By Deryck Sheriffs
Paternoster Press. 363 pages. £17.99
ISBN 0 8536 464 6
In this book, Deryck Sheriffs looks at spirituality as described in the pages of the Old Testament, and considers how it should inform and shape the spirituality of the contemporary Christian.
Mr. Sheriffs considers that the Old Testament describes the spiritual journey of people who inhabit a culture very different from our own. He believes that Christian devotional reading of Scripture has often ignored the cultural context of the Old Testament, reading into it the image of our own spirituality rather than being informed and challenged by the text. Mr Sheriffs seeks to look at Old Testament spirituality within its cultural setting, comparing and contrasting it with the religion of its ancient Near Eastern neighbours. He then seeks to bridge the gulf between the cultures and apply the lessons of Old Testament spirituality to us.