Book Recommendations - New Studies in Biblical Theology

The God Who Makes Himself Known by W. Ross Blackburn

The Lord's commitment to make himself known throughout the nations is the overarching missionary theme of the Bible and the central theological concern of Exodus.

Countering scholarly tendencies to fragment the text over theological difficulties, Ross Blackburn contends that Exodus should be read as a unified whole, and that an appreciation of its missionary theme in its canonical context is of great help in dealing with the difficulties that the book poses. For example, how is Exodus 6:3 best understood? Is there a tension between law and gospel, or mercy and judgment? How should we understand the painstaking detail of the tabernacle chapters?

From a careful examination of Exodus, this New Studies in Biblical Theology volume demonstrates that the Lord humbled Pharaoh so the world would know that only God can save the Lord gave Israel the law so that its people might display his goodness to the nations, living in a state of order and blessing the Lord dealt with Israel's idolatry severely, yet mercifully, for his goodness cannot be known if his glory is compromised. In the end, Exodus not only sheds important light on the church's mission but also reveals what kind of God the Lord is, one who pursues his glory and our good, ultimately realizing both as he makes himself known in Christ Jesus.

Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and edify, interact with current scholarship, and point the way ahead.

• Series preface
• Author's preface

• 1. Introduction
• Concerning biblical mission
• Purpose and approach

• 2. The name of the redeemer (Exodus 1:1—15:21)
• The problem: Exodus 3 and the name of the Lord
• That the name be known (Exodus 1:1)
• The name unknown (Exodus 1:8—2:25)
• The name made known (Exodus 3—14)
• Israel?s continued acknowledgment: ceremonies of deliverance
• The name known (Exodus 15)
• Conclusion: concerning Exodus 6:3

• 3. Training in the wilderness (Exodus 15:22—18)
• The problem: the significance of the wilderness
• Exegesis of the wilderness section
• Conclusion: the theological function of the wilderness section

• 4. The law and the mission of God (Exodus 19—24)
• The problem: law, gospel and the generosity of God
• You shall be holy
• The law and the goodness of God
• Conclusion: law and gospel in Exodus

• 5. The tabernacle instructions (Exodus 25—31)
• Problems with tabernacle interpretation
• The theology of the tabernacle
• 
  
• 6. The golden calf (Exodus 32—34)
• The theological problem of Exodus 34:6-7
• Exodus 20:3-6
• From (near) ruin to restoration: the theology of Exodus 32—34
• Conclusion: a proposal for Exodus 34:6-7

• 7. The tabernacle construction (Exodus 35—40)
• The problem: tabernacle theology and canonical order
• The priority of presence in the Lord?s mission
• The repentance of Israel
• Conclusion: the glory of God among the nations

• 8. Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Index of authors
• Index of Scripture references

"The God Who Makes Himself Known is a thought-provoking book. . . . Careful reading of this volume demands frequent pauses for reflection on the inner-canonical connections that Dr Blackburn unpacks with stimulating verve. I am quite certain that most who work their way through this volume will never be able to read Exodus in the same way they did before doing so—and that is high praise."

--D. A. Carson

"Blackburn deserves our thanks for skillfully steering us through the whole of Exodus, enabling us to see not only the trees but also the forest itself. Not only does the text of Exodus come alive in a new way, but the God of whom it speaks becomes more clearly known. To this end, Blackburn truly guides his readers to the missionary heart of Exodus."

--T. Desmond Alexander, Evangelical Quarterly, 86.2 (2014)

All Things New: Revelation As A Canonical Capstone by Brian Tabb

For many readers of the Bible, the book of Revelation is a riddle that fascinates and frustrates. Scholars and teachers have proposed different keys to its interpretation, including the "futurist" and historical-critical approaches. However, none of these adequately demonstrates the continuing, vital relevance of the Apocalypse to the contemporary church.

Brian Tabb stresses the importance of the canonical context of the book of Revelation and argues that it presents itself as the climax of biblical prophecy. He shows how various Old Testament prophecies and patterns find their consummation in the present and future reign of Jesus Christ, who decisively defeats his foes, saves his people, and restores all things.

Tabb considers key biblical-theological themes: the triune God; Christ's followers and foes; God's plan for salvation, judgment, and restoration; and God's word. He also explores how the book's symbolic visions shape believers' worldviews in accordance with what is true, good, and beautiful according to God's revealed standards. These visions motivate them to live obediently and counter-culturally in the world as faithful witnesses to Jesus.

• Series Preface
• Author's Preface
• List of Abbreviations
• 1. Introduction

• Part I: The Triune God
• 2. The Sovereign on the Throne: God at the Centre
• 3. The Lion and Lamb: Jesus the Reigning, Returning King
• 4. The Spirit of Prophecy: the Empowering Presence of God's Sevenfold Spirit

• Part II: Worship and Witness
• 5. Followers of the Lamb: the Suffering, Witnessing, Reigning People of God
• 6. Every Tribe and Tongue: the Battle for Universal Worship

• Part III: Judgment, Salvation and Restoration
• 7. The Wrath of the Lamb: the Plagues of Judgment and the New Exodus
• 8. Babylon the Harlot and Jerusalem the Bride
• 9. All Things New: a Greater Eden

• Part IV: The Word of God
• 10. The Unsealed Scroll: the Trustworthy Words of God
• 11. Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Index of Authors
• Index of Scripture References

With The Clouds of Heaven by James hamilton Jr.

