New Volume on the Psalms in the Studies in Theological Interpretation Series

Here's another interesting looking study in the Psalms: Gordon Wenham, The Psalms as Torah: Reading Biblical Song Ethically. Studies in Theological Interpretation. (Baker Academic, 2012).

Contents

Introduction
1. Jewish and Christian Approaches to the Psalms

2. Critical Approaches to the Psalms

3. The Psalter as an Anthology to Be Memorized

4. The Unique Claims of Prayed Ethics

5. The Concept of the Law in the Psalms

6. Laws in the Psalter

7. Narrative Law in the Psalter

8. Virtues and Vices in the Psalter

9. Appeals for Divine Intervention

10. The Ethic of the Psalms and the New Testament

Conclusion

Indexes

"An important contribution to both ethics and our insightful reading of the Psalms."--Patrick D. Miller, Princeton Theological Seminary

Have any of our you read any of the volumes in this series? What are your impressions?


I also found this related title by Wenham: Story as Torah: Reading Old Testament Narrative Ethically (Baker Academic, 2004).


Added to the wish list!

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Studies in Theological Interpretation

New! Psalms as Torah Reading Biblical Song Ethically Series: Studies in Theological Interpretation by Gordon J. Wenham ISBN: 978-0-8010-3168-7 Price: $22.99 Format: Paperback Publication date: Feb. 12 | Division: Baker Academic VIEW AT AMAZON Character of Christian Scripture, The The Significance of a Two-Testament Bible Series: Studies in Theological Interpretation by Christopher R. Seitz ISBN: 978-0-8010-3948-5 Price: $22.99 Format: Paperback Publication date: Oct. 11 | Division: Baker Academic VIEW AT AMAZON Virtuous Reader, The Old Testament Narrative and Interpretive Virtue Series: Studies in Theological Interpretation by Richard S. Briggs ISBN: 978-0-8010-3843-3 Price: $27.00 Format: Paperback Publication date: Jan. 10 | Division: Baker Academic VIEW AT AMAZON Body, Soul, and Human Life The Nature of Humanity in the Bible Series: Studies in Theological Interpretation by Joel B. Green ISBN: 978-0-8010-3595-1 Price: $24.00 Format: Paperback Publication date: Jun. 08 | Division: Baker Academic VIEW AT AMAZON Prophecy and Hermeneutics Toward a New Introduction to the Prophets Series: Studies in Theological Interpretation by Christopher R. Seitz ISBN: 978-0-8010-3258-5 Price: $23.00 Format: Paperback Publication date: Jul. 07 | Division: Baker Academic VIEW AT AMAZON Seeing the Word Refocusing New Testament Study Series: Studies in Theological Interpretation by Markus Bockmuehl ISBN: 978-0-8010-2761-1 Price: $27.00 Format: Paperback Publication date: Aug. 06 | Division: Baker Academic VIEW AT AMAZON

New Volume on the Psalms in the Studies in Theological Interpretation Series

Gupta Reviews Joel Green's Practicing Theological Interpretation

I am grateful for Nijay Gupta's brief review of Joel Green's Practicing Theological Interpretation. I have added this book to my Amazon wishlist.

Practicing Theological Interpretation: Engaging Biblical Texts for Faith and Formation
(Theological Explorations for the Church Catholic)
Joel B. Green
Baker Academic, 2012
Paperback
160 pages

1. Living Faithfully in Exile: Who Reads the Bible Well?
2. Neglecting Widows and Serving the Word? "History" and Theological Interpretation
3. Scripture and Classical Christology: The "Rule of Faith" and Theological Interpretation
4. John Wesley, Wesleyans, and Theological Interpretation: Learning from a Premodern Interpreter


I am reading through the Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible and am profiting from it.  Joel Green is also a contributor to this dictionary, having written the following articles: Commentaries, Context, Dictionaries and Encyclopedias; and Narrative Theology.  I am not out of the As yet, so I'll come to Green's articles after a while.

Another work along these lines that I would recommend is Daniel Treier's Introducing Theological Interpretation of Scripture: Recovering a Christian Practice (Baker Academic, 2008).

Gupta Reviews Joel Green's Practicing Theological Interpretation

2 New Academic Titles Worth Mentioning

There are at least two new academics worth your notice.  I have previewed the sample pages only, so I do not have much to say other than I have learned much from each of these others through some of their other works.

