Theology of the New Testament
Overview
The crowning achievement for students of the New Testament is to grasp the whole while discerning the parts, to derive contemporary theological meaning without compromising historical accuracy, to respect the integrity of the ancient texts while interpreting validly within the structures of modern and postmodern consciousness. But how is it possible to communicate the diversely expressed faith of ancient Mediterranean fishermen and tentmakers in a crucified Jewish messiah to the academy and the church of the globalized and pluralized twenty-first century?
In Theology of the New Testament, Udo Schnelle—master teacher, deft exegete, committed churchman, and fully attuned contemporary intellectual—takes up this challenge with extraordinary energy and intelligence. The result is a capstone volume that puts all the pieces together both for students who read it straight through and for professors, theologians, pastors, and others who work through it at their own pace. For all who read it, the book will become a standard reference, a reliable source not only for summaries of particular New Testament books and topics but also for a refreshed and deepened perception of how a transcendent message has been uttered through temporally and spatially fixed actions and words.
This translation, by M. Eugene Boring, prepared by a leading American scholar who knows the author well and shares similar qualifications and commitments, achieves the literary quality of an original English composition while conveying accurately the sense of the original German and adding bibliographic adaptations for English-language readers.
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- Introduces readers to key theological themes in each section of the New Testament
- Explains the relationship between theology, history, and revelation
- Lengthy bibliography
- Indexes on subjects, Greek words and phrases, modern authors, and ancient sources
- All Scripture references linked to the Bibles in your library
- Approach: Theology of the New Testament as Meaning-Formation
- Structure: History and Meaning
- Jesus of Nazareth: The Near God
- The First Transformation: The Emergence of Christology
- The Second Transformation: The Early Christian Mission without the Precondition of Circumcision
- Paul: Missionary and Thinker
- The Third Transformation: Composition of Gospels as Innovative Response to Crises
- The Sayings Source, the Synoptic Gospels, and Acts: Meaning through Narration
- The Fourth Transformation: The Gospel in the World
- The Deutero-Pauline Letters: Paul’s Thought Extended
- The Catholic Epistles: Voices in Dangerous Times
- Johannine Theology: Introduction to the Christian Faith
- Revelation: Seeing and Understanding
Top Highlights
“In the face of the cross and resurrection, meaning-formation was inevitable. All early Christian authors were faced with the task of fitting the chaotic contingency of the crucifixion and resurrection into a meaningful theological structure—and they did this through narrative.” (Page 37)
“The resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth from the dead was a revelatory event that opened up the meaning of his life. Such an event called for acts of meaning-formation from those who believed it!” (Page 54)
“Every religion—including early Christianity and the theologies that developed within it—is a form of meaning-formation and thus is such a process of disclosure and appropriation.” (Page 34)
“One should thus speak not of the ‘objectivity’ of historical arguments but of their plausibility and fittingness” (Page 29)
“A particularly important feature of narratives is the capacity to form, present, and stabilize identity” (Page 37)
Schnelle’s Theology of the New Testament is, in my view, perhaps the most methodologically sophisticated and theologically significant contribution to the genre in the past twenty years. ‘Jesus of Nazareth: The Near God’ is the common center for his informed and insightful elaboration of the thought of New Testament theology in the context of a contemporary understanding of reality. The author’s critical acumen and theological sensitivity, as well as his obvious control of both primary and secondary literature, make this book a necessary addition to the library of every serious student of the New Testament and an ideal text for advanced courses.
—David E. Aune, Walter Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins, University of Notre Dame
A magnificent achievement. Udo Schnelle’s Theology of the New Testament comprises philosophical reflection, reconstruction of earliest Christian thought, and a history of biblical interpretation. At heart, however, the volume offers meticulous analysis of the New Testament’s varied constituents. The exegesis is well balanced; the conclusions, sound. Like its subject matter, this investigation gathers most of what is important from previous works and points the way toward a constructive future. Schnelle’s magnum opus will stand as one of the twenty-first century’s few indispensable works in the field.
—C. Clifton Black, Otto A. Piper Professor of Biblical Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary
Fresh, invigorating, enlightening, and occasionally provocative, this survey of New Testament theology serves well as a handbook of informed discussion of the crucial issues. With the confident hand of a seasoned scholar and a refreshing openness to the transcendent, Schnelle guides the reader book by book through the canon, using the familiar categories of systematic theology to ensure comprehensive coverage. Here is not only outstanding German scholarship but also an entry into contemporary German discussion via exceptionally rich footnotes.
—Donald A. Hagner, George Eldon Ladd Professor Emeritus of New Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary
- Title: Theology of the New Testament
- Author: Udo Schnelle
- Publisher: Baker
- Print Publication Date: 2009
- Logos Release Date: 2012
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Bible. N.T. › Theology
- ISBNs: 9781441251572, 9780801036040, 144125157X, 0801036046
- Resource ID: LLS:THEONTSCHNELLE
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T03:20:39Z
Reviews
1 rating
Leonardo Buscemi
2/23/2017
I'm a complete novice when it comes to the field called Biblical Theology, but I got this book after reading New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ by Thomas Schreiner. I would recommend both books to anyone, though I think Professor Schnelle makes more references to other Biblical Theologians (at least in the main text, though perhaps not in the footnotes), whereas Professor Schreiner's NT Theology comes across as more of an abbreviated commentary of the whole New Testament (with a ton of Biblical references). So though I think this book is excellent, you might want to start with Dr. Schreiner if you're not as familiar with the history of NT Theology. On the other hand, if you're wanting to get an introduction to the history (especially the 20th century history) of NT Theology, then Dr. Schnelle would be my recommendation as a better place to start because he directly engages the thought of other scholars more throughout his main text. I hope that's helpful. I will probably change this review once I learn more about the subject of NT Theology (once I read the NT Theologies by B. Childs and by Goppelt that I just picked up), though I can't imagine that I would ever change the rating to less than 5 stars. It is a monster of a book, and should keep you busy for a while. In spite of all that, and in spite of how much he interacts with other scholarship, it is a very pleasant read. But I still need to read it another time or two (and get more acquainted with the field as a whole) before I could give a very intelligent review. However, I was very surprised to see that no one had recommended it, so I had to say something about it. I would buy it again!
