Abstract
Students of the New Testament have for some years now benefited from Schreiner’s consistently good, cautious scholarship. It is encouraging to see this latest publication for its attempt at exploring the theology of both Old and New Testaments.
I recall Howard Marshall saying in conversation many years ago in the mid-80s that it was indeed now possible to write a biblical theology that covered both testaments, something that many would not have thought possible in the scholarly climate which then existed. Schreiner present work is one such example of the theology of the Bible as it stands in its final canonical form, following the English order of books.
Beginning with Creation in Genesis, he traces the story as it unfolds through to the Book of Revelation, with particular emphasis on the Kingdom of God. No book is ignored, and at the end of each book there is a helpful conclusion. There are summaries at the close of each book, and after each section: the Pentateuch, the historical narratives, Israel’s Songs and Wisdom, the Prophets, the Synoptic Gospels and Acts, the Gospel and Letters of John, the Letters of Paul, the General Letters and the Revelation. He also provides a useful retrospective at the close of the Old Testament material and a valuable Epilogue which ties both Testaments together.
One of the most refreshing things about this book is that it does not die the death of a thousand qualifications. This book admirably does what it sets out to do, and deals with the big picture in an extremely readable fashion. One may well have some questions about how the details within some of the books fit in with the overall theme of kingdom (especially in the Psalms and Wisdom literature) and it will, of course, become clear that Scripture was not simply written to follow one basic storyline but a rather complex one. Nevertheless, this book works: Schreiner has successfully built upon the work of others and produced a very readable work which will be of value not only to students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels but also to many thoughtful readers who simply want to know how they can make sense of the Bible as a whole. I warmly commend this book.