John Goldingay
Author of Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 30: Daniel
About the Author
John Goldingay (PhD, University of Nottingham; DD, Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth) is professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary but lives in Oxford, England. His numerous books include the three-volume Old Testament Theology, the seventeen-volume Old Testament for Everyone show more series, and a translation of the Old Testament called The First Testament: A New Translation. show less
Series
Works by John Goldingay
Psalms, Vol. 1: Psalms 1-41 (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms) (2006) 288 copies
Psalms, vol. 2: Psalms 42-89 (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms) (2007) 259 copies
The Book of Lamentations (New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Nicot)) (2022) 26 copies
Isaiah 40-55 Vol 1: A Critical and Exegetical Commentary (International Critical Commentary) (2006) 24 copies
Isaiah 40-55 Vol 2: A Critical And Exegetical Commentary (International Critical Commentary) (2006) 20 copies
Isaiah 56-66: A Critical and Exegetical Commentary (International Critical Commentary) (2014) 14 copies
A critical and exegetical commentary on Isaiah 40-55. Volume II, Commentary on Isaiah 44:24-55:13 (2006) 12 copies
Uprooting And Planting: Essays on Jeremiah for Leslie Allen (Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies) (2007) — Author — 10 copies
The Church and the gifts of the Spirit : a practical exposition of 1 Corinthians 12-14 (1972) 4 copies
"Isaiah I 1 and II 1." 1 copy
The Bible for Everyone 1 copy
Expounding the New Testament 1 copy
Poéticos para todos: Jó 1 copy
Understanding poetry and wisdom today : eight Bible studies for students and young adults groups on job, psalms,… (1987) 1 copy
Theology of Jeremiah 1 copy
Associated Works
Five Views of Christ in the Old Testament: Genre, Authorial Intent, and the Nature of Scripture (Counterpoints: Bible… (2022) — Contributor — 37 copies
Isaiah and Imperial Context: The Book of Isaiah in the Times of Empire (2013) — Contributor — 9 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Goldingay, John E.
- Other names
- Goldingay, John
高定基 - Birthdate
- 1942-06-20
- Gender
- male
- Occupations
- Priests
Old Testament scholars
College teachers - Short biography
- John Goldingay is the David Allan Hubbard Professor of Old Testament in the School of Theology at the Fuller Theological Seminary in the United States. Prior to this he was principal and a professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at St John’s Theological College in Nottingham. He is the author of many books, including Old Testament Theology Vol. 1, Walk On (2002), as well as commentaries on Daniel, Isaiah and Psalms. He holds membership in the Society of Biblical Literature and serves on the editorial board for the Library of Hebrew Bible/ Old Testament Studies.
Members
Reviews
I found this excellent as a companion to work through Exodus and Leviticus in my daily reading. Goldiingay’s translation shed fresh light on the text, and his comments and insights were really helpful. He managed communicate scholarly insights in a very accessible way. My only slight negative would be that, once or twice the comments were slightly contrived as though he had tweeted a certain amount every day to meet a deadline and had to come up with something to say. Having said that, some of his insights in Leviticus were profound and helped me significantly during a really dark time.… (more)
Summary: A survey of the life of Jeremiah, the composition of the book, and the theological themes running through it.
The book of Jeremiah is a formidable book to study. It is a long book, one John Goldingay likens to a series of blog posts stitched together into a scroll, the contexts of which are not always apparent. It covers over forty years. Its author was reviled by many, ending up carried off to Egypt while many of his people were relocated to Babylon and those who remained in Judea struggled to eke out an existence.
This book is not a commentary to unpack the tough textual questions (the author has written one of these as well). Rather, what John Goldingay does is help us see the forest instead of just the trees, as well as the rivers, fields and hills. He looks at Jeremiah’s life and literally overviews the book forward and back. Then he considers the major theological themes running through the book.
He begins with Jeremiah’s life and the kings during whose reigns he prophesied largely unheeded (apart from Josiah). Goldingay stresses how he both embodies the faithfulness to which Israel was called, and in the treatment of Israel, he reflects how they are in fact treating God. He considers the composition of “Jeremiah,” originally a scroll of messages read to and burned by Jehoiakim, subsequently a scroll Goldingay believes his followers compiled of his messages in the years following his exile and after his death. He takes a retrospective view of Jeremiah’s life that he believes reflects the retrospective vision of the scroll of Jeremiah. He then traces the themes of the various sections of the two parts, chapters 1-25 and 26-52. He walks through various divisions that he singles out with “Begins with: Think About…” and then walks through the section concluding with a section outline. For example Jeremiah 2-6 is “Begins with: Think About the Exodus” the subject of chapter 2 followed a call to turn back to God in chapter 3, warnings of devastation in chapter 4, condemnation of their unfaithfulness and injustice to the poor in chapter 5, and warnings of devastation from the north because they have been judged and found wanting in chapter 6.
