Biblical Theology According to the Apostles: How the Earliest Christians Told the Story of Israel

by Chris Bruno, Jared Compton, Kevin McFadden, D. A. Carson (Editor)

Overview

Biblical Foundations Book Awards Runner up and Finalist

How did the apostles understand the Old Testament?

Although relatively few in number, the New Testament's explicit summaries of the Old Testament story of Israel give readers direct access into the way the earliest Christians told this story—that is to say, into the way they did biblical theology.

This stimulating New Studies in Biblical Theology volume examines the passages in the Synoptic Gospels, Acts, Paul's letters, and Hebrews which recount the characters, events, and institutions of Israel's story in chronological order and at substantial length. The authors demonstrate just how valuable a lens these summaries provide for a clearer vision of the earliest Christians' practice of biblical theology. In doing so, they also show how contemporary readers can and should follow the apostles' example.

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 to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780830820207
Publisher:	InterVarsity Press
Publication date:	06/23/2020
Series:	New Studies in Biblical Theology , #52
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Chris Bruno is associate dean and assistant professor of New Testament and biblical theology at Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis.

Jared Compton is a pastor at CrossWay Community Church in Bristol, Wisconsin.

Kevin McFadden is associate professor of New Testament at Cairn University in Philadelphia.

D. A. Carson is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois.

Table of Contents

Series preface ix

Authors' preface xi

Abbreviations xiv

1 Introduction 1

Our idea: exploring the exposed iceberg 2

Our criteria: New Testament summaries of Israel's story 3

Our method: context, content and contribution 7

2 Matthew and Israel's continuing story 11

The context of Matthew's genealogy 12

The content of Matthew's genealogy (Matt. 1:1-17) 13

The context of the parable of the tenants 29

The content of the parable of the tenants (Matt. 21:33-46) 32

Reading Israel's story with Matthew 42

The great commission and Israel's story in Matthew's Gospel 44

The contribution of Matthew's summaries 45

Conclusion 46

3 Luke, Acts and the climax of Israel's story 49

The context: the Gospel of Luke 50

The context: Acts 52

The context of Stephen's speech 55

The content of Stephen's speech (Acts 7) 58

Summary of Stephen's speech 65

The context of Paul's sermon 67

The content of Paul's sermon (Acts 13:16-41) 68

Summary of Paul's sermon 78

The contribution of Luke's summaries 80

Conclusion 81

4 Galatians and Israel's law 83

The context of Paul's summary 84

The content of Paul's summary (Gal. 3-4) 89

5 Romans and Israel's identity 115

The context of Paul's summary 116

The content of Paul's summary (Rom. 9 - 11) 121

The contribution of Paul's summary 144

Conclusion 147

6 Hebrews and Israel's inheritance 149

The context of Hebrews's summary 151

The content of Hebrews's summary (Heb. 11) 159

The contribution of Hebrews's summary 179

Conclusion 182

7 Conclusion: a biblical-theological rule of faith 183

Summary of the contributions 183

Biblical-theological prescriptions 185

Israel's story and our stories 200

Bibliography 202

Index of authors 217

Index of Scripture references 220

What People are Saying About This

D. A. Carson

"[The authors] set themselves the task of studying how the story of Israel is picked up in various ways in the New Testament, whether directly or allusively. . . . The journey. . . . is surprisingly interesting, and contributes mightily to a fresh understanding of some of the ways in which the biblical documents intertwine so as to flesh out the good news of Jesus the Messiah."

Editorial Reviews

"[The authors] set themselves the task of studying how the story of Israel is picked up in various ways in the New Testament, whether directly or allusively. . . . The journey. . . . is surprisingly interesting, and contributes mightily to a fresh understanding of some of the ways in which the biblical documents intertwine so as to flesh out the good news of Jesus the Messiah."

D. A. Carson