An Invitation to a New Era of Biblical Theology: Towards an Old Testament Theology of Hospitality

Abstract

In the past thirty years, the field of Old Testament theology has largely resisted the idea of a unifying centre, and has instead embraced a plurality of methods to reflect an emphasis on the diversity of perspectives within the Old Testament itself as well as its readership. While recognizing the critique levelled against biblical theology for its disservice to the diversity of the canon, it is argued that fresh articulations of Scripture’s coherence are pivotal for the life of faith. To this end the value of hospitality is posited as an organising principle for a new way forward, and preliminarily supported by an examination of Genesis 18–19 as a foundational text.