New Testament Theology Re-Loaded
Michael BirdNew Testament Theology Re-Loaded: Integrating Biblical Theology and Christian Origins
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Abstract
This study examines the problem of balancing the historical and theological components of New Testament Theology. It presents a critique of both Biblical Theology and Christian Origins and finally argues for a ‘Theology of the New Covenant’ where theology emerges out of the interface of canon and community.
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New Testament Theology: Too Theological, Too Difficult, and Too Repetitive
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This essay argues that New Testament Theology (NTT) is an indispensable mediating discipline between historical exegesis and systematic theology. It defends NTT against claims that: (1) NTT should be replaced by the study of early Christian religion; (2) The NT is too diverse and disparate to sustain any unifying theology; and (3) NTT has been over-done so that there is nothing new to be said. The essay proceeds to the defense of NTT by contending that theology is part of the substance and significance of the NT. In addition, the NT contains several varieties and unities that can simultaneously challenge and aid theological reflection. Finally, the essay proposes a fresh approach to explicate the theological texture and religious impetus of the NT with a view to renewing living faith communities.
The Origins of New Testament Theology
The Origins of New Testament Theology, 2020
In contrast to studies of New Testament theology that ask or assume what it is, this volume investigates where it comes from. In a dialogue with Hans Dieter Betz, the contributors ask about the origins and preconditions of New Testament theology. How did it begin, both in terms of its historical stimuli and in terms of its earliest literary expressions? To what extent, if at all, did early Christians think of themselves as »doing theology«? How did early Christians come to understand their faith as an object of knowledge, and thus as theology? And, how did early Christians participate in and contribute to wider philosophical conversations about religion and what can be known about the divine in Roman antiquity?
Review of James D. G. Dunn, New Testament Theology: An Introduction (Library of Biblical Theology; Nashville: Abingdon, 2009). 232 pp. $22.00.
Review of James D. G. Dunn, New Testament Theology: An Introduction (Library of Biblical Theology; Nashville: Abingdon, 2009)., 2012
of Contents New Testament Theology: An Introduction serves as the introductory volume for the NT side of the Library of Biblical Theology series, thus, serving as prolegomena for the task of doing NT Theology. Within the volume itself the six main parts can be further subdivided into "preliminary matters" and "key theological categories." The first two parts belong to the former; the remaining parts to the latter. A brief conclusion brings together Dunn's findings. Having looked at the basic shape of the book, this review now turns to the introductory issue of the possibility of even doing NT Theology. After briefly commenting on the various ways scholars have gone about doing NT theology , Dunn writes, My own desire and preferences to get inside the process by which the theology of the NT came about, to see and treat the theology of the NT writings as a living, moving thing, a grappling with issues for faith and life which came to expression in these writings and was both the reason for their being written in the first place and also for their being retained as vital resources for ongoing faith and life, and hints to become regarded as scripture" (ix; italics original). Dunn calls this process theologizing since he is interested in "both the historical production of the NT" as well as their "continuing impact on subsequent thinking about and enacting Christian faith" (ibid.) In parts 3 through 6, the author uses four key topics though which to illustrate this theologizing; those topics are God, salvation, the church and finally ethics. In the conclusion the author summarizes his primary findings and then articulates how the process of theologizing can renew Christian theology and provide a healthy corrective to the Reformation's distrust of tradition.
Today When You Hear His Voice: Scripture, the Covenants, and the People of God, Gregory W. Lee, Eerdmans, 2016 (ISBN 978-0-8028-7327-9), x + 314 pp., pb $30
Reviews in Religion & Theology, 2018
pp., pb £??.?? Lee's Today When You Hear His Voice is an exploration into theological hermeneutics, seeking to address questions about how contemporary Christians can appropriate ancient Scripture. Lee's method is to hear how the book of Hebrews reads the Old Testament as Scripture, comparing this with the hermeneutical approaches of Augustine and Calvin. Over the course of the first four chapters, Lee argues that, in contrast to Augustine's mode of reading the Old Testament as signs, or Calvin's insistence on literal, Christological readings, Christian readers can follow the lead of the author of Hebrews, who reads the Old Testament as divine address, a living Word which speaks into the present. Two final chapters develop theologically the notion of divine address in conversation with a broader, modern theologies of scripture and hermeneutics. As an expansion and revision of a PhD dissertation, it is a thorough and detailed exposition, workman-like in its approach.
