Review: What N.T. writers cared about

Kenneth Berding & Matt Williams (Editors), WHAT THE NEW TESTAMENT AUTHORS REALLY CARED ABOUT: A SURVEY OF THEIR WRITINGS, Grand Rapids MI, Kregel Academic, 2015.

The moment one picks up this volume, one cannot help to be impressed. From the production standpoint it is top notch. a beautiful presentation. The layout is balanced but not as well as the companion volume on the Old Testament. This may be due to the number of photos lacking as compared to that of the Old Testament. However, the photos and charts are top quality.  The layout is the same in both volumes, which gives consistency and helps the ease of reading.

As to the content of the book, it begins with a historical background leading up and including the first century. The points are somewhat brief, but still enough to give one the impression of the first century. He gives enough to give the reader a feel for the conflicts of the time, out of and within Judaism. He captures the feeling of Jewish expectation. From there he goes on to the books of the New Testament and the authors.

In each book of the New Testament there is a consistency of presentation. He opens with a brief background page answering who, when, where and why. These are very brief, maybe too brief, but give the readers the jist of the background of the text. Each chapter gives an overview in chart form, and then the text goes on to give some meat to the skeleton.  He captures the basic teaching of each book well and aids the reader. There needs to be some caution because his presentation has some debatable areas that not all will agree with. Each chapter is well presented with charts, out-takes, and summary. Included at the end of the chapter you will find a list of key words and concepts, with a few key resources for further study (although they are not necessarily ones I would recommend).

One unique feature that is different from most surveys of the New Testament is that the books are arranged by author, not in the order that they appear in the New Testament. Thus, they present John and his works (Gospel, 1-2-3- John, and Revelation together). I happen to like that. It helps one to grasp in one setting what the authors really care about. It brings cohesion to their views, instead of being broken up by sections.  However, the emphasis is not simply the thoughts of the author, but the content of the books themselves. Content does reflect the view and thinking of the author.  However there are a few places in which I believe the authors missed the mark—especially in regard to Paul. While they are correct that he is concerned about unity in the church, they miss Paul’s thought about the uniqueness of the church. They miss the importance of revelation that played an important part of Paul’s thought. The work on Ephesians is weak to say the least.

Other features of this work include:

·          An evangelical view of the Bible.

·          A strong Calvinistic point of view at times.

·          An absence or acknowledgement of critical theory.

·          They give focus to the reader by presenting the books in relationship to them and their relationship with Christ.

It is written clearly for laymen and undergraduates, but I find it too basic and brief in parts. It is written as a textbook, but I would not use it as a main text for a course, but maybe parts of it as supplemental reading. I find it an OK survey; not the best. It is however, helpful in drawing ones attention to the thought and care each writer displayed in the biblical text. It is very readable and understandable.

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I received this book free from Kregel Academics for the purpose of reviewing it. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Book Review

Jason S. DeRouchie (Editor), WHAT THE OLD TESTAMENT AUTHORS REALLY CARED ABOUT, Kregel Publishing, Grand Rapids MI, 2013.

Is this an academic book? Yes, but so readable and enjoyable it does not seem so.  It is a delightful survey of the Old Testament. It does exactly what the title implies. It gives the reader the heart and matter of each book of the Old Testament. It is full of understandable charts, maps and illustrations that make it an ideal textbook for an Old Testament survey class. It is not dry nor is it boring. It makes each book come alive revealing it real essences and importance. It is different than most surveys in three ways:

It places the book in the order of the Hebrew Bible as Jesus would have known it. It is arranged by the Law, Prophets, and Writings: not the Christian canonical order. Not an order that most of us are used to seeing.

The introductory issues (Who, When Where, Why) are condensed to one page that gives essential information at the beginning of each book of the Old Testament. It helps the reader from getting bogged down in the nonessential aspects of these issues.

Its heart is the ability to synthesize the major themes of each book into a cohesive message that communicates the intent of the Biblical author in an understandable and relevant way.

The text does a good job of pointing out that the essence of the Old Testament is to point to Christ. It holds to a high view of Scripture and its divine authorship. It upholds the elements of progressive revelation and redemptive history of the unfaithfulness of man and the faithfulness of God. It points beyond itself to give key resources for further study, which are conservative and evangelical.

All of this is done in an engaging creative way that is easily readable and understandable. It is delightful to read. It reaches into the Old Testament and draws out its truths that speak not only to the original readers, but make them alive to modern readers as well. Yet, it will educate one to the real essence of the Old Testament.

[Thanks to Kregel Publishing for supplying this copy for the purpose of my honest review.]