What vision of biblical authority arises from Scripture’s own use of Scripture? This question has received surprisingly little attention from theologians seeking to develop a comprehensive doctrine of Scripture. Today When You Hear His Voice by Gregory W. Lee fills this gap by listening carefully to the Epistle to the Hebrews.
Lee illuminates the unique way that Hebrews appropriates Old Testament texts as he considers the theological relationship between salvation history and scriptural interpretation. He illustrates these dynamics through extended treatments of Augustine and Calvin, whose contrasting perspectives on the covenants, Israel, and the literal and figural senses provide theological categories for appreciating how Hebrews innovatively presents Scripture as God’s direct address in the contemporary moment.
Greg Lee here makes a significant integrative contribution to discussions about the theological interpretation of Scripture by comparing and contrasting three Christian readings of the Old Testament: Augustine, Calvin, and the Epistle to the Hebrews. The result is an important proposal about biblical authority and interpretation that carries considerable ecumenical and interdisciplinary promise. Lee’s suggestion regarding the literal sense allows Protestants to lie down with Roman Catholics, and systematic theologians with biblical exegetes.
—Kevin Vanhoozer, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Operating within the assumptions of the Christian faith, Gregory Lee expounds the content, the character, the authority, and the functions of Scripture in such ways as to furnish in one magnificent volume both a history of biblical interpretation and an incisive systematic theology.
—Geoffrey Wainwright, Duke Divinity School
The Epistle to the Hebrews is moving to the forefront of contemporary discussions regarding the doctrine and interpretation of Scripture. Here Gregory Lee engages Hebrews in theological dialogue with St. Augustine and John Calvin. A crucial insight emerges: Fidelity to the literal sense and pursuit of figural reading are both integral to Christian theological exegesis that pays appropriate attention to Israel. The literal sense insists on God’s fidelity to the covenant people, while figural reading interprets that fidelity in relation to Jesus Christ. This book is a helpful contribution from a promising young scholar.
—Daniel J. Treier, Wheaton College