Two weighty volumes recently landed on my desk, The New Testament in Antiquity: A Survey of the New Testament within Its Cultural Context by Gary M. Burge, Lynn H. Cohick, and Gene L. Green and the 3d edition of A Survey of the Old Testament by Andrew E. Hill and John H. Walton (both by Zondervan, 2009). Hill and Walton’s Survey of the Old Testament has proven its value along with Dillard and Longman’s survey. Hill is professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College, and Walton teaches at Wheaton College Graduate School. Their work reflects the authors’ commitment to sound study in the ancient Near Eastern background as a means to help students understand God as revealed in the Old Testament texts.
In this third edition, the work has been expanded and redesigned in order to make it even more student-friendly. There are full-color maps, photos, timelines, and charts illustrating the points made in the text. There are also discussions of major theological themes, questions for further study and discussion, and suggestions for further reading. The first two editions sold over 100,000 copies and influenced thousands of Bible students. The author and the publisher are to be commended for a beautifully produced work that promises to extend the influence of this volume for another generation.
The New Testament in Antiquity is a brand-new work, also written by a team of faculty at Wheaton, all of whom are professors of New Testament in the Department of Biblical and Theological Studies at Wheaton College and Graduate School. The back cover features strong endorsements by Craig S. Keener, Darrell L. Bock, Scot McKnight [spelled McNight!], and Craig L. Blomberg. Gary Burge and Gene Green in particular have decades of demonstrated interest in using background study to illumine the New Testament. After introductory chapters including “Studying the New Testament,” “The Historical Setting of the New Testament,” “The World of Jesus in His Jewish Homeland,” “The Mediterranean World of the Apostle Paul,” “Sources for the Study of Jesus,” “The Story of Jesus,” and “The Teachings of Jesus,” chapters are devoted to the various books of the new Testament, with a concluding chapter dealing with the “Preservation and Communication of the New Testament.” On page 11, readers are told who among the three authors wrote which chapter. As one has come to expect from Zondervan, this volume, too, is beautifully presented, with many full-color photographs, charts, and other illustrations. There are Scripture and subject indices but no author index. The date of my John commentary is listed as 2003 (should be 2004). This would be the ideal text for a class in New Testament backgrounds or a supplementary text for a New Testament survey class. I am very grateful for its existence and look forward to using it both in my personal study and in my classroom teaching.
I also received three new publications from John Piper (all published by Crossway). Most important is This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence, of which I say in my endorsement, “An instant classic. It is biblical and devotional, the fruit of seasoned theological reflection and four decades of ‘momentary marriage.’” The book also carries endorsements by Chuck Colson, Dennis Rainey, D. A. Carson, Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Larry Crabb, Wayne Grudem, and Ray Ortlund. Piper and I continue to differ on the Matthean exception clause, and consequently on the indissolubility of marriage, but what unites us is much greater than what divides us, and I am always grateful when a new book on marriage comes out that is not merely pragmatic and operating on the human plane but biblical and theological. The book is not scholarly but pastoral. It is fairly comprehensive, including chapters not only on marriage and the family and sex but also on singleness and divorce. Piper also published Velvet Steel: The Joy of Being Married to You, a selection of some of his poems; and Rethinking Retirement: Finishing Life for the Glory of Christ.
On a personal note, I am currently working on two major manuscripts which are in the final stages of production. The first one is The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament, co-authored with L. Scott Kellum and Charles L. Quarles, due out with B&H in August. J. I. Packer says about this volume, “Among available New Testament introductions for theological students this one stands out for meticulously thorough coverage, bibliographical fullness, attention to canonical issues, juicy pastoral reflections, and lashings of masterful common sense. I recommend it highly, as a leader in its field.” I hope you will consider this book as a classroom text for courses in New Testament Survey and Introduction. If you are a pastor, this will be a helpful volume to keep at hand in your sermon preparation.
The other volume is The Theology of John’s Gospel and Letters: The Word, the Christ, the Son of God, due out with Zondervan in October (click here to view a promotional video ). This is the inaugural volume of the Biblical Theology of the New Testament series (BTNT) and the first of two volumes on Johannine theology. John’s theology is so rich and creative, and this book represents an effort to probe John’s theology with careful attention to its historical setting, narrative embeddedness, and theological interconnections. I am currently using a draft of this volume as a classroom text and am thoroughly enjoying interacting with my students on it.
Other volumes due at the publisher on July 1 are a second edition of God, Marriage & Family (Crossway), The Heresy of Orthodoxy (with Michael Kruger, also Crossway), and Invitation to Biblical Interpretation (with Richard Patterson and Scott Swain; Kregel).