1) G. K. Beale. A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New. Baker Academic, 2011. Hardcover, 1072 pages.

G. K. Beale (PhD, University of Cambridge) is professor of New Testament and biblical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the coeditor of the Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament and the author of seven books, including commentaries on Revelation and 1 and 2 Thessalonians.

Endorsements 

Excerpt: Cover - 87 (PDF) // vii-ix, 88-116 (PDF)
Purchase:   

From the book: [t]his biblical theology of the NT first attempts to trace the canonical storyline of the OT and tries to distill the major biblical-theological themes from that storyline (chap. 2). Since, as we will see, “movement toward an eschatological goal” is one of the major themes of the OT storyline, the third, fourth, and fifth chapters look respectively at the eschatology of the OT, then of Judaism, and finally of the NT. The themes composing the OT storyline found in chapters 2–3 become the basis for the NT storyline, which is stated in chapter 6. The NT plotline is a transformation of the OT storyline through developing it and fulfilling its prophetic features. 

Chapter 6 then discusses methodological problems in the search for “centers” in the OT and the NT and how this is similar yet different from the search for a storyline, the latter of which the present project prefers. What is meant by the word “storyline” is explained further in chapter 2 (under the heading “The Repeated Cosmic Judgment and New Creation Episodes of the Old Testament”) and especially in chapter 6. It is argued that a storyline reflects a unified story yet contains multiple themes that are incased in a narratival canonical plotline. 

Then the components of the NT storyline, as noted earlier, serve as the organizing outline of the remainder of the book (chaps. 7–28). Each chapter discusses and traces throughout the NT a thematic component of the storyline (along with subthemes to be traced that are subordinate to each major thematic component). This NT section is the bulk of the book. Each theme discussed in the NT section is seen from the perspective of its roots in the OT, its development in Judaism, and through the lens of the “already and not yet end-time fulfillment” in the NT. Accordingly, chapters typically are structured, to one degree or another, by discussion of relevant OT background, then Jewish developments, followed by analysis of the NT material (sometimes but not always in the order of Gospels, Acts, Paul, General Epistles, and Revelation). In some cases, when the relevant material is concentrated in only certain parts of the NT, there is more focus on those parts than others, as alluded to earlier. 

The OT storyline that I posit as the basis for the NT storyline is this: The Old Testament is the story of God, who progressively reestablishes his new-creational kingdom out of chaos over a sinful people by his word and Spirit through promise, covenant, and redemption, resulting in worldwide commission to the faithful to advance this kingdom and judgment (defeat or exile) for the unfaithful, unto his glory. The inductive basis for the formulation of this statement is found in chapters 2–3. 

The NT transformation of the storyline of the OT that I propose is this: Jesus’s life, trials, death for sinners, and especially resurrection by the Spirit have launched the fulfillment of the eschatological already–not yet new-creational reign, bestowed by grace through faith and resulting in worldwide commission to the faithful to advance this new-creational reign and resulting in judgment for the unbelieving, unto the triune God’s glory. At first glance, some of the conceptual categories that compose various chapters may not seem to grow out of the foregoing storyline components, but I will argue that they indeed do. 

I contend that the goal of the NT storyline is God’s glory, and that the main stepping-stone to that goal is Christ’s establishment of an eschatological new-creational kingdom and its expansion. The main focus of this book is on the development of this new-creational kingdom and its spread as the penultimate means to divine glory. Others have argued well that the glory of God is the final goal of Scripture, so I concentrate my efforts here on the major instrumentation that accomplishes that goal. (15-16)

2) Andreas Köstenberger and Richard Patterson. Invitation to Biblical Interpretation: Exploring the Hermeneutical Triad of History, Literature, and Theology. Kregel Academic, 2011. Hardcover or PDF, 880 pages.


Andreas J. Köstenberger is director of doctoral studies and professor of New Testament and Greek at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He translated Adolf Schlatter’s two-volume theology of the New Testament into English and is editor of the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society.  


Richard D. Patterson (PhD, University of California, Los Angeles) is distinguished professor emeritus at Liberty University.

