Technically this is my second time reading this because I was supposed to read most of it during undergrad. But this time I actually read it and comprehended it and it's a very interesting perspective on the connective thread of the Old Testament.

This was another really solid read out of the NSBT series. Dempster argues for the unity of the Text of the Hebrew Bible, a point that is often dismissed outright in present biblical studies. He has some very helpful observations to show how the "twin themes of geography (dominion) and genealogy (dynasty)" being realized through the Davidic house tie the whole story together.

My two mild complaints are that 1) I wanted more discussion about why he prefers his specific order of books (I've seen a handful of other order). And 2) too much of this work was a summary of the Hebrew Bible. I was hoping for more unique observations that I would have missed in my Bible reading, rather than mere summaries of well known stories.

4.5. Incredibly helpful introduction to the unified story of the Old Testament. Dempster’s work on the Pentateuch was especially helpful as he drew out so many great literary insights in the text. Exodus-Leviticus makes so much more sense after reading this.

While I’m still not completely sold on the canonical approach to the OT and though his section on the Writings could have been stronger, I loved this book. It is one that I will consult when teaching on an OT book and one that I highly recommend to those seeking to understand the unified storyline of the Old Testament.

Second time through. Incredibly good.

This is the best book on the Old Testament I have ever read!! It truly is a "stimulating exposition" of the entire Old Testament. A study on the O.T. may sound like an arduous, dry read but it was anything but. It was a most delightful read! It's meaty but easy to digest and follow along. This is one book I will recommend to believers from all theological camps and streams. It probably will end up being my favorite book of 2024.

Who would have thought that Genesis and Chronicles had so much in common?

They are largely the only Old Testament books saturated with genealogies. Genesis and Chronicles both begin with Adam and move quickly through Israel’s history (Genesis through Abraham’s great grandsons and Chronicles through David). Both emphasize not only the royal Davidic line but also the land promised to Israel. Both books also end on notes of exile in addition to the hope of returning to that land.

The importance of this becomes clear when we look at the organization of the books of the Hebrew Bible which is quite different from that of the Christian Old Testament. The Hebrew Bible begins with Genesis and ends with Chronicles, which then act as bookends for the whole. This older order is important for understanding the Hebrew Scriptures as a whole, especially because this was most likely the Bible Jesus knew.

Stephen Dempster’s book offers a fascinating window into the sweeping narrative of the Hebrew Bible by focusing on its larger organization into different groupings as well as why certain books where placed next to each other. Chronology was not the only factor here since many books are clearly out of order. Dempster shows how investigating the other rationales behind the structure leads to valuable insights into the meaning and purpose of each book—and how they were understood by their early readers.

As the title suggests, Dempster sees in this order of books both dominion (geography, the promised land) and dynasty (genealogy, the people of promise) as major themes which weave in and out of the entire biblical story, from Genesis through Chronicles.

Do these two themes constitute the primary way we should understand the OT? Even as Dempster notes, there are other major motifs that likewise permeate the Hebrew Bible. One is that of order, disorder, and chaos. Another is exile and return. A third is that of the temple—the sacred space where God dwells being first portrayed in the garden of Eden (and the whole of creation), and then in the gardenlike tabernacle of Moses and temple of Solomon.

All of these themes are and have been valuable portals for understanding. Dempster likewise provides a most worthwhile foundation for appreciating the ancient texts on which the whole of the New Testament rests.

What a great read! Finally a book that lets the OT speak for itself. It his so important that we see the OT for what it it worth without taking the NT into account on every page. Though I completely understand the OT was written to point to Jesus and I believe it does. It is helpful to merely look at it for a time while setting aside my NT glasses.

Pushing back against the postmodern, individualistic, and atomistic hermeneutical lenses of the day, in Dominion and Dynasty, Dempster seeks to recover a unified vision of the Hebrew Canon. Dempster advocates for a hermeneutical lens that views the individual texts of the Hebrew Canon as one big Text (43). The Hebrew Bible or the Tanakh, is a unified whole. “This amazing diversity of texts is set within a comprehensive narrative framework, which provides an overarching literary and historical context. Thus the many shorter texts together contribute to this large textual framework and find their meaning and significance within it” (22-23). The key that unlocks the conceptual unity of the Tanakh is the theme of geography and genealogy, Dominion and Dynasty.

Dumpster’s thesis is that the structure of the Hebrew Bible (Torah, Neviim, Ketuvim) reflect three steps in redemptive history reflecting God’s promise to bring about salvation through Dominion (a promised land) and Dynasty (a royal lineage). I felt like there was a bit of higher critical sources incorporated without enough explanation or criticism, but that’s just me.

I read this book for my Old Testament Theology class at Beeson Divinity School of Samford University. As an older student (a sixty-something attorney returning to school), I have read the entire Bible many times, but Stephen G. Dempster's book opened my eyes to the unified redemptive theme that runs throughout the Old Testament and should inform our reading of the New Testament. I was not ignorant of the individual points made by Dempster throughout his book, but I had never taken the time to sit down and reflect on how they all relate to each other to create this compelling, central, unified theme. I recommend this book to any serious student of the Bible.

Super helpful overview of the OT - although not always the easiest to follow. The best thing about Dempster in this is that he is so good on the actual text.

Absolutely stunning and fantastic book tracing the twin themes of dominion and dynasty through the Hebrew bible (Tanakh). The author goes to great lengths to explore how the Hebrew bible is comprised of many texts that stand as one Text; many books and sub-themes that all contribute to one ultimate story: the reclamation of a lost rule and authority over the created world (dominion) through one particular family and royal figure (dynasty). The bible is a unified story that points to Jesus, the only one who can restore a lost and broken world to an Eden like state through his death and resurrected life. Come on!!!!!!