Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Tom Schreiner's Biblical Theology

Roughly five years ago, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Anxious and with time on my hands, I contacted Tom Schreiner and told him I would be willing to prepare his Scripture and author indices for his New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ. Several hundred hours later, I submitted my work to Baker Academic and I received a copy of the book along with a gracious mention in the preface of Tom's book.

Fast-forward five years, and Tom is at it again. He let me know about 2 years ago that he was working on a full-orbed Biblical Theology.

Here are the details:


ISBN: 9780801039393; Pub. Date: Jun 2013; SRP $44.99; Number of pages: 752

Thomas Schreiner, a respected scholar and a trusted voice for many students and pastors, offers a substantial and accessibly written overview of the whole Bible. He traces the storyline of the scriptures from the standpoint of biblical theology, examining the overarching message that is conveyed throughout. Schreiner emphasizes three interrelated and unified themes that stand out in the biblical narrative: God as Lord, human beings as those who are made in God's image, and the land or place in which God's rule is exercised. The goal of God's kingdom is to see the king in his beauty and to be enraptured in his glory.

 Endorsements "Schreiner's one-volume biblical theology is a bountiful bonanza of biblical storytelling. In a time when biblical studies has become partitioned between Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament, Schreiner reminds us that there is one God, one book, and one story. A story about God the king, his kingdom, his people, and the triumph of the Lord Jesus Christ. A nuanced and much-needed book to help Christians understand what the Bible is about and how it all hangs together." Michael F. Bird, Crossway College, Brisbane, Australia

 "A wonderfully clear and faithful account of biblical theology. This book is both intellectually compelling and honoring to God and so deserves to be widely read." Simon Gathercole, senior lecturer in New Testament, University of Cambridge; editor, Journal for the Study of the New Testament "Having written major volumes on Pauline theology and New Testament theology, Tom Schreiner places a remarkable capstone on his work by tackling a biblical theology of the entire canon of Scripture. And he is up to the task, clearly and consistently tracing the theme of God as king and the ultimate triumph of the kingdom of God from Genesis through Revelation. Few volumes have dealt so comprehensively and so well with the grand narrative of Scripture from beginning to end."

Mark L. Strauss, professor of New Testament, Bethel Seminary San Diego

"A book that wonderfully unites all the books of the Bible. Few authors have the command of learning, the gift of teaching, and the heart for God that this volume reflects. Digest this book to elevate your grasp of the Bible and to find your soul riveted like never before to the king in his beauty."

Robert W. Yarbrough, professor of New Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri

"From the garden of Eden to the garden of Paradise, Tom Schreiner deftly takes the reader through the entire narrative of the history of redemption. Giving attention to every part of the canonical scriptures, Schreiner shows how the Bible coheres under the theme of the kingdom or rule of God. The payoff is a virtual feast of theological, practical, and devotional insights. In a simple, direct, and non-technical way, this book will bring Christians to a new understanding and appreciation of the entire Bible." Donald A. Hagner, George Eldon Ladd Professor Emeritus of New Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary


More C.K. Barrett Audio Lectures

I am always on the hunt for audio resources, especially when it involves one of my all-time favorite scholars, C.K. Barrett.

Some of you will remember that I discovered some seventeen  lectures on the Asbury Seminary podcast page. Sadly, the links to those lectures have disappeared. Not to be discouraged, I pressed on and found these audio files from Holden Village, WA, where Barrett gave at least two talks in 1977, one on Acts, and one labeled a "fireside chat" where Barrett fields questions from the audience.


I hope to discover more gems like these. If anyone else knows of more Barrett audio, please leave a comment in the comment section.  Enjoy!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

A Great Way to Learn Greek


If you are one who has struggled with rote memorization of Greek paradigms, or are just embarking on learning Greek for the first time, my good friend, Mike Halcomb, is offering a different and exciting avenue for learning this biblical language.

Halcomb's class called "Conversational Koine" is an exciting way to become proficient in Koine Greek language acquisition, as he teaches and converses in Greek. Instead of endless hours of memorization, Mike will have students speaking in Greek by the end of the first class!

For more details on this, please see his website and class announcement here.