Companion Item: Invitation to Bibblical Interpretation Presentation Slides 

Excerpt: Endorsements - 94 (PDF)
Purchase:   

From the book: This volume is based on such respect both for the ultimate author of Scripture and for its human authors. We are committed to taking the text of Scripture seriously and to practicing a hermeneutic of listening and perception. We aim to take into account the relevant historical setting of a given passage and to pay close attention to the words, sentences, and discourses of a particular book. We purpose to give careful consideration to the theology of the Bible itself and to interpret the parts in light of the canonical whole.  Last but not least, we seek to operate within the proper framework of the respective genres of Scripture. (58-59)

2 New Academic Titles Worth Mentioning

New From Baker Academic: Evangelicals and Nicene Faith

Here's a new book edited by Timothy George published by Baker Academic.  This volume is the third installment in the Beeson Divinity Studies series.

I am also glad to see that this volume includes a chapter by my friend and undergraduate classmate Mark Gignilliat.  Mark's doctoral studies at St. Andrews were focused upon the relationship between the testaments, and his doctoral dissertation looked into the relationship between Isaiah 40-66 and 2 Corinthians 5:14-6:10 (see here).  His research has also produced articles and another book on the relationship between exegesis and dogmatics (see here for one example), and I understand that he is currently working on a theological commentary on the prophecy of Micah.  Mark's contribution to this volume appears to be along similar lines.  This looks great!

Evangelicals an Nicene Faith: Reclaiming the Apostolic Witness

  


Contents

Introduction: The Faith We Confess    Timothy George

Identity

1. The Faith Once Delivered: Nicea and Evangelical Confession   Thomas C. Oden

2. The Gospel Promised by the Prophets: The Trinity and the Old Testament    Mark S. Gignilliat

3. The Road to Nicea: The New Testament    Frank Thielman

4. Whosoever Will Be Saved: The Athanasian Creed and the Modern Church    Gerald Bray

History

5. The Reformers and the Nicene Faith: An Assumed Catholicity    Carl L. Beckwith

6. The Nicene Faith and the Catholicity of the Church: Evangelical Retrieval and the Problem of Magisterium    Steven R. Harmon

7. The Church Is Part of the Gospel: A Sermon on the Four Marks of the Church    Carl E. Braaten

8. Confessional, Baptist, and Arminian: The General-Free Will Baptist Tradition and the Nicene Faith    J. Matthew Pinson

9. Toward a Generous Orthodoxy    Curtis W. Freeman

Practice

10. Practicing the Nicene Faith    Elizabeth Newman

11. The Nicene Faith and Evangelical Worship    David P. Nelson

12. Taking in His Coming Down    Kathleen B. Nielson

13. The Will to Believe and the Need for Creeds    John Rucyahana

14. Can the Church Emerge without or with Only the Nicene Creed?    Mark DeVine

15. Life after Life after Death: A Sermon on the Final Phrase of the Nicene Creed    Ralph C. Wood

16. Delighted by Doctrine: A Tribute to Jaroslav Pelikan    Timothy George

Publisher's blurb -

The Nicene Creed is the most universally accepted statement of Christian faith by Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox believers alike. In this volume, top scholars examine the Nicene Creed's connection with the evangelical tradition, presenting evangelicalism as a renewal movement within the one holy catholic and apostolic church. Particular focus is given to the Creed's practical outworking in the life of the church--its theology, spirituality, worship, and mission. Topics include pastoral work, biblical exegesis, the emerging phenomena, and Christian orthodoxy's revival in the Global South. The book will be useful for students of theology, church history, and spirituality. It will also appeal to pastors, church leaders, scholars, and all who wish to present the traditional Christian faith to twenty-first-century people. 

New From Baker Academic: Evangelicals and Nicene Faith

With Calvin in the Theater of God Available in PDF

With Calvin in the Theater of God: The Glory of Christ and Everyday Life, edited by John Piper and David Mathis, is now available in PDF from Desiring God.


Format: Softcover Book
Pages: 176
ISBN: 9781433514128
Publisher: Crossway


    

HT: Desiring God Blog by Jonathan Parnell
*******************************
As a side note, back in 2001 I read Susan Schreiner's The Theater of His Glory: Nature and the Natural Order in the Thought of John Calvin (Baker Academic, 2001) and was introduced to Calvin's use of theater as a metaphor throughout his writings.  Schreiner picked up on Calvin's repeated use of theatrum gloriae Dei, "the theater of God's glory," to describe the created world.  This volume is an edited version of Schreiner's doctoral dissertation and is an excellent, scholarly introduction to the subject.

I also recommend David Hall's short article form Tabletalk Magazine, July 1, 2009.

