Several years ago, Dan Belnap and I (Aaron) sat down and discussed putting together a volume that would address difficult topics in the Old Testament. The Old Testament is admittedly a difficult book to understand in its cultural context, and we wanted to put together a volume that could act as a resource for readers who struggled with understanding the Old Testament stories just as we have. While Dan and I wanted to approach the subject from an academic perspective, we did not want to do so at the expense of what insights have contributed to our understanding of the Old Testament in the form of Restoration scripture and modern prophetic commentary. We developed this volume with the intent of inviting scholars with academic training to write on the respective subjects, providing them with topics that we felt a general audience from within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would appreciate gaining relevant insights on, and working within a methodological framework that incorporated modern academic scholarship and rigor along with insights gained through the Restoration.

The current volume is the finished product of these endeavors. We have invited scholars within the Church with academic training in fields such as Near Eastern archaeology, Egyptology, Hebrew and Semitic languages, rabbinic and medieval studies, ritual, Pentateuch, and apocryphal literature. We hope this combined approach of examining the Old Testament through the lens of the Restoration will result in a volume that intellectually enlightens and spiritually enhances one’s understanding, love, and appreciation for all that the Old Testament has to offer in understanding God and his dealings and covenants within their ancient context. We hope that readers will work toward a love of this ancient book of scripture that can at times be daunting and leave one with questions regarding its relevance. We are extremely grateful for all the contributors and for their devotion in working toward a common goal of assisting individuals in their approach to studying the Old Testament. The current volume is one of a projected four-volume series that we envision materializing over the next few years in an effort to help generate a greater love, appreciation, and understanding of this book of scripture that we have come to know and love.