RBL 9/2002

Alexander, T. D. and Brian S. Rosner, eds.

New Dictionary of Biblical Theology
Leicester, England: InterVarsity Press, 2000. Pp. 768,
Cloth, $39.99, ISBN 0830814388.

L. Daniel Hawk
Ashland Theological Seminary
Ashland, OH 44805

The publication of this volume had its origins in the Two Testaments Project launched by
Tyndale Fellowship in 1994 and in a subsequent collaboration with Rutherford House,
Edinburgh. The contributors represent the perspectives of the evangelical mainstream and
share the conviction that biblical theology properly seeks to discern the overall
theological message of the whole Bible in dialogue with the living tradition of the church
(3). The program is stated succinctly near the conclusion of the initial essay on biblical
theology: Biblical theology may be defined as theological interpretation of Scripture in
and for the church. It proceeds with historical and literary sensitivity and seeks to analyse
and synthesize the Bibles teaching about God and his relations to the world on its own
terms, maintaining sight of the Bibles overarching narrative and Christocentric focus
(10).
The editors have divided the essays in the volume into three parts. Part 1 addresses
topics that concern the character, tasks, and program of biblical theology. It comprises
essays addressing the following topics: biblical theology, history of biblical theology,
challenges to biblical theology, the canon of Scripture, Scripture, biblical history,
exegesis and hermeneutics, unity and diversity of Scripture, New Testament use of the
Old Testament, relationship of the Old Testament and New Testament, systematic
theology and biblical theology, and preaching and biblical theology. The essays reflect
the increasing prominence of theoretical discussions within evangelical scholarship and
offer clear and informed presentations of the respective topics. Particularly significant are
the contributions they make to the task of narrowing the long-standing gulf between

This review was published by RBL 2002 by the Society of Biblical Literature. For more information on obtaining a
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biblical and systematic theology and between interpretation of the Bible in its own right
and interpretation of the Bible within the life of the church.
The essays in part 2 explore the theological themes and messages of the books of the
(Protestant) canon. After a series of summary articles, each book is treated as a canonical
unit and in its canonical sequence. The essays vary in format. Most adopt a topical
approach, summarizing the principle themes of the book and then exploring trajectories
to other literature in the canon. Others work through a book section by section. Many
essays also include discussions of structure and genre.
Part 3, which takes up the majority of the volume, comprises a miscellany of essays on
topics the editors consider of central importance for an understanding of the Bible as a
whole. These include key figures (e.g., Abraham, David, Sarah, Jesus Christ, Mary),
concepts (e.g., atonement, election, glory, incarnation, truth), and biblical themes and
symbols (e.g., hardening, idolatry, land, mountains). For the most part, the essays provide
substantive treatments of their topics in conversation with relevant scholarship. (The
essays throughout the volume are appended by bibliographies.)
The selection and (in some cases) composition of the essays in this section reflect the
difficulty involved in straddling two different enterprises, on the one hand insisting that
biblical texts themselves must set the agenda for theology and must be interpreted on
their own terms and, on the other, interpreting the Bible self-consciously within a
particular confessional community and in conversation with its living traditions.
Although the editors have conscientiously selected topics they deem of central
importance for understanding biblical theology (vii), these topics nonetheless reflect the
themes and concerns of traditional systematic theology and Protestant evangelicalism. It
is apparent, in other words, that this presentation of the Bibles theology is mediated
through an evangelical lens.
Topics not included perhaps make the point as sharply as those treated. Few essays
address aspects of social ethics. There is, for example, an essay on judgment but none on
justice! Given the ubiquity and prominence of justice themes throughout both
Testaments, this absence (and the absence of associated topics) is both striking and
telling. While it could be argued in response that the topic of justice is indeed taken up in
another essay (Righteousness, Justice, and Justification), it is treated there in its
creational, forensic, and soteriological aspects. A very fine essay titled Poor/Poverty
touches on justice themes but generally concentrates on the terminology of poverty as it
is expressed in various canonical units. One may even encounter this lacuna within the
body of essays. Commenting on prophetic criticisms of the sacrificial system, for
example, one writer highlights their harsh language and indictments of hypocrisy but
does not mention the calls to justice that are integral to their message (858-59).

This review was published by RBL 2002 by the Society of Biblical Literature. For more information on obtaining a
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The contributors in this volume share the conviction that a theology of the whole
Bible can (indeed must) be achieved through analysis of biblical texts and synthesis of
themes, and they display an optimism regarding the possibilities and promise of biblical
theology. Commenting on the subject, K. J. Vanhoozer writes (82-83): At its best,
biblical theology bridges the yawning gap (an open wound, actually) between a
theologically impoverished historical criticism of the Bible on the one hand, and an
ecclesiastically motivated reading of the Christian Scripture on the other. The way
forward in this enterprise entails viewing the Bible as a medium of Gods communication
(34-42). Affirming the inspiration of the Bible as a whole acknowledges the role of
confession in guiding interpretation, while emphasizing the necessity of using all
available tools to apprehend what God is saying through Scripture.
Yet, as this volume demonstrates, commitments influence perspectives to a significant
degree. While interpreters may insist programmatically that the biblical texts must set the
agenda and may reject the notion of a canon within the canon, the act of interpretation
reveals a measure of operational divergence. Priorities in reading and interpretation are
evident. Comprehending the theological message of the whole of Scripture on its own
terms therefore necessarily involves conversation with perspectives outside ones own
circle. The present volume illustrates both how far evangelical scholarship has come in
this respect and how far it yet has to go. As a rule, the contributors maintain an active,
informed, and irenic dialogue with historical-critical scholarship and mainstream
theological discourse. However, there is scant dialogue with the poststructuralist and
ideological approaches that comprise an even larger circle of (potential) interlocutors, and
one gains the distinct impression that the contributors consider anything associated with
postmodernism as a bugbear that must be opposed rather than engaged (see, e.g., the
discussions on 55-56, 98-100).
To press the point, consider again what is included and excluded from the body of
essays. The final essay in part 1 turns from theory to praxis with a stimulating discussion
of biblical theology and the art of preaching. This, I suggest, reveals something about the
commitments of evangelical scholarship as represented here. When thinking about how to
put biblical theology into practice, evangelical minds incline naturally and properly to
preaching. Faithful Christians outside this circle, however, may see different priorities
when thinking about biblical theology and praxis. Where, for example, can one find a
treatment of ethics in part 1? Is this not a branch of biblical theology that deserves the
careful theoretical exploration afforded to other topics in this section? How does such a
vast topic, which has generated significant discussion within scholarship, escape notice, if
not for a blind spot that could be corrected by engaging those voices that press the ethical
dimensions of biblical revelation?
Readers of various perspectives will find valuable and constructive reflections on the
task and promise of biblical theology in this volume, particularly in part 1. Those not
sharing the convictions of the contributors may find the treatment of specific topics

This review was published by RBL 2002 by the Society of Biblical Literature. For more information on obtaining a
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limited for reasons discussed above. Readers within evangelical circles, however, will
undoubtedly appreciate the uniformly thoughtful and articulate essays and look upon this
volume as a standard reference work.

This review was published by RBL 2002 by the Society of Biblical Literature. For more information on obtaining a
subscription to RBL, please visit http://www.bookreviews.org/subscribe.asp.