With Calvin in the Theater of God Available in PDF

Herman Bavinck - "I have my faith, and in this I have all"

In the providence of God, Bavinck's life ended unexpectedly, at a time when he was still engaged in a variety of academic, political, cultural, and church activities. After offering an eloquent address on the floor of the synodical meeting of the Reformed churches in Leeuwarden, Bavinck suffered a heart attack, from which he first rallied but never fully recovered. After a prolonged period of illness, Bavinck "fell asleep" in the Lord on July 29, 1921. Among the poignant memories recorded of visits with Bavinck at the time was his reply to the question of whether he was afraid to die: "My dogmatics avail me nothing, nor my knowledge, but I have my faith, and in this I have all."

(Cornelis P. Venema, "Herman Bavinck: His Life and Theology,"New Horizons, October 2008)

For a helpful introduction to the life and theology of Herman Bavinck, I recommend the following brief articles:

• Herman Bavinck: His Life and Theology
  by Cornelis P. Venema
• The Legacy of Herman Bavinck
  by Nelson D. Kloosterman
• The Witness of Scripture to Itself
  by Lane G. Tipton

I also commend to you his magnum opus, Bavinck's Reformed Dogmatics. 4 Volumes. Edited by John Bolt and translated by John Vriend. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2003 - 2008. Hardcover, 3,008 pages.

Herman Bavinck - "I have my faith, and in this I have all"

Calvin the Interpreter

A while back I spent some gift money to purchase Baker Academic's Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible, edited by Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Craig G. Bartholomew, Daniel J. Treier, and N. T. Wright (2005) [see this post for more details about this volume]. I have not been disappointed!

This evening my eye caught the article on John Calvin by John L. Thompson (Fuller Theological Seminary). I found this article to be focused, well-balanced and constructively critical. It is focused on Calvin as an interpreter of Scripture. It is well-balanced and constructively critical in that it presents the strengths of Calvin's approach to biblical interpretation in light of his historical setting (i.e. Renaissance humanism) and his attempt to maintain an appropriate balance between literal and allegorical interpretation. It also cautions the modern reader with regard to Calvin's methods and rhetoric which have lead some to the extremes of "Protestant triumphalism."

I would like to share a few highlights from this article with you:

Thompson argues that, when interpreting Scripture, Calvin was concerned with "how to ascertain an author's meaning and how to communicate that meaning persuasively." (96)

"Calvin attempted to write commentaries with 'lucid brevity'; unlike many of his contemporaries, he usually succeeded. But this particular principle was much more than a plea for clear prose; it was also expressive of his commitment to exegesis in service of the church, including the laity." (96, emphasis mine)

"His goal of lucid brevity was strategically supported by reserving what could have been lengthy theological digressions--loci communes, commonplaces--for his oft-revised Institutes. The work is integrated far more closely with his commentaries than modern editions make known." (96)

"[F]or Calvin the final authority of Scripture by no means warranted neglect of earlier commentators or theologians. Calvin elsewhere went so far as to insist that these ancient writings (Augustine and Chrysostom took pride of place) were providentially arranged aids for our own reading of Scripture, and we would be ingrates to neglect them." (96, emphasis mine)

With that in mind, the joining together of Calvin's Commentaries and Institutes by Baker Publishing was a great idea. The Institutes should have been included in the set from the get-go. This weekend, you can purchase this set at a discounted price at Christian Book Distributors . Take a look! This is a set you ought to have on your shelf, if you can afford it.

Calvin the Interpreter

An Alternative to Dispensational Premillennialism

Okay, I have finished reading the free excerpt of A Case for Historic Premillennialism edited by Craig L. Blaising and Sung Wook Chung. I have avoided reading books on the rapture and the millennium ever since taking two back-to-back semesters of Eschatology. The first semester was at a dispensationalist school and the second semester was a class audited at a reformed school. The text book required at the dispensationalist school was not worth the time or money spent. It was out dated, over-simplistic, and full of broad generalizations and mis-characterizations. I won't even mention the title. The best feature of the class was a reading list of some of the major work from the various millennialist and rapturist camps. One of the major flaws of the reading list (and of the class) was the lack of discussion of historic premillennialism and progressive premillennialism (the later being a recent development at that time).

