The Writings of John Sailhamer (An Online Bibliography)

John H. Sailhamer was an evangelical Old Testament scholar/theologian. Sailhamer completed a PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at UCLA in 1981. He was the president of the Evangelical Theological Society in 2000, and taught the Hebrew Bible in the classroom beginning in 1975 (Biola College, Bethel College & Seminary, Trinity, SEBTS, and GGBTS).

His work is characterized by a consistent focus on the canonical text of the Hebrew Bible and the compositional strategies of the biblical authors. The lion's share of his writing has centered on reading the Bible, and the Pentateuch in particular, as a unified, coherent whole.

The following comprehensive bibliography lists books, essays/articles, and reviews that John Sailhamer has written. Under each heading the works are numbered and listed in chronological order. This sequence will allow a reader to follow Sailhamer's thinking over the course of his career. Any relevant links are provided after the bibliographic entry.

Dissertation

1. John Herbert Sailhamer. The Translational Technique of the Greek Septuagint for the Hebrew Verbs and Participles in Psalms 3-41. UCLA, 1981. Supervised by Stanislave Segert. Published later by Peter Lang (see below).
   
   From the Abstract: "This dissertation is a study of the translation technique of the Greek Septuagint of the Book of Psalms. The determination of the text of the Hebrew original of the Septuagint is contingent on the nature of the translation. Was it a formal translation or a dynamic equivalency translation? Until this feature of the Septuagint is determined, the evidence from this version cannot be adequately controlled" (xv). Part of his conclusion is that "the tense chosen by the translator of the Septuagint was often motivated by a religious hope that saw the future as a time when the wicked would be punished and the righteous rewarded" (xvi).

Books

1. John H. Sailhamer. First & Second Chronicles. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1983. (Amazon) 
2. Genesis in The Expositor's Bible Commentary (Vol 2). Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990/2008. (Amazon)
   
3. The Translational Technique of the Greek Septuagint for the Hebrew Verbs and Participles in Psalms 3-41. New York: Peter Lang, 1991. (Amazon) 
4. NIV Compact Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994. (Amazon) 
5. The Pentateuch as Narrative. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995. (Amazon) (WTS)
6. Introduction to Old Testament Theology: A Canonical Approach. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995. (Amazon) (GBks) (WTS)
7. Genesis Unbound: A Provocative New Look at the Creation Account. 
1. First Edition: Multnomah, 1996 (Amazon) (Extended Synopsis by Matt Perman) 
2. Second Edition: NavPress / Dawson Media 2011. (Amazon) (Kindle) (Foreword | pdf)
8. Biblical Archeology. Zondervan Quick Reference Library.  Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998. (Amazon) (GBks)
9. Biblical Prophecy.  Zondervan Quick Reference Library.  Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998. (Amazon) (GBks)
10. Books of the Bible.  Zondervan Quick Reference Library. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998. (Amazon) (GBks)
11. Christian Theology. Zondervan Quick Reference Library. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998. (Amazon) (GBks)
12. How We Got the Bible. Zondervan Quick Reference Library. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998. (Amazon) (GBks)
13. The Life of Christ. Zondervan Quick Reference Library. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998. (Amazon) (GBks)
14. Old Testament History. Zondervan Quick Reference Library. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998. (Amazon) (GBks)
15. The Meaning of the Pentateuch: Revelation, Composition and Interpretation. Downers Grove: IVP, 2009. (Amazon) (GBks) (Intro PDF) (WTS)
    
    From the Introduction: "This book is a study of the theology of the Pentateuch. It follows an approach that looks for the biblical author's "intention" in the "verbal meaning" of his book. It seeks the meaning of his words, phrases and sentences. How do the individual pieces fit together within the whole? Central to the aim of this book is the discovery of the compositional strategy of the biblical author of the Pentateuch" (11). 

