BACKGOUND MATERIAL FOR TEACHERS, Book One, surveys the first seventeen Old Testament books for Bible teachers of youth and adults. Teachers must build a firm foundation for studying/teaching the Old Testament by answering ten questions: What is the Old Testament? Who wrote the Old Testament? Where, When, Why and How was the Old Testament written? What are three major features of the Old Testament: Revelation, Inspiration and Preservation? How should we study the Word of God? Why should you memorize the Word of God? When should one read the Word of God? Teachers must also build a personal knowledge through surveying the Old Testament utilizing four areas of study: INTRODUCTORY MATERIAL for the first two sections of the Old Testament; BACKGROUND INFORMATION about the author and book; "TEACHER'S STUDY GUIDE" for each of the 17 books; PRESENTATION MATERIAL for teachers [a teaching survey presented by a Scripture verse or passage]. Following high school, a Bachelor of Science degree was received from Piedmont College, Demorest, GA plus a Georgia Teacher's Professional Certificate. Then came the Army Security Agency and three years later came employment with the National Security Agency, Washington, DC. Meeting Edith Campen from North Carolina led to marriage, February 1, 1957. A year after marriage, God called me to the ministry. Graduating from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Ft. Worth, TX with a Bachelor of Divinity (updated to Masters of Divinity) and Masters in Religious Education (updated to Masters of Arts), God directed me to serve Him. For some 50 years, it was a pleasure to serve God and people in churches and classrooms as Minister of Youth, Minister of Education, Minister of Education/Administration, and Minister of Pastoral Care. It was a joy to teach this Old Testament Bible Survey Course to ninth grade students at Cypress Community Christian School, Houston, TX

This new study of the Old Testament canon by Roger Beckwith is on a scale to match H. E. Ryle's classic work, which was first published in 1892. But Beckwith has the advantage of writing after the Qumran (and other) discoveries; and he has also made full use of all the available sources, including biblical manuscripts and rabbinical and patristic literature, taking into account the seldom studied Syriac material as well as the Greek and Latin material. The result of many years of study, this book is a major work of scholarship on a subject which has been neglected in recent times. It is both historical and theological, but Beckwith's first consideration has been to make a thorough and unprejudiced historical investigation. One of his most important concerns - and one that is crucial for all students of Judaism, and Christians in particular - is to decide when the limits of the Jewish canon were settled. In the answer to this question lies an important key to the teaching of Jesus and his apostles, and the resultant beliefs of the New Testament church. Furthermore, any answers to questions about the state of the canon in the New Testament period would help to open a way through the present ecumenical (and interfaith) impasse on the subject. With its meticulous research and evenhanded approach, this book is sure to become the starting point for study of the Old Testament canon in the years to come.