Christof Landmesser, Interpretative Unity of the New Testament: One Scripture or Many? Canon from Biblical, Theological, and Philosophical Perspectives
2004
Biblisch-theologische Studien, no. 44 (Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, 2001). That volume addresses the question of how biblical texts become the objects of theological reception at different stages and contexts in the history of their interpretation. Both trajectories within the Bible and trajectories that are traced from the Bible through the history of theology to the con temporary context are discussed in view of the formation of theological theory. Con tributors to this volume are from the biblical, historical, systematic-theological, and practical-theological fi elds (
Four Views on Moving Beyond the Bible to Theology - Edited by Gary T. Meadors
Reviews in Religion & Theology, 2011
Review of Understanding Biblical Theology
Recent years have witnessed an astounding growth of interest in biblical theology both on the popular and scholarly levels. New series, dictionaries, and monographs continue to be written and read. The explosion of published works has been in no sense monolithic, resulting in a multitude of definitions of, approaches to, and methods for biblical theology. Many find it difficult to get a grasp on what exactly is intended when an author describes her work as "biblical theology." Indeed, two writers can use the same term and mean very different things. One problem, particularly for beginning students, is that there has been no resource to use as an entry-point into the discussion. The authors of Understanding Biblical Theology have sought to fill the need for an introductory text by presenting a descriptive work that leads readers to encounter five approaches to the discipline.
THEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT edited by Kevin J. Vanhoozer with assistance from Daniel J. Treier and N.T. Wright
New Blackfriars, 2010
EFFECTING THE NEW COVENANT: A (NOT SO) NEW, NEW TESTAMENT MODEL FOR THE ATONEMENT
That there is no theory or model of the atonement called “covenant,” “new covenant,” or something very similar is one of the great wonders of the theological world. In this essay, therefore, I aim in a modest way to help in correcting this problem by proposing a new model of the atonement that is really not new at all—the new covenant model. In fact, this model may legitimately lay claim to being the oldest model of the atonement in the Christian tradition, going back to Jesus, the earliest churches, and Paul. I will argue that this is not merely an ancient model in need of rediscovery, but also a more comprehensive, integrated, participatory, communal, and missional model than any of the major models in the tradition. This paper is the forerunner of my book The Death of the Messiah and the Birth of the New Covenant: A (Not So) New Model of the Atonement.
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This paper presents the author’s hope for changes in New Testament (NT) theology particularly as currently experienced in American Christian culture. Those changes are based on exegetical work that seeks to place the NT texts into their Jewish first-century thought world. The first part of the paper presents examples of theological concepts that have crept into NT exegesis, translations, and Christian thinking, concepts that appear to be foreign to or contrary to that original-audience thought world. The second part of the article seeks to present a reading of Rom 3:21–26 that better represents Paul’s thinking than what is found in some English translations that read the text through the lenses of some of the foreign concepts mentioned in Part 1. The resulting vision for the future of NT theology is twofold: for NT theologies to self-critically rid themselves of the infiltration of foreign concepts, and for the field to better ground its work in exegesis and translations that better...
"Some Ways of 'Doing' Biblical Theology: Assessments and a Proposal," in Biblical Theology: Past, Present and Future (ed. Carey Walsh and Mark W. Elliott; Eugene, OR.: Wipf and Stock, 2016).
Biblical Theology is a much talked-about enterprise pursued with little agreement on method or goal. Biblical Theology’s lack of definition is out of proportion to the potential importance of its findings both for the academy and the church. Rather than offering a new definition of Biblical Theology, this paper sketches a framework for such a definition by describing various theories and practices of “whole Bible” Biblical Theologies published since 2000. Using the categories developed in Understanding Biblical Theology (Zondervan, 2012), this paper categorizes a range of recent offerings by plotting them on a spectrum extending from more historical to more theological. Noting especially how each work settles issues of historical diversity versus theological unity, the descriptive versus prescriptive nature of the discipline, whether Biblical Theology is an academic or ecclesial discipline, and especially the kind and degree of unity/disunity between the Old and New Testaments, this paper will isolate the weaknesses of each work. Here a pervasive weakness surfaces, namely, the failure to consider the canon as a criterion for Biblical Theology. Upon isolating this and other shortcomings, the paper will conclude by arguing for a broader, more eclectic approach to Biblical Theology—one that balances both historical and theological concerns as a fitting way forward.
