Table of Contents

CONTENTSPrefaceIntroductionPART ONE: Breaking the New Atheist SpellChapter 1: From Dawkins to Marcion: countering scepticism and atheism.Chapter 2: The character and scope of the Old Testament: Countering a bad press.Chapter 3: Meeting Dawkins head-on: texts in Genesis.Chapter 4: Homing in on Hitchens: Exodus, Numbers and legal texts.Chapter 5: Countering Dawkins: Texts in the 'histories'.PART TWO: Engaging with the Old TestamentChapter 6: The Writings: a neglected corner of the Old Testament.Chapter 7: The Prophets: a more convincing source of morality?Chapter 8: Back to the Pentateuch and Historical books: the power of story.Chapter 9: Questioning the history of Israel: scepticism within the Academy.Chapter 10: A Christian Perspective on the Old Testament.

Promotional Information

A lively investigation into the nature and enduring value of the Old Testament, dealing head-on with attacks by the New Atheists and exposing their appalling ignorance of contemporary biblical scholarship

About the Author

Katharine Dell is Reader in Old Testament Literature and Theology, and Fellow, Tutor and Director of Studies in Theology and Religious Studies at St Catharine's College, Cambridge. A world expert on the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament, her most recent books include Ethical and Unethical in the Old Testament (T&T Clark 2010), Opening the Old Testament (Wiley-Blackwell 2008) and The Book of Proverbs in Social and Theological Context (CUP 2006).

Reviews

Dell confronts the ‘New Atheists’ head-on, demonstrating how their reading of the Old Testament ignores its cultural context and misrepresents its account of God, the world, and humankind. With equal rigour, she examines the conflicted intersection between Church and Academy, where scholarly skepticism seeds a growing clerical reluctance to preach and teach the Old Testament. . . With the skill of a scholar and the passion of one committed to the work of the church in the modern world, Dell demonstrates why and how the Old Testament offers a rich and realistic account of life in all its messiness. As she puts it, the Old Testament ‘can be our friend, even if a challenging one at the end of the day’.
*Samuel E. Balentine, Professor of Old Testament, Union Presbyterian Seminary, Richmond, Virginia*

a ‘thoughtful and compelling response’ to the writings of Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchins.
*The Door*

Dell is not afraid to admit issues that appear morally questionable, and eschews simple answers, but relishes the power of Hebrew storytelling
*Church Times*

one can almost feel the pages shudder with impact
*Premier Christianity*