I spent most of my time reading the non-pretrib and non-premill positions because they were the most unfamiliar to me. Many of the authors were disappointing because they continued to resort to ranting against scholars and teachers who espoused opposing viewpoints. Many spent more time tearing down opposing positions than exegetically substantiating their own. Many authors engaged in so many "exegetical gymnastics" that it was next to impossible to reproduce their arguments with any confidence. Of all the books I read, George E. Ladd offered the most help. His books, The Blessed Hope and The Last Things where two that I read for the first semester. I found in Ladd a scholar interested more in careful study than in bombastic and irrational tirades against those who held to different positions. This is not to say that he does not engage in criticizing the other positions. He certainly does. But it was the tenor of his writing that went a long way with me. To that, he took the time to carefully deal with the various texts, consulting each texts immediate and Biblical context.

Ladd states in his little book, The Last Things, that his eschatological position was derived from a recognition of progressive revelation and a conviction that the Old Testament is to be interpreted by the New Testament. He explains further that,

Dispensationalists usually refer to this as covenantal theology because it emphasizes the element of unity between the Old and the New Covenants. However, the present writer who supports this method does not do so because he was raised in covenantal theology; in fact, in his earliest years he was a Dispensationalist. it has been through his own inductive study of the Bible that he has become convinced that the Old testament must be interpreted (and often reinterpreted) by the new revelation given in the person and mission of Jesus Christ. (p. 10)

This posture won me over. I was tired of the intricacies of the dispensational system. I had questions about many of the details that no one else answered convincingly. So much of the system depends upon major presuppositions. More so, a major factor in the system is an emotional appeal.

The second semester of eschatology launched me into Anthony Hoekema's The Bible and the Future and Herman Bavinck's The Last Things. These two books were challenging and helpful, and are among the few best textbooks I ever purchased for any class. Reading through these major works was very helpful and Morton H. Smith was a gracious and competent teacher. During this semester, I found myself going back and reevaluating the dispensationalist position I had been taught thus far. I had not fully cast it off, so I struggled to attempt to answer the difficult issues we discussed by re-reading the key Biblical texts and checking them with some of the major dispensationalist authors.

In the end, I must admit that I was exhausted. However, I'm glad that I went through this struggle. I was not convinced that either amillennialism or postmillennialism had better answers, and I did not fully drop my premillennial position. What I was most certain about is that good and sound people will always disagree on these issues, and that the real key is how we reflect the grace of God in our study and discussion of these matters. Morton Smith facetiously commented on a number of occasions that he was a pan-millennialist: he believed that it would all pan out in the end. His point in this is that Christians must be gracious with one another in the negotiable details of eschatology.

I've written all of this to say that I'm very glad for what I've seen so far in A Case for Historic Premillennialism edited by Craig L. Blaising and Sung Wook Chung. These men have provided for the church a helpful resource that I believe is more exegetically and theologically sound than the other premillennial alternatives. This book follows in the tradition of George E. Ladd both in scholarship and tone. Timothy Weber's essay "Dispensational and Historic Premillennialism as Popular Millennialist Movements" is thorough, critical at points and reserved at others, and compelling.

In this essay Weber surveys the millennarian landscape providing an overview of its major epochs. The most pertinent sections are the final two: "The New Premillennialism Comes to America" which chronicles the rise of Darbyism and the Niagra Conference; and "Comparing Dispensational and Historic Premillennial Movements" which shows how dispensationalists have been able to capture the imagination of the masses (from the commoner to top world politicians) by its "ability to link prophecy with current events" (p. 17). Weber continues,

With the Bible in one hand and the morning newspaper in the other, dispensationalist teachers have been able to make a case for their view of the world and what is going to happen next. No millennialist movement retains its audience for long unless it is able to do this consistently or else adjust its system when history takes an unexpected turn. Dispensationalism has always been able to do both. (pp. 17-18)

Once dispensationalism was wed to Fundamentalism, historic premillennialists found few options among them. I have seen this first hand.

Once fundamentalists put dispensationalism on their list of orthodox nonnegotiables, they in effect hung out a sign: “Nondispensationalists need not apply.” (p. 19)

However,

Dispensationalism maintained its hegemony as long as the fundamentalist movement stayed strong and united. But maintaining unity was not a fundamentalist strong suit. By the 1940s many second-generation fundamentalists began calling for reforms, and by the 1950s many openly advocated a new evangelicalism that toned down some of fundamentalism’s less appealing features, such as its separatism, legalism, anti-intellectualism, and general bad manners. The new evangelical adjustments frequently included the reconsideration of eschatology, which opened the door for people such as George Eldon Ladd, probably the greatest historical premillennialist of them all. (p. 19)

Two key works by Ladd gave rise to historic premillennialism's "comback":

1. Crucial Questions about the Kingdom of God (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1952)
   
2. The Blessed Hope (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1956)

Of course he and others, as Weber explains, paid a heavy price for their nonconformity. John A. D'Elia provides a glimpse into this fact in A Place at the Table: George Eldon Ladd and the Rehabilitation of Evangelical Scholarship in America (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2008).

