In The Heartbeat of Old Testament Theology, Mark Boda provides his unique understanding of the core of OT theology. It is neither a rehearsal nor a critique of past scholarship. Focusing on the core (without much attention to the periphery) allows him to be clear and succinct; the book is only 182 pages. Boda understands the task of OT theology to be theocentric, though doing so will necessarily include reflections on creation and humanity by association (p. 7). His methodology is “a selective intertextual-canonical approach that identifies core expressions of God that appear throughout the OT canon” (p. 7).Heartbeats have rhythms. Boda thus organizes his theology around three canonical cardiac rhythms, which are rehearsed throughout the OT. After a helpful introductory chapter outlining the history and present state of the discipline of OT theology and Boda’s approach to the task, each of the next three chapters of the book articulates one of the three rhythms: the narrative rhythm, the character rhythm, and the relational rhythm.The narrative rhythm (the “story creed”) rehearses God’s historical acts (the exodus, conquest, ancestors, wilderness, life in the land, and exile; p. 17 especially). This rhythm is “a summary of God’s self-revelation” (p. 23), which includes both mercy and discipline as God pursues relationship with humanity (p. 25). The character rhythm is a confessional creed focusing on God’s “active character” expressed in Exod 34:6-7. This rhythm focuses on God’s attributes, especially steadfast love and justice. Finally, the relational rhythm is Boda’s version of covenant theology, though he puts the emphasis on the resulting relationship, not just the covenant itself. Here, “theology is expressed in terms of Yahweh’s relational identity,” specifically through the phrase “I will be their God, and they will be my people” and its variations (p. 55). Boda traces various covenants through the canon and concludes that God’s identity “is fundamentally a kinship identity as God invites a people” into God’s family (p. 74). Thus, the pulse of OT theology includes three parallel rhythms: what God has done, who God is, and what God wants. Said another way: Boda’s OT theology comprises tradition history, theology proper, and covenant theology.In ch. five, Boda discusses how all three rhythms are integrated, especially in the phrase “I am Yahweh your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt” (Exod 20:2 // Deut 5:6), and in this “their focus is on the redemptive purposes of Yahweh to create a community through which he would impact the nations and ultimately all of creation” (p. 83). Chapter six emphasizes that God redeems humanity as a means to redeem all of creation. The seventh chapter traces the rhythms into the NT, where all three find new expression, as God’s historical actions, active character, and relational identity are seen in Christ and the church. The eighth chapter outlines the implications of the creeds for contemporary Christian life. Boda’s insightful reflections are framed in terms of the cost of “losing” the substance of each creed over against the “power” of each creed. The postscript (“Calling for Response”) is a sermon of Boda’s, calling for deeper fellowship with God. The helpful appendix (31 pp.) articulates his hermeneutics, his presuppositions, his understanding of the definition, task, and history of biblical theology and the ways that the NT uses the OT.The strengths of this work are manifold. The benefit of its focus is brevity and clarity, both in expression and in argument. Boda is extremely textual; he is attentive to lexemes, grammar, syntax, echoes, and nuances. He frequently roots his observations and arguments in specific passages. The reader benefits from numerous charts that help summarize and organize the various elements and expressions of creeds. Boda is also quite hermeneutically self-aware. This is evident especially in his introduction and the appendix. The appendix is worth the price of entry alone, as a coherent and essentially comprehensive summary of the task of biblical theology and uses of OT in the NT.Three aspects of the book could be perceived as positive or negative, depending on the reader. This book is apparently not intended for an exclusively academic audience but is meant to be accessible to the educated lay reader. Boda’s use of the original languages, therefore, will be appreciated by some readers but may be confusing to, or even frustrating for, those unfamiliar with them. Some will take issue with Boda’s overtly confessional approach to OT theology; others will appreciate it. Likewise, some will appreciate and others will decry his infrequent use of ancient Near Eastern historical background data, since his is a primary textual (synchronic) approach.In my perspective, any weaknesses of the volume are a result of its brevity. Sometimes this cannot be helped—we all work within limits. Furthermore, its brevity is one of the work’s strengths, so to expand on any topic listed here as a weakness would be a double-edged sword. Nonetheless, one must mention some things whose inclusion could be beneficial. First, the book, due to space limitations, is often forced simply to state, rather than argue for, a position. Second, wisdom literature—historically a challenge for OT theologies—is similarly lacking in this volume. Third, one wishes to see more engagement with scholarship from the Majority World or self-consciously ideological approaches. Boda is to be commended for putting forth a positive proposal, but this sometimes comes at the expense of engaging with dissenting views. Fourth, because the OT does not separate theology from ethics, I think the book could appropriately incorporate at least some implications for ethics, ancient and modern. Some will say that should be saved for a different book, because it is a different field.With this volume, Mark Boda has provided a constructive contribution to the discipline of OT theology. In a field increasingly characterized by specialization, Boda’s contribution is creative and refreshing in its synthesis and breadth.