Revisiting the Merits of a Contested Discipline: Reflections on the Study of Old Testament Theology
2015
Referring to his work as a New Testament scholar doing biblical theology, Peter Stuhlmacher maintains that "the more decisive impulses for understanding the NT [come] from OT scholars." 1 Whether or not this claim can be substantiated by Stuhlmacher's work, 2 my reading of Old Testament theology (OTT) more broadly has brought home both how frightening and how exciting this proposal is. That is, the rationale, methodology, and actual practice of OTT prove to be remarkably unsettled (for reasons that will become clear throughout this paper), and yet the potential OTT holds for illuminating Christian faith, practice, and reflection remains lamentably undervalued. This essay represents an attempt to chart a path through some of the major methodological issues involved in OTT, in order to (1) provide a means of evaluating the usefulness of the resources available, and (2) demonstrate that usefulness for the people of God today (at least as it might come to expression in my own roles of NT scholar, educator, and person of faith). To this end, I will first present brief arguments for my convictions about seven areas of methodological disagreement that I have deemed most crucial, and in the process I will present a working model for OTT. Second, in light of these methodological convictions, I will offer a brief example of how OTT might positively reshape the way Christians approach the NT and Christian life more broadly, by drawing out some ways OTT can deepen our understanding of a theological motif I have identified in the Gospel of John. Part One: Methodological Issues Audience and the Question of Theological Commitments Ben C. Ollenburger perhaps overstates the case with his suggestion that "[m]ethodology is also theology," but the point stands (like it or not) that OT theologians must offer rationale for their
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“Of covenant and creation: a conversation between Systematic Theology and Biblical Theology”. This essay is a study in the relationship between Systematic Theology and Biblical Theology. Biblical Theology is a post-critical discipline which seeks to elucidating the themes of Scripture in its own terms, with a focus on redemptive-historical development. Systematic Theology is concerned with conceptual coherence and seeks to speak more contextually. The tension between the two disciplines is noted and seven models for the relationship between the two are considered. The essay then takes the idea of a “covenant of works” as a point of discussion between the two disciplines. The classic presentation of the “covenant of works” is given and the reasons for its place in Reformed Theology are reviewed. It is argued that the “covenant of works” is a second order doctrine, though it has some biblical grounding. Biblical Theology both supports aspects of the classic view in yet also challenges it. The elements of support and challenge are reviewed and discussed. It is concluded that the covenant of works remains a viable Systematic Theological proposal, and that responding to Biblical Theology will modify and enrich the Systematic presentation. In turn Systematic Theology raises important questions for Biblical Theology. This suggests an approach for the ongoing conversation between to the two disciplines. They should not be collapsed into each other, but should be kept in close interdisciplinary dialogue and be brought together in theological interpretation of Scripture and theological ethics.
“The Spirit in the Present Age: Preliminary Fulfillment of the Predicted New Covenant according to Paul.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 41, no. 3 (September 1998):397–431.
Dispensationalists have prided themselves on their realistic appraisal of the covenants mentioned in Holy Writ. In contrast to covenant theology's emphasis on the theological covenants, dispensationalism's focus on the Biblical covenants may be con˜rmed by thumbing through any one of a whole host of works. 1 In my view, focusing on the Biblical covenants has been one of the key strengths of the dispensational perspective.
The Future of New Testament Theology, or, What Should Devout Modern Bible Scholarship Look Like?
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Consideration of the nature of New Testament Theology (NTT) necessitates an account of theology or “God-talk”. Karl Barth grasped that all valid God-talk begins with God’s self-disclosure through Jesus and the Spirit, which people acknowledge and reflect on. Abandoning this starting point by way of “Foundationalism”—that is, resorting to any alternative basis for God-talk—leads to multiple destructive epistemological and cultural consequences. The self-disclosure of the triune God informs the use of the Bible by the church. The Bible then functions in terms of ethics and witness. It grounds the church’s ethical language game. Creative readings here are legitimate. The New Testament (NT) also mediates a witness to Jesus, which implies an historical dimension. However, it is legitimate to affirm that Jesus was resurrected (see 1 Cor 15:1–9), which liberates the devout modern Bible scholar in relation to history. The historical readings generated by such scholars have value because the...
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