"And behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom." (Daniel 7:13-14 ESV).

Perceiving a hole in evangelical biblical theology that should be filled with a robust treatment of the book of Daniel, James Hamilton takes this chance to delve into the book's rich contribution to the Bible's unfolding redemptive-historical storyline.

By setting Daniel in the broader context of biblical theology, this canonical study helps move us toward a clearer understanding of how we should live today in response to its message. First, Hamilton shows how the book's literary structure contributes to its meaning, and then addresses key questions and issues, concluding by examining typological patterns.

This New Studies in Biblical Theology volume argues that the four kingdoms prophesied by Daniel are both historical and symbolic—that the "one like a son of man" seen by Daniel is identified with and distinguished from the Ancient of Days in a way that would be mysterious until Jesus came as both the son of David and God incarnate. He elaborates that the interpretations of Daniel in early Jewish literature attest to strategies similar to those employed by New Testament authors and exposes that those authors provide a Spirit-inspired interpretation of Daniel that was learned from Jesus. He also highlights how the book of Revelation uses Daniel's language, imitates his structure, points to the fulfillment of his prophecies and clarifies the meaning of his "seventieth week."

• Series preface
• Author's preface
• Abbreviations

1. Preliminaries

• Biblical theology
• The canon of Scripture
• An evangelical approach
• Chapter by chapter preview

2. From Eden to the end: Daniel in Old Testament salvation history

• The history of Israel's future in the Torah
• The fulfilment of Mosaic prophecy in the Prophets and the Writings
• From Daniel to the end of days
• Conclusion

3. The literary structure of Daniel

• Daniel's discrete units
• Relationships between Daniel's discrete units
• The literary structure of the book of Daniel

4. Four kingdoms; then everlasting dominion: the history of the future

• The image in Daniel 2
• The beasts in Daniel 7
• The ram and the goat in Daniel 8
• Kings of south and north in Daniel 10—12
• Conclusion

5. Seventy weeks and seventy weeks of years: Daniel's prayer and Gabriel's revelation

• The prayer
• The revelation
• Conclusion

6. The one like a son of man and other heavenly beings in Daniel

• Heavenly beings in Daniel
• The pre-incarnate Christ?
• The one like a son of man
• Conclusion

7. Interpretations of Daniel in early Jewish literature

• Tobit
• Qumran
• 1 Maccabees
• 4 Ezra
• 1 Enoch
• Conclusion

8. Interpretations of Daniel in the New Testament (except Revelation)

• A summary of what we have seen
• Stock language, thematic similarity and fulfilment
• New Testament quotations of Daniel
• Thematic fulfilments of Daniel
• Conclusion

9. Interpretations of Daniel in the Apocalypse

• John's reuse of Daniel's language
• John's imitation of Daniel's structure
• John's fulfilments of Daniel's prophecies
• John's clarification of Daniel's revelations
• Conclusion

10. Typological patterns: Daniel in biblical theology

• A promise-shaped paradigm
• Abraham
• Psalms
• Joseph and Daniel
• Jehoiachin, Esther and Nehemiah
• Fulfilment in Christ
• Conclusion

Bibliography

• Index of authors
• Index of Scripture references
• Index of ancient sources

A Gracious and Compassionate God: 
Mission, Salvation and Spirituality in the Book of Jonah by Daniel C. Timmer

The book of Jonah is arguably just as jarring for us as it was for the ancients. Ninevah's repentance, Jonah's estrangement from God and the book's bracing moral conclusion all pose unsettling questions for today's readers.

For biblical theologians, Jonah also raises tough questions regarding mission and religious conversion. Here, Daniel Timmer embarks on a new reading of Jonah in order to secure its ongoing relevance for biblical theology. After an examination of the book?s historical backgrounds (in both Israel and Assyria), Timmer discusses the biblical text in detail, paying special attention to redemptive history and its Christocentric orientation. Timmer then explores the relationship between Israel and the nations—including the question of mission—and the nature of religious conversion and spirituality in the Old Testament.

Series preface

Author's preface

Abbreviations

Introduction

What is the book of Jonah?

