New Books You Should Know About
By Matthew Barrett –
Revisiting the Corruption of the New Testament: Manuscript, Patristic, and Apocryphal Evidence (Text and Canon of the New Testament)
I am very thankful for scholars like Daniel Wallace, perhaps the leading scholar when it comes to textual criticism. He has gone head to head with Bart Ehrman, both in writing and in formal debate. Recently Wallace has edited a volume, Revisiting the Corruption of the New Testament, which focuses on the degree to which the scribes who copied their exemplars corrupted the autographs.
The book begins with the full transcription of Wallace’s presentation at the Fourth Annual Greer-Heard Forum, in which he and Bart Ehrman debated over the reliability of the New Testament manuscripts. Adam Messer looks at the patristic evidence of “nor the Son” in Matthew 24:36 in a quest to determine whether the excision of these words was influenced by orthodox Fathers. Philip Miller wrestles with whether the least orthodox reading should be a valid principle for determining the autographic text. Matthew Morgan focuses attention on the only two Greek manuscripts that have a potentially Sabellian reading in John 1:1c. Timothy Ricchuiti tackles the textual history of the Gospel of Thomas, examining the Coptic text and the three Greek fragments, using internal evidence in order to determine the earliest stratum of Thomas. Brian Wright thoroughly examines the textual reliability of the passages in which Jesus appears to be called God, concluding that the textual proof of the designation theos as applied to Jesus in the NT merely confirms what other grounds have already established.
Also, be sure to check out the interview Justin Taylor did with Wallace.
Journeys of Faith: Evangelicalism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Anglicanism
This is a fascinating book, exploring the “theological migrations” occurring today by drawing from first-hand accounts. Here are the views, their representatives, as well as those responding:
Wilbur Ellsworth-Eastern Orthodoxy
Response by Craig Blaising
Francis J. Beckwith-Catholicism
Response by Gregg Allison
Chris Castaldo-Evangelicalism
Response by Brad S. Gregory
Lyle W. Dorsett-Anglicanism
Response by Robert A. Peterson
What makes the book diverse is that unlike a typical multi-views book, those representing each position do not in turn respond to the other views. Instead, different scholars respond to each chapter.
With the noticeable theological migrations that have occurred in the last decade, this is an important conversation to have and should reveal some of the motivations behind each representative’s shift in religious tradition.
The World of the Early Church: A Social History
One of the most challenging aspects of reading the Old and New Testaments in the 21st century is that the world we live in is the 21st century. Therefore, historical and social background books are always of interest. One new book that seeks to take us back into the ancient world is The World of the Early Church: A Social History, by Simon Jones. The book seeks to answer a simple question: How did the first Christians live their daily lives? Jones looks at archaeological evidence, the role of pagan religions, common entertainment, family life, employment, society structures, the role of women, etc. I will be interested to read the reviews of other historical background scholars to see if this work by Jones is accurate and helpful.