The second part of the book centers around biblical theology, considering five theological ideas and how they are unpacked in Jeremiah. They are:
1. God
2. The People of God
3. Wrongdoing
4. Being a Prophet
5. The Future
The chapter on the people of God is rich with reflection on all God wanted (and wants) for his people. a possession belonging to God, a household, a community, a country and domain, a city and also a sabbath resting place. God wants for them well-being and good leadership. The chapter on “wrongdoing” delineates the ways God’s people turn from him. The chapter on being a prophet includes a striking list of the qualities of prophets evident in Jeremiah the man and the book: do they say the opposite of what we think? do they get attacked by the people of God and especially their leaders? do they love the people of God? and do they intercede? to name a few. Each of the chapters reflects on the implications of these themes in a Christian context.
This book is both concise (140 pages plus a page of commentary recommendations and scripture index) and rich. Leaving exegesis to the commentaries, Goldingay helps us make sense of the whole scroll, the collection of messages (blog posts) over 40 years, the section themes, and the larger theological themes. This is invaluable for anyone studying, teaching, or preaching this book who has to make sense both to oneself and others the message of the sections of the book and the recurring themes of the whole. This helps us move from the information of exegesis to the formation we long for in our lives and those with whom we share this rich and complicated text called Jeremiah.
____________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.… (more)
The book of Jeremiah is a formidable book to study. It is a long book, one John Goldingay likens to a series of blog posts stitched together into a scroll, the contexts of which are not always apparent. It covers over forty years. Its author was reviled by many, ending up carried off to Egypt while many of his people were relocated to Babylon and those who remained in Judea struggled to eke out an existence.
This book is not a commentary to unpack the tough textual questions (the author has written one of these as well). Rather, what John Goldingay does is help us see the forest instead of just the trees, as well as the rivers, fields and hills. He looks at Jeremiah’s life and literally overviews the book forward and back. Then he considers the major theological themes running through the book.
He begins with Jeremiah’s life and the kings during whose reigns he prophesied largely unheeded (apart from Josiah). Goldingay stresses how he both embodies the faithfulness to which Israel was called, and in the treatment of Israel, he reflects how they are in fact treating God. He considers the composition of “Jeremiah,” originally a scroll of messages read to and burned by Jehoiakim, subsequently a scroll Goldingay believes his followers compiled of his messages in the years following his exile and after his death. He takes a retrospective view of Jeremiah’s life that he believes reflects the retrospective vision of the scroll of Jeremiah. He then traces the themes of the various sections of the two parts, chapters 1-25 and 26-52. He walks through various divisions that he singles out with “Begins with: Think About…” and then walks through the section concluding with a section outline. For example Jeremiah 2-6 is “Begins with: Think About the Exodus” the subject of chapter 2 followed a call to turn back to God in chapter 3, warnings of devastation in chapter 4, condemnation of their unfaithfulness and injustice to the poor in chapter 5, and warnings of devastation from the north because they have been judged and found wanting in chapter 6.
The second part of the book centers around biblical theology, considering five theological ideas and how they are unpacked in Jeremiah. They are:
1. God
2. The People of God
3. Wrongdoing
4. Being a Prophet
5. The Future
The chapter on the people of God is rich with reflection on all God wanted (and wants) for his people. a possession belonging to God, a household, a community, a country and domain, a city and also a sabbath resting place. God wants for them well-being and good leadership. The chapter on “wrongdoing” delineates the ways God’s people turn from him. The chapter on being a prophet includes a striking list of the qualities of prophets evident in Jeremiah the man and the book: do they say the opposite of what we think? do they get attacked by the people of God and especially their leaders? do they love the people of God? and do they intercede? to name a few. Each of the chapters reflects on the implications of these themes in a Christian context.
This book is both concise (140 pages plus a page of commentary recommendations and scripture index) and rich. Leaving exegesis to the commentaries, Goldingay helps us make sense of the whole scroll, the collection of messages (blog posts) over 40 years, the section themes, and the larger theological themes. This is invaluable for anyone studying, teaching, or preaching this book who has to make sense both to oneself and others the message of the sections of the book and the recurring themes of the whole. This helps us move from the information of exegesis to the formation we long for in our lives and those with whom we share this rich and complicated text called Jeremiah.
____________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.… (more)
The commentary is excellent, but CAUTION: several of the books in this series – including all of the Pentateuch except for Genesis – are abridged in their translations. The Prophets, Psalms, and Wisdom literature seem complete, the abridgement being mainly in the historical books; but I would have appreciated it if this were advertised. It's still worth buying the entire set, but I am knocking down from 5***** on abridged volumes for that reason.
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Goldingay argues that the First Testament (OT) tells us pretty much all we need to know about God, and that the NT doesn't really add much in that regard. The God of the FT is embodied in Jesus, and it is that truth, along with what Jesus does, that is what's new in the NT. Hence, the assumption that we only learn of God's gracious and merciful nature in and through Jesus is simply false. The FT reveals this sufficiently. Jesus was more reminding people of what they already knew from the FT, and not revealing something new. Any idea that the FT can be unhitched from the NT lose plausibility in this perspective.
Goldingay's argument will certainly challenge common assumptions, but his careful reading of the FT text serves to support his claims. His exegetical insights provided in this volume will serve as a valuable resource for better understanding the NT and theology.
Styles wise, I found the book started off slow (although maybe it was just me). But the insights and implications of his argument became more engaging the further I progressed.… (more)