Five Books That Changed My Mind

While I was away attending the Acton Institute, I was tagged by Darrell Pursiful to participate in a meme.

This meme began with Ken Brown at C. Orthodoxy. Ken tagged John Hobbins at Ancient Hebrew Poetry who then tagged Darrell Pursiful at Dr. Platypus who then tagged me.

The challenge of this meme is to name five books or scholars who had the most immediate and lasting influence on how I read the Bible. According to the original challenge, these books need not be my five favorite books. Rather, the list must include the five books that have permanently changed the way I think.

So, here is my list:

1. Walther Eichrodt, Theology of the Old Testament, 2 volumes.

This was the first Old Testament theology I read in seminary. After I read Eichrodt, I also read Gerhard von Rad Old Testament Theology, but it was Eichrodt who helped me understand Old Testament theology. It is hard to explain in detail the influence of Eichrodt in my understanding of the Old Testament. Suffice it to say that I have used Eichrodt’s book as a text both in English and Spanish.

2. Emil Brunner’s three volumes on Church Dogmatics: The Christian Doctrine of God, The Christian Doctrines of Creation and Redemption, and The Christian Doctrine of the Church, Faith, and Consummation.

I read Brunner’s three volumes while I was working toward my Master’s degree. Brunner’s dogmatics helped me gain a better understanding of Christian doctrines. Together with his book Revelation and Reason, Brunner made a profound impression on me as a seminary student.

3. John Bright, A History of Israel.

Probably, more than any other book, John Bright’s A History of Israel has been formative in my understanding of the Old Testament. Notwithstanding all the criticism Bright has received from minimalists, deconstructionists, and revisionists, John Bright’s book presents what I still consider the best introduction to the history of Israel.

4. Joseph Callaway, Faces of the Old Testament.

Joseph Callaway was my major professor and the supervisor of my Ph.D. thesis. I served as his Garret Fellow (Teacher’s Assistant) for five years. I sat in every one of his classes, taught for him, and attended all his seminars.

Callaway was a great archaeologist. He excavated Ai and Raddana and I had the opportunity to work with his field notes before his volumes on Ai were published. Faces of the Old Testament are based on his class lectures. When I read Callaway’s book, I recognize how indebted I am to his teaching.

5. Terence E. Fretheim, The Suffering of God: An Old Testament Perspective.

Fretheim’s book has given me a better understanding of the God of the Old Testament. His book deals with the concept of divine suffering and the idea of divine pathos. His conclusion, that “suffering belongs to the person and purpose of God” has been neglected, rejected, and ostracized by many. However, when one reads Fretheim’s book, one must conclude that the suffering of God is an integral aspect of divine revelation. The best way to understand Fretheim’s book is to read it once for content and a second time for understanding.

Darryl, there you have my five books. Thank you for the invitation to join you and others in this challenge.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Books, Reading

Summer Reading

Every time I go on vacation, I make an effort to read books that are not related to my academic work in Old Testament. I like to read novels that have a lot of action and suspense. I prefer thrillers that have something to do with religion.

My wife is a voracious reader. She works full-time here at Northern Baptist Seminary and yet, she reads one book a week and then she let me know which book is good and which book fits my interests. And guess what: she is always right.

Let me share with you some of the books I read while I was on vacation. These are the best books I read while on vacation this year and last year.

Dan Brown, Angels & Demons. New York: Pocket Star Books 2000.

Dan Brown wrote The Da Vinci Code, but I can assure you that this book is better than The Da Vinci Code. This book deals with the election of a new Pope. The story is set in Rome and is a fast-paced thriller that has many twists, a great plot, and a lot of suspense. The book reveals some of the secrets of the Vatican and deals with the election of the Pope, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Illuminati.

This is a fascinating and fun book to read. If you want to enjoy a great story, this is the book to read.

James Rollins, Map of Bones. New York: Avon Books, 2005.

This book focuses on the legacy left behind by the Magi, the Three Wise Men of the Gospel of Matthew, who came to see Jesus. I cannot tell you more about the legacy of the Magi because that would give away the plot of the book, but believe me, this is a great story.

One reviewer summarized the story of this book as follows: “Raiders of the Lost Ark meets The Da Vinci Code.” I liked the book because it links religious traditions with cutting-edge technology to produce a great thriller.

James Rollins, Black Order. New York: Harper, 2006.

This book follows the Map of Bones but it is an independent story. The story deals with the issues of evolution and intelligent design. The focus of the story is Darwin’s Bible and the notes Darwin wrote in his Bible. In the story, the Nazis want to use the process of evolution to change the world.

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, The Book of the Dead. New York: Warner Books, 2006.

This book deals with Egyptian religion and the practices associated with preparing the dead for the after-life as described in the real The Book of the Dead. The focus of the story is a tomb of the vizier of Thutmosis IV, a pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, which is located in the New York Museum of Natural History.

The book is the third in a trilogy of stories involving FBI Special Agent Pendergast but the story is complete in itself. Those who are interested in Egyptian religion will enjoy the book.

Vince Flynn, Transfer of Power. New York: Pocket Books, 1999.

This book has no religious theme, even though God is mentioned a few times and the work of a Baptist minister is mentioned once.

The book is almost prophetic of the events that happened on 9/11. The story deals with a group of terrorists who invaded the White House, took several people hostage, and killed many more people in the process. This book is fascinating because the reader wants to know what will happen to the President and the White House.

These stories are well written and well researched. At times, it is difficult to know where fiction ends and fact begins. For instance, James Rollins spent six months doing research before he wrote Black Order. This is more research that some people do for their Ph.D. thesis.

The book by Vince Flynn, Transfer of Power, should be a must-read for every politician in Washington. In light of 9/11 and the war in Iraq, what is happening today in Washington, and in our nation, the story of this book has almost a sense of reality.

It is true that this book is only fiction, but the way the terrorists in the story manipulated the media and the politicians resembles the way Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri have manipulated the media for their own purpose and how they have played on the sentiments of the American people to turn their hearts against the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. The plot of Transfer of Power is almost true-to-life.

Enjoy reading.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Books, Novels, Reading