Articles/Essays

1. John H. Sailhamer. "Exegetical Notes: Genesis 1:1-2:4a." Trinity Journal 5 (1984): 73-82. (pdf)
   
2. "Exegesis of the Old Testament as a Text." In Tribute to Gleason Archer, 27-96. Chicago: Moody Press, 1986.
3. "The Canonical Approach to the OT: Its Effect on Understanding Prophecy." JETS 30, no. 3 (September 1987): 307-315. (pdf)
4. "1 Chronicles 21:1—A Study in Inter-Biblical Interpretation." Trinity Journal 10 (Spring 1989): 33-48. Also as Appendix D in Introduction to Old Testament Theology. (GBks)
5. "Introduction to a New Concordance of the Old Testament." Grand Rapids: Baker, 1989. An Inserted Pamphlet accompanying A New Concordance of the Old Testament. (Amazon) (GBks)   
6. "A Database Approach to the Analysis of Hebrew Narrative." MAARAV 5-6 (Spring 1990): 319-335. Also in Sopher Mahir: Northwest Semitic Studies Presented to Stanislav Segert. Santa Monica, CA: Western Academic Press, 1990. (GBks)
7. "The Mosaic Law and the Theology of the Pentateuch." Westminster Theological Journal 53 (1991): 24-61. (pdf)
   
8. "2 Samuel 13:1-4 and a Database Approach to the Analysis of Hebrew Narrative." In Bible et Informatique: Interprétation, Herméneutique, Compétence Informatique, 99-122. Paris: Champion, 1992.
9. "Evidence from Isaiah 2." In A Case for Premillennialism: A New Consensus, 90-101. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992.
   
10. "Genesis." In A Complete Literary Guide to the Bible, 109-20. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993. (GBks)
    
11. "Cosmic Maps, Prophecy Charts, and the Hollywood Movie: A Biblical Realist Looks at the Eclipse of Old Testament Narrative." Criswell Theological Review 7.2 (1994): 65-81. (pdf)
    
12. "Compositional Strategies in the Pentateuch." In Introduction to Old Testament Theology, 272-89. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995.
13. "What Have They Done to My Genesis?" Christianity Today, January 6, 1997, 46-47. (My Synopsis) (CT Archives)
    
14. "Walter C. Kaiser, Jr." In Bible Interpreters of the Twentieth Century, 375-87. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999. 
15. "A Wisdom Composition of the Pentateuch?." In Way of Wisdom: Essays in Honor of Bruce Waltke, 15-35. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000. (GBks)
    
16. "Creation, Genesis 1-11, and the Canon." Bulletin for Biblical Research 10.1 (2000): 89-106. (pdf)
    
17. "The Hermeneutics of Premillennialism." Faith and Mission 18.1 (Fall 2000): 96-109.
18. "Hosea 11:1 and Mathew 2:15." Westminster Theological Journal 63 (2001): 87-96.
19. "The Messiah and the Hebrew Bible." JETS 44.1 (March 2001): 5-23. (pdf)
20. "Johann August Ernesti: The Role of History in Biblical Interpretation." JETS 44.2 (June 2001) 193-206.
21. "Biblical Theology and the Composition of the Hebrew Bible." In Biblical Theology: Retrospect & Prospect, 25-37. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002. (GBks)
    
22. "Archaeology and the Reliability of the Old Testament." Contact (Winter 05/06): 7-10.
23. "Preaching from the Prophets." In Preaching the Old Testament, ed. Scott M. Gibson, 115-36. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006.

Reviews

1. John H. Sailhamer. Review of Systematische Theologie im Kontext Biblischer Geschichte und Eschatologie in Trinity Journal 6.1 (Spring 1985): 91-94.
2. Review of Genesis 1-15 in Trinity Journal 9.2 (Fall 1988): 231-36.
   
3. Review of The Book of Genesis: Chapters 1-17 in Hebrew Studies 33 (1992): 132-35.
   
4. Review of Eschatology in the Greek Psalter in JETS 42.4 (December 1999): 739-41.
5. Review of The Face of Old Testament Studies: A Survey of Contemporary Approaches in Faith and Mission 18.3 (Summer 2001): 110-11.
   
6. Review of Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart (Book 1-5) in Faith and Mission 20.1 (Fall 2002/2003).
7. Review of Israel's Messiah in the Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls in JETS 46.4 (December 2003): 711-12.
8. Review of Story as Torah: Reading the Old Testament Ethically in Faith and Mission 21.1 (Fall 2003): 90-92.

Papers

1. "The Nature, Purpose and Tasks of a Theological Seminary." Delivered at Dallas Theological Seminary, July 22, 1993. Unpublished hardcopy available at Turpin Library, Dallas Theological Seminary (Call No: BV 4022 .S34). 46 pages. 

Interviews

1. John H. Sailhamer. "Finding Meaning in the Pentateuch," an interview by Colin Hansen at Christianity Today (January 2010).  

Notes: 

• Quick Link to this Page: http://tinyurl.com/JohnSailhamer 
• If you have any additions or see any omissions, feel free to drop me a line.