Neglected Voices:

Peace in the Old Testament

The Bible has a reputation among some believers for being about violence in the Old Testament and about peace in the New Testament. David A. Leiter deconstructs that oversimplified notion as he explores passages in which God calls for the making of peace. By identifying key typologies for peace, Leiter shows the Old Testament's relevance to today's struggles for peace (each chapter ends with a section entitled "contemporary implications.")

"Perhaps Leiter's greatest gift in this book is his contention that the Old Testament contains a systemized typology for peace. In seeking to demonstrate the truth of this conviction, he introduces multiple distinct ideologies of peace that demonstrate where the Old Testament contains nonviolent responses to conflict. The presence of these ideologies of peace recasts the dominant perception that the Old Testament only supports violence." - from the foreword by Jay W. Marshall