Grace in the End: A Study in Deuteronomic Theology

This book is the first in a series of five "Studies In Old Testament Biblical Theology" from the mid-1990's. The author surveys and evaluates scholarly approaches to Deuteronomic Theology, which is the line of thought from the book of Deuteronomy traced throughout the OT, but especially in Joshua-2 Kings (excluding Ruth), the section called the Former Prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures. The author makes a good case on the origin and composition of the book at an early stage of Israel's history, versus the general scholarly unanimity that dates it either as post-exilic or at the 7th century BC, in particular with King Josiah's reform. He also describes DT in terms of the interplay of ideas within the book itself, where promise is often held in tension with command. He fleshes out the themes of the two institutions of king and cult, and of the righteousness of God as the basis of God's election of a people for Himself, and finally how DT makes its presence felt in the NT. Since I'm neither a student nor a scholar much of this was new to me, which makes it hard to write a cogent review. I learned a lot, and it was worth the trouble to read and re-read small portions at a time throughout a day rather than jumping ahead.