Weber concludes his essay but detailing the major differences between dispensational premillennialism and historic premillennialism. The following excerpts stood out to me:

They believe many of the same things about the future that dispensationalists do, but they do not spend their energy figuring out elaborate scenarios or creating prophetic charts or battle maps of future wars. They host not a single Post-tribulational Prophecy and the News program on cable television, nor do they sell board or video games based on their view of the future. In comparison to dispensationalists, they do not seem to be trying very hard. (p. 20)

Most writing on historic premillennialism is not intended for the masses; most of it is written by scholars for scholars. In contrast to most dispensationalist writing, it aims high and thus misses a more popular audience. Every successful millennialist movement has both highbrow and lowbrow elements. (p. 20)

It is very significant that the best-selling dispensationalist books of all time are fictionalized accounts of the end-times scenario: no careful exegesis there, no laborious comparisons with other alternatives, just a ripping good story told well. (p. 21)

As separatist fundamentalism has lost ground to a more inclusive evangelicalism, so has dispensationalism to historic premillennialism. When once fervent dispensationalists tire of their movement’s lowbrow excesses or can no longer accept its exegetical arguments, they move to historic premillennialism, which is the most logical fallback position for those who want an alternative. More and more evangelicals are coming to the conclusion that dispensationalism is not the only way of being premillennialist. (p. 22)

Some of these statements may seem a bit severe, but I believe that they are fair, and I'm glad to finally see a work like this made available.

An Alternative to Dispensational Premillennialism

Blomberg and Chung on Eschatological Positions and Fellowship

I'm reading through the free excerpt of A Case for Historic Premillennialism edited by Craig L. Blaising and Sung Wook Chung. I grew up and was educated in the situation described in the first three sentences. My heart beats in time with the final two!

Only a few decades ago it was commonplace for eschatology to be overemphasized in evangelical church and parachurch settings. Seminars, conferences, and preaching series regularly featured as-yet-unfulfilled biblical prophecy. Pretribulational premillennialism could be made a litmus test of correct doctrine and/or fellowship. Many younger Christians have recognized that these trends assigned these concerns to a much more central place in Christian theology than they deserved, and they have, understandably, swung the pendulum in the other direction, sometimes to the point of almost disregarding eschatology altogether. In other cases, a healthy balance has been struck by removing a requirement that a particular view on the millennium or the rapture form part of a church or parachurch ministry’s doctrinal statement that all of its members must affirm, even as teaching continues periodically on these topics and people are guided to see what is and is not at stake in the debates.

It is a shame that so many prominent and influential ministries are still persisting in the former schismatic tradition!

Blomberg and Chung on Eschatological Positions and Fellowship

James Resseguie's The Revelation of John

A couple of days ago I came across a fascinating new title from Baker Academic: James L. Resseguie's The Revelation of John: A Narrative Commentary (2009). An excerpt of the Preface and Introduction (45 pages) is available to be downloaded here. I would encourage you to read it. Resseguie offers a well-documented and fascinating analysis of the literary elements found in the book of Revelation. In doing so, he supplies a helpful primer on narrative analysis.



ISBNs: 080103213X / 9780801032134

Narrative criticism, as I understand, is a relatively new tool used by Biblical commentators. Of course secular literary critics have applied this tool to other forms of literature for years, but within the last 20 years narrative studies and commentaries on Biblical books have begun to appear in theological journals and commentary series. NT scholars first applied narrative criticism to the Gospels and Acts.

My first introduction to this approach was reviewing Bruce Waltke's commentary on Genesis (Zondervan, 2007). Waltke's efforts to pay close attention not only to the theological underpinnings of the book, but also to the literary techniques employed in crafting the book of Genesis make this commentary a valuable resource.

