Beyond the Bible: Moving from Scripture to Theology (Acadia Studies in Bible and Theology) (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: redemptive trajectory, covenant distinction, apostolic deposit, New Testament, Old Testament, Grand Rapids (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Provides a principled way of moving from Scripture to its contemporary understanding and application. How can Christians today move from what the Bible writers said to what we must say in contemporary theology? How can we think theologically in ways that are deeply grounded in an authoritative Scripture but not simply repeating what the biblical theologians said into their own contexts? In this book respected New Testament scholar I. Howard Marshall makes some creative and important proposals to help us move 'beyond the Bible' without leaving the Bible behind. He examines how principles can be established from Scripture, whether explicitly or implicitly, and explores how the continuing development of insight can provide us with guidelines for the ongoing task of developing and applying Christian theology. Rather than presenting Marshall's reflections as 'the final word' Beyond the Bible encourages a more dialogical approach to theological reflection by including responses from Kevin Vanhoozer and Stanley Porter. This is an important text for biblical scholars, theologians and preachers. - An intelligent answer to a tricky question - how can we apply the ancient text of the Bible to issues today? - Written by a leading biblical scholar. - Responses from leading Christian thinkers invite readers into a discussion rather than simply presenting 'the answer'.

About the Author

I. Howard Marshall(Ph.D., University of Aberdeen) is emeritus professor of New Testament exegesis and honorary research professor at the University of Aberdeen. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including Concordance to the Greek New Testament (6th edition), The Gospel of Luke (NIGTC), The Epistles of John (NICNT), A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles (ICC), and Acts (TNTC). --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Baker Academic (January 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1842272780
• ISBN-13: 978-1842272787
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,904,867 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Marshall blazes a trail, but it's not finished ..., June 2, 2005

By	Tom Wadsworth "Tom Wadsworth" (Dixon, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Beyond the Bible: Moving from Scripture to Theology (Acadia Studies in Bible and Theology) (Paperback)

The reader should understand that this book is only 60% from Dr. Marshall. Of the book's five chapters, the first three are from Marshall. The other two are responses from two noted theologians.

On one hand, the format makes sense. Marshall means to offer a proposal of (badly needed) evangelical hermeneutical principles. Since Marshall knows it is merely a proposal, it begs a response. Thus, the responses of Vanhoozer and Porter are appropriate.

However, I bought the book to read more of Marshall's insight into this challenging task. He is today's venerable dean of evangelical New Testament scholars. Few others have his academic credentials, his longstanding reputation, and his voluminous reservoir of respected published works, all from an evangelical perspective. Thus, at this point near the end of his remarkable life, I wanted to hear Marshall, not others.

"The Marshall Plan," as Vanhoozer respectfully calls it, is a refreshing educational experience. I felt as if I were sitting at Marshall's feet, listening as he humbly shared his hard-earned conclusions about how to interpret the New Testament. The book is actually based on lectures where his thoughts were delivered just like that.

That is both the book's strength and weakness. As a speech, he seems to speak frankly, demonstrating little concern for any political fallout from his candid remarks. Yet, as a speech, his remarks tend to ramble a bit. And since speeches cannot be too long, his comments beg for more cohesive, organized, comprehensive conclusions.

I think Marshall knows that, and that's why the book contains responses from others. He knows his remarks are the beginning of a responsible hermeneutic, and he hopes that others will finish the work.

From my perspective, Vanhoozer offers a helpful extension to the Marshall Plan, but Porter does not. Porter openly admits (p. 101) that the majority of his comments do not respond to Marshall at all. To be direct, I didn't buy the book to hear the Porter Plan, I bought it to hear the Marshall Plan.

But all that aside ... If you are a serious student of the New Testament, you need to read this book (or certainly the first 3-4 chapters). Take advantage of Marshall's 40+ years of scholarly reflection on these historic Christian documents. Hopefully, someone will pick up the baton from here and stride ahead toward a more comprehensive evangelical hermeneutical method.

5.0 out of 5 stars Hermeneutics Played Out, December 12, 2008

By	Mason Slater - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond the Bible: Moving from Scripture to Theology (Acadia Studies in Bible and Theology) (Paperback)

Beyond the Bible is a short book on taking exegesis of the Scriptures and moving to theology and ethics, a clearly important step which far to ofton gets past over. Marshall, the dean of evangelical New Testament scholarship in recent decades, describes the history of evangelical hermeneutics and points to both some very promising proposals, and some dangerous paths we may tend to take.
After Marshall's section (the bulk of the book) there are two responses, including a brilliant one from VanHoozer which adds a lot to the book and both furthers and challenges some of Marshall's proposals.
This is a must read and a very manageable entry point into quite important hermeneutical issues.

[...]

4.0 out of 5 stars Tough and Intriguing But..., April 13, 2007

By	T.C. R "A Christ-follower" (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond the Bible: Moving from Scripture to Theology (Acadia Studies in Bible and Theology) (Paperback)

I find this reading helpful in that the exegete must always question the texts. However, Marshall is calling for too much in this book. I am of the impression that a reader can be swayed from traditional hermeneutics that has proven to be solid and according to the word. For example, sola scriptura is challenged in this volume.