Christian Mission: Old Testament Foundations and New Testament Developments

by Stanley E. Porter (Editor), Cynthia Long Westfall (Editor)

Overview

How did a first-generation Jewish messianic movement develop the momentum to become a dominant religious force in the Western world? The essays here first investigate the roots of God's mission and the mission of his people in the Old Testament and Second Temple Judaism, specifically in the Psalms, Isaiah, and Daniel. The contributions then discuss the mission of Jesus, and how it continued into the mission of the Twelve, other Jewish believers (in the Gospels, General Epistles, and Revelation), and finally into Paul's ministry to the Gentiles documented in the book of Acts and his epistles. These essays reach backward into the background of what was to become the Christian mission and forward through the New Testament to the continuing Christian mission and missions today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781630879945
Publisher:	Pickwick Publications
Publication date:	09/01/2010
Series:	McMaster New Testament Studies Series , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	612 KB

About the Author

Stanley E. Porter is President, Dean, and Professor of New Testament, at McMaster Divinity College. He has published extensively in the area of New Testament and Greek language and linguistics, including New Testament Greek Papyri and Parchments (with Wendy Porter, 2008).

Cynthia Long Westfall is Assistant Professor of New Testament at McMaster Divinity College. She is the author of A Discourse Analysis of Hebrews (2006).
Stanley E. Porter is president, dean, and professor of New Testament and holder of the Roy A. Hope Chair in Christian Worldview at McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, ON, Canada. Besides his research and writing in Greek language and linguistics, he is a keen advocate for the arts within the Christian church. In particular, he is very interested in how literature can help to enlighten and elevate Christian faith.
Cynthia Long Westfall is Assistant Professor of New Testament at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario. She is the author of A Discourse Analysis of the Structure of Hebrews: The Relationship between Form and Meaning (2006).

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Contributors ix

Abbreviations x

Introduction: Christian Mission: Old Testament Foundations and New Testament Developments Stanley E. Porter Cynthia Long Westfall 1

1 "Declare His Glory among the Nations": The Psalter as Missional Collection Mark J. Boda 13

2 The Book of Daniel and the Roots of New Testament Mission Brian P. Irwin 42

3 Mark, Matthew, and Mission: Faith, Failure, and the Fidelity of Jesus Michael P. Knowles 64

4 A Light to the Nations: Isaiah and Mission in Luke Craig A. Evans 93

5 A Cord of Three Strands: Mission in Acts Stanley E. Porter Cynthia Long Westfall 108

6 The Content and Message of Paul's Missionary Teaching Stanley E. Porter 135

7 Paul's Missionary Strategy: Goals, Methods, and Realities Eckhard J. Schnabel 155

8 The Hebrew Mission: Voices from the Margin? Cynthia Long Westfall 187

9 Bible and Mission: Missiology and Biblical Scholarship in Dialogue Michael W. Goheen 208

Modern Author Index 237

Ancient Sources Index 241

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"For too long now biblical scholarship and missiology have been progressing in splendid isolation with little reference to each other. This sparkling collection of essays not only demonstrates the interdependence of these disciplines but also takes seriously the Hebrew Scriptures and Second Temple Judaism as fertile soil in which the seeds for Christian mission were sown, came to flower in the New Testament, and continue to bear fruit in the ongoing global mission of the church at the beginning of the twenty-first century."
—Trevor J. Burke author of Adopted into God's Family: Exploring a Pauline Metaphor

"Biblical scholars and missiologists have much to learn from each other. This work, with contributions from notable scholars, offers some fresh biblical insights for thinking about Christian mission."
—Craig Keener author of Romans: A New Covenant Commentary (Cascade 2009)

"We have needed a work that presents the development of Mission from Israel to the early church. These essays, written by leading scholars in both fields, admirably accomplish that goal. Here is a work that covers the field, presents missional roots as well as strategy, is very readable, and would serve as a fine textbook both for courses and personal study. I highly recommend this book."
—Grant Osborne author of The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation

Editorial Reviews

"For too long now biblical scholarship and missiology have been progressing in splendid isolation with little reference to each other. This sparkling collection of essays not only demonstrates the interdependence of these disciplines but also takes seriously the Hebrew Scriptures and Second Temple Judaism as fertile soil in which the seeds for Christian mission were sown, came to flower in the New Testament, and continue to bear fruit in the ongoing global mission of the church at the beginning of the twenty-first century."
--Trevor J. Burke author of Adopted into God's Family: Exploring a Pauline Metaphor

"Biblical scholars and missiologists have much to learn from each other. This work, with contributions from notable scholars, offers some fresh biblical insights for thinking about Christian mission."
--Craig Keener author of Romans: A New Covenant Commentary (Cascade 2009)

"We have needed a work that presents the development of Mission from Israel to the early church. These essays, written by leading scholars in both fields, admirably accomplish that goal. Here is a work that covers the field, presents missional roots as well as strategy, is very readable, and would serve as a fine textbook both for courses and personal study. I highly recommend this book."
--Grant Osborne author of The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation

From the Publisher