"Having retold the first part of the Bible's story of ancient Israel in his acclaimed The Book of the Torah, Thomas Mann now presents the second half with critical and theological acumen. The difficult themes and pictures are not glossed over, but Mann's rich interpretive retelling opens up avenues into a contemporary appropriation of this story, on which, for better or for worse, the Christian community is grounded."Patrick D. Miller, Princeton Theological Seminary, Emeritus"An amazing achievement. Lucidly, with illuminating parallels from modern times, Mann guides us superbly through vast terrain. He keeps the big picture always in view, yet has an unerring eye for the telling detail. He concisely explains disparate sources and historical background. But always the story, with its rich cast of characters, takes pride of place. We see complexities and ambiguities in narratives fraught with violence and we confront the challenges they present today's reader. The final chapter, deeply thoughtful, critical, and constructive, lays out paths to better understand this great theological history as a work of theodicy, the struggle to comprehend God's ways in a calamitous world. In Mann's book, the ancient work has an excellent modern companion."David M. Gunn, Texas Christian University"Mann's volume will serve well for a college course in the historical books ..."Trent C. Butler, in Review of Biblical Literature, March 2012"The book aims for a fairly broad readership, though it will perhaps be most suited to seminary courses where these books are taught. ... provides rich material with which others will need to engage ..."David G. Firth, in Review of Biblical Literature, August 2012"A literarily and theologically acute reading with historical sensitivity, straightforwardly arranged with one chapter per book."Richard Briggs, in Biblical Studies Bulletin, Issue 66"The difficult themes and pictures are not glossed over, but Mann's rich interpretive retelling opens up avenues into contemporary appropriation of this story, on which, for better or for worse, the Christian community is grounded."Patrick D. Miller, in The American Journal of Biblical Theology, Vol 14, No 19"...an excellent undergraduate-level textbook ... I have no hesitation in recommending this excellent book for teachers and students investigating Deuteronomistic History."Paul Hedley Jones, Durham University, in Reviews in Religion and Theology, Vol 20, No 3"It is a readable book that combines Professor Thomas Mann's several decades of study, research, teaching, and pastoral experiences. His lucid style, coupling biblical insights and modern-day events helps the readers to understand how the texts of the Former Prophets, namely Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings, can speak to our contemporary situation. This book is meant for graduate students and interested general readers. [...] I warmly recommend it to anyone who seeks to engage with the Former Prophets."Daniel Jeyaraj, Liverpool Hope University, in Theological Book Review , Vol 25, No 1Thomas Mann...takes a chapter for each book from Joshua to 2 Kings. He takes a literary-critical approach, looking at context, authorship, and editors, besides addressing big questions such as the relationship between God and human institutions, and the part played by divine Providence in human activity.-Church Times, 23 October 2015"The textbook from M. is without a doubt reliable and offers numerous interesting thoughts to the current shape and intentions of the deuteronomistic history."-Jakob Woehrle, Theologisch Literaturzeitung No 139 Heft 2, Febuary 2014
