Customer Reviews

All Things New: The Significance of Newness for Biblical Theology

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a work of biblical theology, the late Carl B. Hoch, Jr. Professor of New Testament at the Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary, provides one of the best treatments on newness available since Harrisville's The Concept of Newness in the New Testament. Hoch offers a comprehensive treatment that is supported by a wealth of helpful charts and diagrams, evidence of his many years as a professor in the seminary classroom. His study illuminates the significance of the "new" testament in contrast to the "old" testament while at the same time allowing for the continuity that is obvious in that both are "testaments." Baker needs to get this book back in print so that it can have a wider circulation.

This is a wonderful book, and the author presents many different angles and perspectives to the "Newness" of the New Covenant. I don't think he comes right out and says it, but Hoch seems to fall in the category of Progressive Dispensationalist. He spends quite a bit of time showing how Gentiles are never referred to in Scripture as Jews or Israel. This is the only reason I give it four stars out of five, only because I'm still not 100% convicted that he is right--but he certainly does a commendable job of making his case.

The Jew/Gentile issue is not the main focus of this book however-- Newness is. This is a great book to discover just how new "Newness" is.