Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments: Theological Reflection on the Christian Bible

Front Cover
Fortress Press, 1993 - Religion - 745 pages
This monumental work is the first comprehensive biblical theology to appear in many years and is the culmination of Brevard Child's lifelong commitment to constructing a biblical theology that surmounts objections to the discipline raised over the past generation. Childs rejects any approaches that overstress either the continuity or discontinuity between the Old and New Testaments. He refuses to follow the common pattern in Christian thought of identifying biblical theology with the New Testament's interest in the Old. Rather, Childs maps out an approach that reflects on the whole Christian Bible with its two very different voices, each of which retains continuing integrity and is heard on its own terms.
 

Selected pages

Contents

The Developing of the Discipline of Biblical Theology
3
2 Ebelings Suggestions for Redefining the Discipline
6
Current Models for Biblical Theology
11
2 Allegorical or Typological Approaches
13
3 Great Ideas or Themes
14
4 Heilsgeschichte or History of Redemption
16
5 Literary Approaches to Biblical Theology
18
6 The CulturalLinguistic Method
21
5 The Johannine Tradition
314
6 The Apocalyptic Tradition
317
EXEGESIS IN THE CONTEXT OF BIBLICAL THEOLOGY
323
Genesis 22119 The Akedah
325
2 The New Testament Witness
328
3 History of Exegesis
330
4 Genesis 22 in the Context of Biblical Theology
333
Matthew 213346 Parable of the Wicked Tenants
337

