Being Human in God's World: An Old Testament Theology of Humanity - Paperback

by J. Gordon McConville (Author)

A Biblical Perspective on What It Means to Be Human

This major work by a widely respected Old Testament scholar and theologian unpacks a biblical perspective on fundamental questions of what it means to be human. J. Gordon McConville explores how a biblical view of humanity provides a foundation for Christian reflection on ethics, economics, politics, and church life and practice. The book shows that the Old Testament's view of humanity as "earthed" and "embodied" plays an essential part in a well-rounded Christian theology and spirituality, and applies the theological concept of the "image of God" to all areas of human existence.

Front Jacket

Noted Old Testament scholar Gordon McConville draws on his disciplinary expertise to provide this fascinating and rich account of humanity in relation to God, to other humans, and to the nonhuman creation. It is wide-ranging in its coverage of Old Testament texts, in its treatment of key aspects of the multifaceted experience of living in this world, and in its relating these to contemporary thinking about the human. The book's careful exegesis and wise theological reflection are always accessible. At the same time, McConville's focus on transformation makes his work a wonderful resource for exploring biblical spirituality in its broadest sense of human flourishing, and in this respect the closing chapter on the Psalms in human formation offers a fitting and inspiring climax.
--Andrew T. Lincoln, University of Gloucestershire

Back Jacket

What might the Old Testament teach us about being human in community with God, other humans, and the world today? Gordon McConville expertly leads the reader in an engaging theological journey through the Old Testament to answer that question. He offers intelligently argued and biblically grounded understandings of a broad range of topics: human transformation, spirituality, community, health, ecology, knowledge, emotion, language, politics, sexuality, work, and creativity. A spiritual feast of Old Testament insight into what it means to be human that takes seriously both the Bible and our twenty-first-century contexts.
--Dennis Olson, Princeton Theological Seminary

"McConville offers a richly textured account of our humanity as the Hebrew Bible portrays it. His 'spiritual' reading is both scholarly and engaging for a diverse audience, as he explores variously the material, political, gendered and sexual, as well as prayerful dimensions of human living 'in the image of God.'"
--Ellen F. Davis, Duke Divinity School

"What does it mean to be human? Gordon McConville explores God's revelation in the Old Testament in response to this question. With insight and profundity, he illuminates our understanding, but more importantly he shows how the Old Testament invites us to spiritual transformation centered on worship. I recommend this book to all who want to understand themselves better and to grow as human beings created in the image of God."
--Tremper Longman III, Westmont College

"I am grateful to Gordon McConville for this profoundly nuanced study of the Old Testament's embodied vision of being human. McConville's short, lucid chapters display wide acquaintance with a range of biblical scholarship and contemporary issues yet are characterized by attunement to the transformation of the reader. This is a book to be savored."
--J. Richard Middleton, Northeastern Seminary

"Gordon McConville has written a superb study of various anthropological issues raised in the Old Testament. Ranging widely across the text, his work provides a clear and stimulating exploration of a very important theological topic in ways that are historically and literarily sensitive. This volume will certainly be a significant resource for biblical and theological studies for the next generation."
--Terence E. Fretheim, Luther Seminary

Author Biography

J. Gordon McConville (PhD, Queen's University, Belfast) is professor of Old Testament theology at the University of Gloucestershire in Gloucestershire, England, where he has taught for more than twenty years. He has authored or edited many books, including commentaries on Deuteronomy, Joshua, 1 and 2 Chronicles, and Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.