian life and faith and offers ways to revitalize its role in the modern church.
Even before arriving at PLNU, Brent felt called to ministry and thought he would end up as a Nazarene pastor. His application to Princeton was done on a lark, he says. He was mostly just curious to see if he could get accepted to a few different schools. He was, and eventually chose Princeton, though he wasn’t fully aware of the quality of the Bible faculty there. Once he arrived for class, Brent quickly fell in love with the school and, in particular, his Old Testament courses. PLNU prepared him well: he had already taken Greek and Hebrew in college, and that, along with other aspects of his religion major at PLNU, gave him a leg up on many of his classmates.
A specific example of how PLNU prepared him was by introducing him to the academic study of scripture. Brent says that scholarly analysis of the Bible can occasionally disorient students encountering it for the first time because it sometimes appears to challenge one’s faith. This needn’t be the case, he says. As proof of that point, he referred to his PLNU professors who introduced him to the critical study of scripture in a way that integrates faith and scholarship.
“In a real sense, they inculcated in me a fundamentally faithful disposition towards scripture and its study that really nothing could assail. That is a remarkable gift that I will forever be thankful for,” he says.
In 2014, Brent was honored with the Alumnus of Point Loma Award and will always be part of the PLNU family.
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Print Marked Items
The Old Testament Is Dying: A Diagnosis and
Recommended Treatment
Publishers Weekly.
264.2 (Jan. 9, 2017): p62.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* The Old Testament Is Dying: A Diagnosis and Recommended Treatment
Brent A. Strawn. Baker, $29.99 trade paper
(320p) ISBN 978-0-8010-4888-3
In this intriguing analysis, Candler School of Theology professor Strayra sounds an alarm, equating the Old Testament
with a dying language the loss of which threatens devastating consequences for Christianity and humanity. Using
linguistic investigations, Strawn describes both the "vicious disdain" for the Old Testament deity professed by biologist
Richard Dawkins and the New Atheists, and the extreme "religious rhetoric" of television evangelist Pat Robertson as
"pidgins": "greatly abbreviated languages that facilitate the bare minimum of communication." Arguing that the secondcentury
heresies of Marcion, who found irreconcilable differences between the deities represented in the Old and New
Testaments, have endured, Strawn suggests that the "pidginization reflected in Christian liturgy" led to the rise in
German anti-Semitism and eventually the Holocaust. He argues that the Old Testament language was "reduced, then
subsumed, then transformed, and... entirely forgotten" in the "creole" preached by prosperity gospel "happiologists" like
Joel Osteen. Following these depressing analyses with "A Path to Recovery," Strawn emphasizes the need to save dying
languages and become bilingual, concluding that "the Old Testament must be used--extensively and regularly ... in
formative moments of Christian practice and education." This engaging scholarly work deserves serious attention from
today's church leaders. (Mar.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"The Old Testament Is Dying: A Diagnosis and Recommended Treatment." Publishers Weekly, 9 Jan. 2017, p. 62.
General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA477339361&it=r&asid=71089d137e46b51c8d4a721434fc35b1.
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The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Law
Library Journal.
140.12 (July 1, 2015): p111.
COPYRIGHT 2015 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution
permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Law. Oxford Univ. (Encyclopedia of the Bible). 2015.1100p. ed. by Brent A.
Strawn. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780199843305. $395. REF
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One can't deny the role the Bible has played in legal matters, as editor Strawn (theology, Emory Univ.) rightfully notes
in this reference. This deep dive into the influence of the Old and New Testaments on various law issues provides a host
of essays from international scholars discussing biblical strictures on the treatment of animals, inheritance, and
marriage; interconnections with Persian law; and more. Each lengthy entry closes with its own bibliography and
includes many cross-references. VERDICT A wide-ranging scholarly study of the Bible's enduring, ongoing impact.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Law." Library Journal, 1 July 2015, p. 111. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA421082532&it=r&asid=1b3f7c56c547a72d724b76e962e216b0.