Invitation to Biblical Interpretation: Exploring the Hermeneutical Triad of History, Literature, and Theology (Invitation to Theological Studies Series)
Kostenberger and Patterson have written an advanced treatment of hermeneutics, using a “hermeneutical triad” method: historical setting, literary context, and theological message. Chapter by chapter they apply their hermeneutical triad to each genre of the Bible. I imagine this volume will become a textbook in many seminaries. Here are a couple of the many (!) commendations:
“This is a well-written, clear, and thorough book on the principles of biblical interpretation for the whole Bible. It would be an excellent book for an upper-level hermeneutics course at the college level or an introductory hermeneutics course at the seminary level. Pastors will also find this a useful book to get an overview of the interpretative principles for different parts of the Bible from which they are preparing to preach. Seminary students and pastors will also benefit from the concluding chapter that applies the interpretative approach of the book to the task of preaching. The authors rightly contend that hermeneutics is to be viewed through the triadic lens of history, literature, and theology. This is not so much a theoretical approach to hermeneutics but a competent hands-on guide for interpreting the different kinds of literature that one encounters in the Bible. In this respect, each chapter helpfully concludes with a sample passage in which the principles discussed in the chapter are applied and illustrated, followed by study questions for the student and important bibliographical resources pertaining to the chapter. This is one of the best general and most thorough introductions to interpreting the English Bible that I have read.” –Gregory K. Beale, Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology, Westminster Theological Seminary
“This introduction to hermeneutics is outstanding in several ways: It takes full account of the unique divine authorship of the Bible; it is clear, readable, and doctrinally sound; it attends to the spiritual state of the interpreter; it provides detailed guidance for understanding the historical background, literary and linguistic features, and theological significance of each text; it is coauthored by an Old Testament and a New Testament professor; and it insists that right interpretation must end in application to life. It is an excellent book that will be widely used as a standard textbook for years to come.” –Wayne Grudem, Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies, Phoenix Seminary
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
Wait a second…this is not a new book! Oh yes, you are right. But it is a new edition! And in this new facelift Mark Dever has written the foreword. Believe it or not, Packer wrote the book almost 50 years ago. It has proved to be one of those books that readers return to again and again, something not uncommon for a book by Packer (e.g., Knowing God). Dever writes in the foreword, “I’ve often recommended this book to faithful Christians who are confused about how they are to think about prayer, missions, giving-any area in which our efforts could be wrongly pitted against God’s own necessary action. Packer introduces us to clear truths, handles Scripture with exemplary care, and supplies us with just the right amount of illustrations and applications.”
Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics
Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics is a large, reference volume treating many of the ethical issues in ancient and contemporary culture. Joel Green opens with an “Introduction,” Allen Verhey follows with “Ethics in Scripture,” then comes Charles Cosgrove with “Scripture in Ethics: A History,” and last is Bruce Birch on “Scripture in Ethics: Methodological Issues.” The book follows your typical dictionary format, covering topics from A to Z. In my estimate, it appears that there are few conservative evangelicals who have contributed to this volume. So, if you are a conservative evangelical, the volume may provide you with a very different perspective when it comes to ethics and from contributors from a variety of religious traditions (e.g., Methodist, Catholic, Liberal Protestant). In that light, I expect there to be many articles (especially since it is on a subject like ethics!) that will be frustrating to work through. But it is important, in my opinion, to read scholarship from the opposite viewpoint.
Here are just a couple of sample articles and authors that I will be reading:
“Blasphemy.” –Darrell L. Bock
“Dualism” and “Anthropological” – Scott B. Rae
“Idolatry” – Brian Rosner
“Reformed Ethics” – Dirkie Smit
The Gospel as Center: Renewing Our Faith and Reforming Our Ministry Practices. Edited by D. A. Carson and Timothy Keller. Crossway, 2012.
Now here is a book you will want to buy. I will let the blurb speak for itself:
The church is reeling because of the relativistic mindset of our world. Up until a generation ago, most adults had similar moral intuitions whether they were believers or not, and the core of protestant orthodoxy was still intact. Yet, in the wake of postmodernity and secularism, all that has changed.
Convinced that gospel-centered ministry is utterly imperative for such a time as this, contributors D. A. Carson, Tim Keller, Kevin DeYoung, Philip Ryken, Bryan Chapell, Thabiti Anyabwile, Richard Phillips, Sam Storms, and others defend the gospel and traditional doctrines.
To strengthen the center of confessional evangelicalism, this volume collects the 14 booklets in the Gospel Coalition Booklet series. In addition, this volume includes a preface, the Gospel Coalition’s foundational documents, and indexes. The editors and contributors represent a wide range of denominations and are united not only by belief in the biblical gospel, but also by the conviction that ministry today must be increasingly Gospel centered.
Click here to read the table of contents and the first chapter by Carson and Keller.
Matthew Barrett (Ph.D., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the founder and executive editor of Credo Magazine. Barrett has contributed book reviews and articles to various academic journals, and he is the author of several forthcoming books. He is married to Elizabeth and they have two daughters, Cassandra and Georgia. He is a member of Clifton Baptist Church in Louisville, KY.
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