I printed off the excerpt of Resseguie's commentary and read through it with great interest. Most commentaries I have consulted on the book of Revelation are weighed down be presupposed theological paradigms and are often frustrating to use. Many who reject a literalistic reading of this book propose symbolic interpretations that at times seem to be stretched and subjective. Others who follow a strict literal reading of the book are often inconsistant in determining what is to be taken literally and what is clearly symbolic. They too often stretch and offer subjective interpretations of selected passages. On top of that, most commentaries are not written with the expectation that readers will actually sit down and read straight through them. Rather, they are reference tools like encyclopedias and dictionaries used to look up the meaning of selected passages only.

Contrary to this pattern, Resseguie has provided what he intends to be "a readable commentary" (p. 12). Like most academic books, he utilizes footnotes full of bibliographical references, Greek terms and short explanatory notes. However, Resseguie's stated audience is not the academician, but the student, pastor and lay person. Judging by this excerpt, Resseguie has succeeded in maintaining a level appropriate for this audience. This introduction to narrative analysis of the book of Revelation is very well organized, technical terms are defined, and bibliographical citations to documetn his evidence and to support his interpretations are available and current.

I must admit that this has been the most exciting work on the book of Revelation that I have used. Having been using the ESV Literary Study Bible for the past year-and-a-half (see my review) has helped me to be more attentive to literary elements as I read my Bible. This has helped to clarify many passages for me (particularly the Psalms and Prophets). I'm looking forward to seeing how Resseguie applies the principles discussed in this introduction to the details of the text.

A Little Bit About this Commentary -

James L. Resseguie (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is distinguished professor of New Testament at Winebrenner Theological Seminary and the author of several books: Narrative Criticism of the New Testament: An Introduction (Baker Academic, 2005), Spiritual Landscape: Images of the Spiritual Life in the Gospel of Luke (Hendrickson, 2004), The Strange Gospel: Narrative Design and Point of View in John, Biblical Interpretation Series (Brill Academic, 2001), and Revelation Unsealed: A Narrative Critical Approach to John's Apocalypse, Biblical Interpretation Series v. 32 (Brill Academic, 1998).

The Introduction is followed by a "chapter-by-chapter analysis of John's story [avoiding] the verse-by-verse annotations of traditional commentaries" (p. 12). Because I have not yet read the commentary section I can only comment on the Introduction. Resseguie's approach seeks to pay attention "to the how of the narrative--the way the narrative constructs its meaning" (p. 17). This, indeed, is a fresh approach for me to this hotly debated book of the Bible. I am accustomed to prefatory discussions of genre and theological paradigms, but I have not found these discussions here. (Frankly, this is a relief to me.)

A criticism that I am anticipating is that the discussion and assumptions of this volume are built around this text being "John's story" without mention of inspiration. Whereas I am used to assuming that the text is both from God and by the prophet, the emphasis on this being "John's story" deflates the glory of the divine intricacies of Scripture. This is so, because there are so many rich details in the book of Revelation and Resseguie does an excellent job of showing how the various literary elements are used throughout the book.

The introduction discusses the elements of rhetoric (metaphors, similes, two-step progressions, verbal threads, chiasm, inclusio, and numbers and numerical sequences), setting, characters, point of view, plot, narrator, and structure.

It is clear that Resseguie does not follow the literalistic approach of dispensationalists, but rather than concluding with a loosely symbolic interpretation, he builds a strong case from the entire context of the book and from other portions of Scripture to validate his interpretations. And, rather than following the recapitulation theory of the book (which I had assumed he would), he sees a stronger case for a linear development in the plot. I was surprised to find this, but also greatly encouraged since I have not been fully satisfied with the recapitulation theory.

The recapitulation theory is a promising one with a long history, but it is not entirely convincing.... Furthermore, the progressive pattern of the destruction suggests some sort of linear development in the plot. (p. 56)

A linear progression communicates the urgency and necessity of repentance in the strongest possible terms. It heightens the tension and angst of the reader/hearer until the climax is reached and the moment of decision can no longer be postponed. (p. 57)

However, he cautions against going to far with a linear view:

A linear view does not mean that the events of the Apocalypse follow in a neat chronological arrangement, as advocated in some popular approaches. Rather, the progression is a literary progression with one event folding into another until the end is reached and everything and everyone is in their proper place and the messianic repairs of the cosmos are complete. (p. 59)

For what it's worth, this looks like a promising commentary. I encourage you to consider it; at least, read the free excerpt.

James Resseguie's The Revelation of John