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All about the Bible
Wade Osburn
Booklist.
111.21 (July 1, 2015): p4.
COPYRIGHT 2015 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
* The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Law. Ed. by Brent A. Strawn. 2v. 2015. 1,176p. Oxford, $395
(97801998433051.200.
* The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Theology. Ed. by Samuel E. Balentine. 2v. 2015. 1,200p. Oxford, $395
(97801998586991.200.
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The Oxford Encyclopedias of the Bible (OEB) project began in 2011 and has rapidly reached 14 volumes, growing by
sets of 2 volumes at a time. To put it into perspective, that's potentially seven A--Z sets to peruse when you're in
research mode.
One of the sets released this year is the 2-volume installment on the Bible and law. It is only the third set in the series
devoted entirely to a biblical subtopic (versus a subdiscipline)--the other two being gender and ethics. Roughly onethird
of the set's 130 entries cover biblical topics like adoption, animals, children, divorce, suicide, and widows-all of
which have a significant law aspect to them. Various biblical texts are highlighted I as well, including the Ten
Commandments, the Golden Rule, and the Sermon on the Mount. What is surprising is the vast amount of content
devoted to the legal world outside of scripture. Ancient Near Eastern cultures are considered, along with Greco-Roman
and early Jewish. The focus then transitions from law in the Bible to the Bible's influence on law, which is a significant
shift. In this vein, contemporary legal settings are covered, including the medieval period and modern-day Jewish
movements and geographical regions (e.g., the U.S., Latin America, Africa, and Asia).
Counterbalancing this extrabiblical focus is The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Theology, the second OEB
addition this year. Most entries here cover exactly what one would expect from a theological reference work:
atonement, baptism, Christology, love, miracles, and so forth. Approximately one-dozen biblical books receive focused
treatments (e.g., Genesis, Psalms, Revelation), along | with widely recognized sections of scripture (e.g., Catholic
Epistles, wisdom literature). Like previous OEB sets, the two latest installments preserve a perfect balance between
academic meatiness and academic overload (e.g., four to six pages per entry, moderate-length bibliographies
throughout). These additions to the master work are highly recommended, especially for strong religious reference
collections.--Wade Osburn
Osburn, Wade
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Osburn, Wade. "All about the Bible." Booklist, 1 July 2015, p. 4. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA429089728&it=r&asid=bd259f049d4948bae139b4cd7db13614.
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From Whom No Secrets Are Hid: Introducing the
Psalms
Publishers Weekly.
261.28 (July 14, 2014): p69.
COPYRIGHT 2014 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
From Whom No Secrets Are Hid: Introducing the Psalms
Walter Brueggemann, edited by Brent A. Strawn. Westminster John Knox, $30 trade paper (224p) ISBN 978-0-6642-
5971-6
Pre-eminent biblical studies scholar Brueggemann (Sabbath As Resistance) says Psalms are ultimately therapeutic in
that they allow the reader to disclose everything, even secrets. Taking his title from the prayer for purity in the Anglican
tradition, Brueggemann demonstrates how the rawness of emotion in the Psalms, however uncomfortable for some, is
exactly what is needed to reveal common humanity. What can't be told perforce must be told and full disclosure--to
oneself and to God--keeps individuals healthy. An introduction is followed by Psalm categories: praise,
lament/complaint, and thanksgiving. Examples include both the Psalms believers will find familiar and those rarely
found in liturgy, Psalms which may not fit with the tone of contemporary worship. This is not an exhaustive work, nor
does Brueggemann intend it to be. Its usefulness and uniqueness come from the idea that in praying all of the Psalms,
those who pray them come to self-acceptance. He concludes . with extensive notes and an appendix that explains his
earlier classification system for Psalms into three categories: orientation, disorientation, reorientation. (Aug.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"From Whom No Secrets Are Hid: Introducing the Psalms." Publishers Weekly, 14 July 2014, p. 69. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA375948469&it=r&asid=5dcd064d41d09a7028d3865469eb34e6.
Accessed 3 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A375948469