In recounting Israela s story from the Exodus to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, F.F. Bruce reveals the historical context of the nation of Israel in a way that reads more like a novel than an academic text. In doing so, he makes the Bible come alive. For instance, the book gives a context to Psalm 137 in which Edom rejoices over Jerusalema s fall to Babylon, and it gives context to John 4 where a woman says, a Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.a The Old Testament is the story of Israel, Goda s chosen people. At the time the Bible was written, Israela s relation with Egypt, with the nations of Canaan, and with Babylon and Assyria, for instance, were all familiar to its readers. However, todaya s readers who sometimes find the political context of the Old Testament and the events of the intertestamental period to be obscure, will gain fresh understanding through Israel and the Nations. a An excellent sketch of the history of Israel, written with a splendid clarity,a said biblical scholar John Bright. Illustrated; includes genealogical and chronological tables.
