Enter the classroom of John Goldingay, one of today's premier biblical interpreters, and begin the adventure of exploring the Bible's First Testament. Some Old Testament introductions tell you what you could have seen for yourself. They might recount in detail what other scholars have said, and then tell you what you should think about it. But with refreshing directness, John Goldingay outfits you with basic knowledge, points out the main approaches, outlines the primary issues and then sets you loose to explore the terrain for yourself. Traverse the grand tapestry of the Torah. Discern the art and grain of biblical narrative. Listen to the cries, confessions and cadences of the Psalms. Probe the varied textures of wisdom literature. And ponder the prophets in the darkening nightmare of exile and the distant light of hope.More workbook than handbook, this introduction to the Old Testament is rooted in decades of tried and proven teaching. Goldingay displays a robust confidence in the truthfulness of Scripture combined with a refreshing trust in the reader's ability to grapple responsibly with the Old Testament. Even when the text hits you sideways, Goldingay encourages you not to squirm or run, but to grab hold and go deeper. Under his expert guidance the cordon between faith and criticism swings open into theological and spiritual insight.