Theology of the New Testament: A Canonical and Synthetic Approach (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This book serves the needs of serious students of the New Testament – whether teachers, pastors, scholars, or lay people – for both a brief theological orientation to each New Testament book and a theological overview of the New Testament as a whole.

From the Back Cover

This major new text in the field of the New Testament theology will be a valuable guide to students, scholars, pastors, and other serious students of the Bible. And it combines both a canonical and a synthetic approach to the theology of the New Testament. The book looks at each New Testamnet text in light of its particular theological concerns within its own historical and cultural context. In addition, introductory chapters to each of the three main sections of the New Testament—Gospels and Acts, Pauline Epistles, general Epistles and Revelation—set these sections within the context of contemporary scholarly debate. Concluding chapters to each section place those New Testament texts in conversation with each other. An introduction to the entire book locates its approach within the history of the discipline of New Testament theology. A concluding chapter pulls the threads of the various parts and chapters together with a description of the major theological emphases of the New Testament viewed as a whole. This approach makes Theology of the New Testamentan ideal text for teachers who want a survey of the entire New Testament that addresses both the particularity of each New Testament document and the theological coherence of the whole.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 800 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310211328
• ISBN-13: 978-0310211327
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #266,823 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Scholarly but Accessible Orientation to New Testament Theology, July 7, 2006

By	Quo Vadis - See all my reviews

Thielman's theology treats the New Testament texts sympathetically, "as they were intended to be read," and through careful analysis, he thoroughly and convincingly engages less sympathetic scholarship. Using clear prose and thoughtful organization, both the theological diversity of the 27 books of the New Testament and their inter-relatedness are described. The introduction calls the reader to embrace the insight of faith while carefully examining the New Testament documents in their historical context. In subsequent sections, each book of the New Testament is discussed separately but within groupings based on similar historical and literary characteristics: The Gospels and Acts; the Pauline Letters; and the Non-Pauline Letters and the Revelation of John. In his final chapter, Thielman highlights five central theological unities of the New Testament: the centrality of Jesus, the importance of faith, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Church as God's people, and the final eschatological restoration. In short, this book offers meticulous scholarship and reasoning that is readable, engaging and informative; it celebrates the diversity of the New Testament texts while highlighting key points of theological harmony. This is a welcome addition to any theological library.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A refreshing scholarly work which combines Biblical & Systematic Theology, January 11, 2007

By	Joshua M. Nielsen - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Frank Thielman has produced a true gem of scholarship and exegetical work in exploring the theology of the New Testament. While not exhaustive, it goes into enough depth to provide the reader with a more than average understanding of the texts in both the original languages, writing style of the author(s), and the cultural context in which the books and letters were written. He is very careful to give detailed outlines and even pick out minutae among the different Gospels to highlight their different specific themes and then at the end unifies all the unique threads to give an overall perspective. The Epistles are also carefully analyzed to provide the reader with the details surrounding the circumstances and purposes for which each letter was written, in order to help the reader understand the reasons and methods which the author used in the presentation of their material. Establishing the proper context the way he does helps explain things such as what may seem like different (contradictory) emphases amongst Paul's letters (for example), while showing in fact that they are not contradictory but make sense in the context of each circumstance the letter was addressing. He also takes a conservative approach, which I approve of, in consulting the accounts in Acts to provide a sufficient historical background in which to view the various Epistles. In his treatment of 1 Thessalonians he does this to explain several elements of why the people in Thessalonica might have been persecuted and why Paul had been "torn away" from them. He weaves the various themes masterfully throughout his treatment of each book, emphasizing their differences to reveal the initial purposes and meaning of the texts in each book while also unifying the various topics in the NT under a coherent view of Systematic Theology. And the compliment of the arsenal of footnotes is more than adequate.

As for the person (reviewer) who noted an exception to Thielman's treatment of justification, by "muddying the difference between justification and sanctification", I do acknowledge that Thielman's approach to some issues are not perfect and I have my occasional disagreements, but even in that case, though somewhat misleading, he does -in a way- show the close relationship between justification and sanctification. Though sanctification is a life long process and doesn't inevitably assume the Christian will be perfect, it starts at our justification from Christ in which he gives us righteousness which then needs to be worked out. Thus we should "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12). Though the reviewer who pointed that out is correct that there is a difference, though interconnected. The only other exception that I would note would be his treatment on Romans chapter 7 (which is a controversial chapter among all Christian circles) by seemingly interpreting it as Paul not talking of himself but rather him personifying historical Israel. Though previous chapters had mentioned the experiences of historical Israel there is no reason to read that into Paul's (admittedly difficult) admission of his struggle with sin. So I found that a strange and rather misleading interpretation.

Overall the book is wonderful and in-depth, but as with any Christian book I would always council caution to examine carefully what is being presented. The truth will always stand under intensive scrutiny. We should "test everything, and hold on to the good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). I myself am writing a book, and while I strive to be thorough with my assumptions and views concerning the Bible I certainly don't expect to have everything 100% right. For that reason I give 5 stars to this book for it has made up in vitality, content, research, and intelligence for any blunders it may have and is largely a true prize of scholarship and theology, reviving the Bible of the day of Jesus and the Apostles and awaking the reader to the power and life that the Christians of the first century had and grew in despite their struggles.

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Theological Summary of the New Testament!, July 3, 2006

By	Big Reader - See all my reviews

This volume helpfully interacts with the scholarship on the New Testament, yet keeps the discussion focussed on the biblical text. Arranged canonically as opposed to any order dictated by systematic theology, this provides a refreshingly different approach. A useful summary for any serious student of the New Testament.