Walter Brueggemann & Old Testament Theology

It is clear throughout reading Walter Brueggemann’s Theology of the Old Testament, that this author’s approach is rather different than the other authors we have already observed. Our primary questions are directed towards whether the author at hand includes the resounding and completing witness of the New Testament in their treatise of the Old, whether there is a central theme in the Old Testament, and which canon if any should the OT theologian be limited to? So far Waltke and Childs have provided examples of authors who simply reply; yes, yes, and the Christian canon. Brueggemann could not be any further from these two scholars as he would say; no, no, and the Jewish canon. However, before we write Brueggemann off as Waltke already has, he deserves to be heard and understood.

A large portion of Brueggemann’s introduction is dedicated to explaining the evolution of the OT theological discipline as are many introductions to such works. He eventually comes to explain that his OT theology is a task of rhetorical criticism. Much like Childs, he truly believes that what can be understood by the and through the text is to be found within the text itself. However, whereas Childs deals with the broader scope of the entire canon, Brueggemann deals with the smaller scope of the sentences and at times the even smaller scope of the words. The depth of meaning is found in the way that words are construed, utilized and played with. Through the rhetoric of the authors and their dealing with the variety of circumstances that the text depicts, we come to understand Israel's perspective of self and of other. We are presented with a very human text, one that is authoritative, but unequivocally human nonetheless. It is through Israel's testimony and witness that Yahweh is revealed through the slow unveiling of His actions for it is primarily through actions, that is verbs, that Yahweh interacts with His people.

Our first two questions are addressed in tandem since they are so intimately linked. As Brueggemann is dealing with the rhetoric of Scripture, questions of the inclusion of the New Testament regarding Old Testament theology are almost irrelevant. The person of Jesus found in the realities of the Gospels, the constant struggle for unity and holiness found in the epistles have relatively no bearing on how we hear the words of the authors found in the book of Numbers for instance. While I might add that the truths found in the rhetoric of the text may be useful even fruitful for understanding the new realities of the revealed and risen Christ, they are not in and of themselves pertinent. Rather, the very idea of including the New Testament in the conversation regarding the Old, limits the theologian to a perspective that automatically excludes the very thing Brueggemann is attempting to understand, that being, how Israel understands itself and Yahweh, through the way in which Yahweh chooses to work in the world.

The Old Testament in the eyes of Brueggemann is a wholeheartedly Jewish text. It is a text about the development, self understanding, and self-reflection of the people of Israel and their interactions with this strange, generous deity named Yahweh. As such, any interpretation should be done on the grounds of the original authors and hearers of the text. Furthermore, There is no unifying theme for Brueggemann, only compartmentalized snapshots of these people and this God. As such, Brueggemann provides us with an entirely different perspective on the subject of OT theology and this fact in and of itself means that we should take him seriously.

Brueggemann, Walter. Theology of the Old Testament: Testimony, Dispute, Advocacy. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1997.