Approaching the book of Jonah

1. The nations and mission in Jonah

• Universalism
• The nations
• Israel between universalism and mission
• A definition of mission in the Old Testament
• Mission in Jonah?
• Mission from Pentecost onward
• Evaluating contemporary approaches to mission
• Mission and the priority of the gospel

2. Conversion and spirituality in Jonah and in biblical theology

• Conversion in biblical theology and in Jonah
• Abram's faith
• Abram's repentance
• Conversion elsewhere in the Old Testament
• Approaching conversion in Jonah
• Spirituality in biblical theology and in Jonah
• The possibility of a unified biblical spirituality
• Approaching spirituality in Jonah

3. Looking into Jonah 1

• Meeting the main characters
• Initial identities and contrasts
• Identities clarified and remade
• The aftermath of the storm

4. Looking into Jonah 2

• Yahweh prepares a fish
• Jonah prays
• Jonah is saved from drowning

5. Looking into Jonah 3

• Introduction
• Assyria in the eighth century bc
• Nineveh in the eighth century bc
• Jonah's message
• The response of the Ninevites
• The limits of Nineveh's repentance
• The response of Nineveh's king
• Who was Nineveh's king?
• Nineveh's repentance in context
• How does God 'relent'?
• God's justice and his relenting

6. Looking into Jonah 4

• Jonah's anger against Yahweh
• The root of Jonah's anger: God's gracious character
• The fruit of Jonah's anger: life with God impossible
• Yahweh's first response to Jonah's anger
• Jonah's anger over his discomfort
• Yahweh's second response to Jonah's anger
• Conclusion

7. Conclusions

• Christocentric interpretation and application
• Sin and its consequences in Jonah
• Judgment and salvation in the Day of the Lord
• Jonah, mission and the gospel
• Jonah, conversion and spirituality, and the gospel
• Jonah, imitation of God, and the gospel
• Mission, Christ-conformity and our triune God

• Bibliography
• Index of modern authors
• Index of Scripture references
• Index of ancient sources

This New Studies in Biblical Theology volume concludes with an injunction for scholars and lay readers to approach Jonah as a book written to facilitate spiritual change in the reader.

Father, Son and Spirit: The Trinity and John's Gospel by Andreas J. Köstenberger and Scott R. Swain

From the patristic period until today, John's Gospel has served as a major source for the church's knowledge, doctrine and worship of the triune God. Among all New Testament documents the Fourth Gospel provides not only the most raw material for the doctrine of the Trinity, but also the most highly developed patterns of reflection on this material—particularly patterns that seek to account in some way for the distinct personhood and divinity of Father, Son and Spirit without compromising the unity of God.

While there have been recent, fine studies on aspects of John's doctrine of God, it is surprising that none summarizes and synthasizes what John has to say about God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In order to fill this gap, Köstenberger and Swain offer a fresh examination of John's trinitarian vision in this New Studies in Biblical Theology volume.

Part One situates John's trinitarian teaching within the context of Second Temple Jewish monotheism. Part Two examines the Gospel narrative in order to trace the characterization of God as Father, Son and Spirit, followed by a brief synthesis. Part Three deals more fully with major trinitarian themes in the Fourth Gospel, including its account of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and mission. A final chapter discusses the significance of John's Gospel for the church's doctrine of the Trinity, and a brief conclusion summarizes some practical implications.

Series preface

Authors' preface

Abbreviations

Introduction: John's Gospel and the church's doctrine of the Trinity

Part I: Historical Context

John's Gospel and Jewish Monotheism

Part II: Biblical Foundations

2. God in John's Gospel

3. The Father in John's Gospel

4. The Son in John's Gospel

5. The Spirit in John's Gospel

6. Father, Son and Spirit in John's Gospel

Part III: Theological Reflections

7. Christology in John's trinitarian perspective: Jesus' filial identity

8. The Spirit who rests and remains on God's Son and his brothers

9. 'As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you': Toward a Trinitarian mission theology

10. The Trinity and John's Gospel

The Story Retold: A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament by G. K. Beale and Benjamin L. Gladd

Christian Book Award® program

Biblical Foundations Book Awards Finalist

New Testament introductions fall into two categories: those that emphasize the history behind the text through discussions of authorship, dating, and audience, and those that explore the content of the text itself. Few introductions weave the Old Testament into their discussions, and fewer still rely on the grand narrative of the Old Testament.

But the New Testament was not written within a vacuum. Rather, it stands in continuity with the Old Testament. Israel's story is the church's story.

In The Story Retold, G. K. Beale and Benjamin L. Gladd explore each New Testament book in light of the broad history of redemption, emphasizing the biblical-theological themes of each New Testament book. Their distinctive approach encourages readers to read the New Testament in light of the Old, not as a new story but as a story retold.

• Preface
• Abbreviations
• 1. The Story Line of the Bible
• 2. The Use of the Old Testament in the New
• 3. Introduction to the Gospels
• 4. The Gospel of Matthew
• 5. The Gospel of Mark
• 6. The Gospel of Luke
• 7. The Gospel of John
• 8. Acts
• 9. Romans
• 10. 1 Corinthians
• 11. 2 Corinthians
• 12. Galatians
• 13. Ephesians
• 14. Philippians
• 15. Colossians and Philemon
• 16. 1 and 2 Thessalonians
• 17. The Pastoral Epistles
• 18. Hebrews
• 19. James
• 20. 1 Peter
• 21. 2 Peter and Jude
• 22. Johannine Epistles
• 23. Revelation
• Bibliography
• Image Credits
• Subject Index
• Scripture Index
• Ancient Writings Index

All book descriptions are from InterVarsity Press