WhentheOldTestamentreferstosilence,eitherthesilenceofpersonsorofGod,thatsilenceconveysadiversityofmeanings.Itmayindicateabreakdowninthedivine-humanrelationship,orthebeginningoftherenewalofthatrelationship.Itcanbeassociatedwithsacredspaceortherealmofdeath.Attimes,God’ssilenceseemspainfulandincomprehensible,anindicationofGod’sindifferenceorneglect.AtothertimesitspeaksofthegreatsecuritythatthepeopleofGodmayhaveintheLord’sunfailingcare.BetweenHearingandSilence:AStudyinOldTestamentTheologyinvitesstudentsandscholarsaliketoexplorethevariouswaysinwhichtheconceptofsilenceisexpressedintheOldTestamentandthemanymeaningsitconveys.JohnKesslersurveysthediversefacetsoftheOldTestament’sunderstandingofsilencetohelpreadersdiscovertherichnessofthisoften-overlookedbiblicaltheme.Eachchapterexaminesvariousbiblicaltextsrelatingtoadifferentaspectofsilenceanduncoversthedistinctiveunderstandingofsilencethosetextspresent;atthesametime,thisthematicinvestigationopensupnewperspectivesonthebroadercontoursofOldTestamenttheologyinallitsstunningcomplexity.Theseportraitsofsilence,bothdivineandhuman,willintroducereaderstoanovelwayofunderstandingtherelationaldynamicswithinthedivine-humanrelationship.Asthebiblicaltextsmovebetweensilenceandsound,readerswilldiscoverthecrisesoffaithexperiencedbythepeopleofGodintheirjourney,evenasthesehardshipsholdwithinthemgreathopeforIsrael’sfuture.MostsignificantlyintheOldTestament,silenceemergesasasacredmediumofcommunicationbetweentheLordandthepeopleofGod,modelingevenforthecontemporarylifeoffaithapostureofhopefulopennesstotheoftenmysteriouswaysofthedivine.