7 Sociological Perspectives on Biblical Theology
22
8 Jewish Biblical Theology
25
Classic Earlier Christian Approaches to Biblical Theology
30
2 Origen
33
3 Augustine
36
4 Thomas Aquinas
40
5 Martin Luther
43
6 John Calvin
47
A SEARCH FOR A NEW APPROACH
53
The Problem of the Christian Bible
55
2 The Sources for Determining its Scope
57
3 Indirect Evidence for Closure
59
4 The Formation of the Larger Christian Canon
60
5 The Theological Problems at Stake
63
A Canonical Approach to Biblical Theology
70
2 Canonical Text or Canonical Interpreter
71
3 Canonical Shaping and the Two Testaments of the Christian Bible
73
4 Canonical Guidelines for Structuring a Biblical Theology
77
From Witness to Subject Matter
80
2 Redefining the Subject Matter of the Biblical Witness
83
3 The Theological Task of Biblical Theology
85
4 The Relation between Biblical Theology and Dogmatics
88
Canonical Categories for Structuring a Biblical Theology
91
THE DISCRETE WITNESS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
95
Methodological Problems
97
2 Alternative Historical Proposals Criticized
102
3 Historical Development and Canonical Shaping
104
Creation
107
2 Creation Tradition within the Rest of the Old Testament
113
From Eden to Babel
119
Patriarchal Traditions Genesis 1250
123
2 The Abraham Cycle Gen1212510
125
3 The Jacob Cycle Gen25193529
126
5 The Patriarchs in the Rest of the Old Testament
127
Mosaic Traditions
130
2 Sinai Law and Covenant
131
3 Israel the People of God
138
4 Priesthood and Tabernacle
140
The Possession of the Land and the Settlement
143
2 The Growth of the Tradition as Witness
145
3 Conquest Traditions in the Rest of the Old Testament
146
The Tradition of the Judges
149
The Establishment of the Monarchy
152
1 The Saul Traditions
153
3 Solomons Reign
155
The Divided Kingdom
157
2 The Prophetic Tradition
158
3 The Chronicler
159
Exile and Restoration
161
2 Restoration
163
3 The Canonical Conclusion of Israels History
164
The Prophetic Traditions
167
2 The Origins of Prophecy
168
3 The Historical Scope of the Prophetic Tradition
169
4 The Formation of the Prophetic Corpus
170
5 The Cessation of Prophecy
171
6 The Relation of the Law and the Prophets
174
7 Development and Change within the Prophetic Tradition
175
8 Prophetic Themes of Promise
177
The Apocalyptic Tradition
181
3 Reconstructing an Apocalyptic Trajectory
182
4 Prophecy and Apocalyptic
184
The Wisdom Tradition
187
2 The Growth of Wisdom Traditions within Israel
188
3 Wisdom and Law
189
The Tradition of the Psalms
191
3 Trajectories in the Growth of the Psalms Tradition
193
Excursus The Theological Problem of Old Testament History
196
2 Modern Attempts to Rethink History
200
a The Attack on the Scientific Model of History
201
b The Subjectivity of Social Reality
202
d The Discontinuity of Historical Theory
203
3 The Move from History to Language
204
THE DISCRETE WITNESS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
209
The Hermeneutical Problem of the Historical Study of the New Testament
211
2 The Hermeneutical Problem of Critical Reconstructions
212
3 The Proper Function of the Diachronic
216
The Churchs Earliest Proclamation
219
2 The Tradents of the Tradition
222
3 The Role of the Old Testament within the Early Proclamation
225
4 The Use of the Old Testament as a Guide to TraditionHistory
227
5 Christological Titles
229
The Pauline Gospel
233
2 Paul and the Gospel
235
3 Pauls Use of the Old Testament
237
4 The Larger Hermeneutical Issue
243
5 Major Theological Topics
244
b Justification by Faith
245
c The Law and its Righteousness
246
d Israel and the Church
248
The Formation of the Gospels
251
2 The Structure of the Gospels
254
3 The Problem of Q
255
4 PreEaster Collections
257
5 The Gospels and the Kerygmata
259
The Four Gospels
262
2 The Gospel According to Mark
265
3 The Gospel According to Matthew
270
4 The Gospel According to Luke
276
5 The Gospel According to John
281
The Witness of Acts to the Mission of the Church
288
2 The Purpose of the Book of Acts
289
3 The Role of the Old Testament in Acts
290
4 The Churchs Relation to Judaism in Acts
292
The PostPauline Age
295
2 The PostPauline School
298
3 James
302
4 Hebrews
308
2 The Demise of Allegorical Interpretation
338
3 A TraditioHistorical Trajectory
339
4 The Role of the Old Testament
341
5 Theological Reflection in the Context of Biblical Theology
344
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON THE CHRISTIAN BIBLE
349
The Identity of God
351
2 Early Judaisms Understanding of God
359
3 The New Testaments Understanding
361
4 Biblical Theological Reflection on the Identity of God
369
Trinitarian Theology
375
b God and Sexuality
376
c Reading Scriptures in the Light of the Full Divine Reality
379
God The Creator
384
2 The New Testament Witness
390
3 Biblical Theological Reflection on Creation
396
4 Dogmatic Theological Reflection on Creation
403
b Liberation Theology and Creation
406
c Creation and the Ecological Crisis
409
Covenant Election People of God
413
b Israel as the People of God
421
c Election in the Old Testament
425
2 The New Testament Witness to People of God and Covenant
428
b The Synoptics
430
c The Witness of the Fourth Gospel
433
d The Pauline Witness
434
e The Letter to the Hebrews
438
3 Biblical Theological Reflection
441
4 Dogmatic Theological Reflection on the People of God
447
Christ the Lord
452
1 The Old Testament Witness
453
2 The New Testament Witness
456
b The Unity and Diversity of New Testament Christology
460
c The Theological Significance of the Earthly Life of Jesus
467
i Preparation
468
ii Preexistence Birth and Incarnation
469
iii Public Ministry
470
iv Passion and Death
473
v Resurrection and Ascension
475
3 Christology in the Context of Biblical Theology
476
4 Biblical Theology and Dogmatic Reflection
481
Reconciliation with God
485
1 Righteousness Justification Restoration
487
b Righteousness in the New Testament
492
2 Atonement Expiation and Forgiveness
503
b The New Testament Witness
508
3 Christs Victory over Sin and Evil
516
4 Biblical Theological Reflection on Reconciliation
519
5 Reconciliation in the Context of Dogmatic Theology
523
a The Doctrine of Reconciliation and the Historical Critical Method
524
b The Challenge to Rethink Justification for Today
526
c True Ecumenical Dialogue
529
Law and Gospel
532
1 The Old Testament Trajectory of Law Summarized
533
2 The Understanding of Law Torah in Judaism
537
3 Major Themes in the New Testaments Understanding of Law
541
b Pauls Understanding of the Law
542
c The Witness of James
547
d The Witness of Hebrews
548
4 Biblical and Dogmatic Reflection on Law and Gospel
550
b The Relation of Law to Gospel in Recent Debate
552
c The Radical Quality of the Pauline Solution
553
d The Varying Functions of Law
554
e The Contrast Between Paul and Matthew on the Law
556
f The Theological Move from Witness to Substance
557
g The Problem of the Third Use of the Law
559
5 The Hermeneutical Function of Law Within Christian Scripture
563
Humanity Old and New
566
1 The Old Testament Witness
567
b Dimensions of the Human in the Old Testament
571
c Sinful Man and the Law
574
d Sin and Ritual
576
2 The New Testament Witness
578
b The Synoptic Gospels
579
c The Pauline Witness
580
d The Johannine Witness
585
3 Biblical Theological Reflection on Anthropology
587
4 Dogmatic Theological Reflection
592
Biblical Faith
595
1 Faith in the Old Testament and in Judaism
596
2 Faith in the New Testament
601
b Faith in Paul
605
c Faith in the Gospel of John
608
d Faith in the PostPauline Era
610
3 Biblical Theological Reflection on Faith
614
4 Dogmatic Theology and Faith
618
Gods Kingdom and Rule
624
2 The Old Testament and Jewish Understanding
631
3 The New Testament Witness to the Kingship of God
636
4 Biblical Theological Reflection
646
5 Dogmatic Theology and the Kingdom of God
651
The Shape of the Obedient Life Ethics
658
a A Brief Review of Options
659
b Community as the Locus of Christian Ethics
661
c Canon and Community as a Problem of Ethics
668
2 The Ethics of the Old Testament
673
b The Theological Context of Old Testament Ethics
676
c Canon and the Horizontal Dimension of the Divine Command
677
d The Variety of the Old Testament Ethical Witness
678
3 The Ethics of the New Testament
686
b The Gospels
689
c The Pauline Ethic
693
d PostPauline Ethics
699
4 Biblical Theology and Ethics
704
5 Theology and Ethics
712
A HOLISTIC READING OF CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURE
717
Index of Authors
728
Index of Biblical References selected
741
Copyright

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About the author (1993)

Brevard S. Childs is Sterling Professor of Divinity and Fellow of Davenport College, The Divinity School, Yale University, and author of Biblical Theology in Crisis and the book of Exodus.

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