Redemptive History and the New Testament Scriptures

by Herman Nicolaas Ridderbos

Publisher:

P&R

, 1988

Overview

“Any scientific investigator of Scripture repeatedly confronts the issue of the character of the Bible’s authority,” writes Herman Ridderbos in the opening lines of this book. From there he goes on to examine the basis for the Church’s acceptance of the New Testament as canonical. More than a merely academic question, the canonicity of the New Testament remains a vital concern for the Church today. It is a question of whether these 27 books are in fact God’s holy Word and therefore authoritative for our faith and life.

Ridderbos stresses that the foundation for the Canon lies in the history of redemption itself, wherein Christ gave distinctive authority to his apostles. On that basis, Ridderbos examines the authority of the New Testament as it is characterized in the content of the text itself—in terms of the redemptive-historical categories of kerygma (proclamation), marturia (witness), and didache (doctrine).

Contents

• Questions of Principle
• Canon and Redemptive History
• The Recognition of the Canon
• The Authority of the New Testament

Top Highlights

“In its redemptive-historical sense, the canon is not the product of the church; rather the church is to be the product of the canon.” (Page 25)

“God’s authority as canon is not limited to His great deeds in Jesus Christ but extends to their communication in the words and writings of those He specially chose and equipped to be the bearers and instruments of divine revelation, and the written tradition they established, in analogy with the writings of the Old Testament, thereby became the foundation and standard of the coming church.” (Page 24)

“For the communication and transmission of what was seen and heard in the fullness of time, Christ established a formal authority structure to be the source and standard for all future preaching of the gospel.” (Page 13)

“Thus in this study we are not seeking an extrabiblical basis for faith. Rather, we are seeking to delineate the essence of Scripture and the nature of its authority within the framework of the history of redemption; we are seeking to clarify the relationship between the history of redemption and Scripture.” (Page ix)

“The announcement of redemption cannot be separated from the history of redemption itself.” (Page 15)

Product Details

• Title: Redemptive History and the New Testament Scriptures
• Authors: Herman Ridderbos
• Publisher: P&R
• Publication Date: 1998
• Pages: 91
• Christian Group: Reformed
• Resource Type: Biblical Theologies
• Topic: Scripture

About Herman Nicolaas Ridderbos

Herman N. Ridderbos (1909–2007) was an influential New Testament scholar and theologian. Ridderbos studied at the Theological School of the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands and Free University of Amsterdam. He was a pastor for eight years and a professor for over forty. Ridderbos is most widely known and respected for his work on the history of salvation (Heilsgeschichte) and biblical theology. Many of his books appear in the Herman Ridderbos Collection, including Paul and Jesus.