The Heartbeat of Old Testament Theology: Three Creedal Expressions

by Mark J. Boda, Craig A. Evans (Editor)

This volume explores the theological heartbeat of the Old Testament by examining three big ideas that communicate the Old Testament's redemptive theology. Highly respected scholar Mark Boda shows how three creedal expressions--the narrative, character, and relational creeds--recur throughout the Old Testament and express its core redemptive theology, in turn revealing how the redemptive pulse of God expands to all of creation. He also traces these redemptive and creational pulses into the New Testament and shows their relevance for today's Christian community.

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Textbooks, Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

Published April 18, 2017

Reviews

[John Andrew Szott III · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

For 90% of the book, I was thinking, “Ehhhhh three stars…” But the last chapter alone was worth four, and then the postscript demanded five. So here we are.

Boda clearly and compellingly demonstrates that the narrative, character, and relational rhythms (within their cosmic redemptive context) are integral to OT Theology. This is, I think, a huge step forward for the discipline — particularly for evangelicals in the discipline. What I found lacking in the book (i.e., the three stars part) was an argument for exactly how integral he makes them out to be (“the heart of OTT”). But perhaps he just uses that phrase (repeatedly) metaphorically rather than as a precise indicator of the importance of the three creeds. In any case, he writes at an intro level, and I love that. He also is refreshingly down to earth, and I left the book with as much respect for the Christian disciple as for the scholar.

“For professors, the pressure today is to be those who “know,” that she or he is known as the world’s expert on this or that topic or text or method. But at midcareer I am being challenged in this area. As Sinclair Ferguson stressed in theology class so many years ago, I must constantly ask the question, “Do I have a personal knowledge of God?” (110)

[Christopher Gow · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars - I like this book!

Boda describes 3 threads (not sure why he chooses “heartbeat” when there are 3 of them..) that are repeated throughout the Old Testament by Israel as they reflect of who God is: 1) the narrative creed 2) the character creed 3) the relational creed.
These three patterns of theological reflection represent different ways that Israel did theology, and Boda then relates these 3 threads to Gods self-revelation in Christ, and the Spirit-led church. It’s good.

Would recommend for:

1) those looking for a way to do biblical theology while making normative/systematic claims about God’s character, (a kind of middle ground between Systematics and Biblical Theology, with a slight preference to the Bib. Theo) and
2) people trying to describe how Old Testament theology relates to the New Testament, Jesus, the church and Spirit-empowered life post-ascension

[Eric Keel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely helpful book about seeing the covenant pattern in all of Scripture.

[Ray Clendenen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for me a very satisfying (though brief) description not only of Old Testament theology but also Biblical Theology. The author takes the idea of an Old Testament creed from Gerhard von Rad but extends it to a threefold creed, although sometimes the term "creed" might seem strange. The book actually puts more emphasis on the image of a threefold heartbeat. Boda detects a "narrative rhythm" in the repeated rehearsals of "God's historical action," using finite verbs expressing past action, as in Exod. 15:1-19; Deut. 6:21-23; 26:5-9; 29:2-9; 32; Josh. 24:2-13; Judg. 2:1-3; 6:8-10; 11:16-24; 1 Sam. 12:8; Pss. 78; 105; 106; 135; 136; Neh 9:6-31; Jer. 2:6-7; 32:17-23; Ezek. 20:5-29. But he also finds a "character rhythm" in repeated descriptions of "God's active character" and personal attributes, using nonperfective/nonpreterite verbal forms (including participles, adjectives, and nouns), as in Exod. 20:5-6; 34:6-7; Num. 14:18; Deut. 5:9-10; 7:9-10; 1 Kgs. 8:23/2 Chr. 6:14; Neh. 1:5; 9:32; Jer. 32:18; Dan. 9:4. And finally, he detects a "relational rhythm" in the repeated references to "God's relational identity," typically using the Hebrew verb of being (hayah) and verbless clauses. Here he refers to variations of the covenantal expression, "I will be your God and you will be my people" (Exod. 6:7; Lev. 26:12; Deut. 29:13; with variations in Gen. 17:7-8; Lev. 11:45; 22:33; 25:38; Num. 15:41; 2 Sam. 7:14; 1 Chr. 17:13; 22:10; Jer. 31:33; Ezek. 36:28). These expressions, he says, reflect the language of marriage and adoption. Boda does not claim that these rhythms "exhaust OT theology," but that "they are core values of Biblical Theology that pump life into every part of the OT" (p. 77). I believe he makes an excellent case. But he is to be commended further for devoting the second half of his book to extending the analysis into the New Testament, finding the same rhythms there. Thus, Boda has given us an excellent work of Biblical Theology. In fact, he ends with a helpful appendix on Biblical Theology, in which he presents a creative categorization of the various ways the New Testament fulfills the Old (pp. 166-72). Along the way, he raises eyebrows from time to time, such as when he approvingly quotes Schaberg, who thinks the four women in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus "set up the final woman" (Mary), "who becomes a social misfit in some way; is wronged or thwarted; who is party to a sexual act that places her in great danger [!] ..." (p. 106). He also makes the intriguing claim that "while redemption is essential for the realization of creational transformation, it is creational transformation that is the main purpose" (p. 138). One final raising of the eyebrows occurred when I read these charges: "To read the OT (and the NT) as if Jesus did not show up at the turn of the ages and change the course of history would not be Christian" (p. 173), and "After Christian interpreters have discerned the theological significance of an OT passage and/or an OT theological theme, they must [!] reflect on the significance of the Christ event for this passage and/or theme" (p. 174), and "To read the OT without these broader redemptive goals in mind would not be Christian" (p. 175), and finally, "This particular theological witness needs to be placed within the broader trajectory of the theological witness of the canon as a whole" (p. 177). I do not object to these charges; I applaud them. But these are the very charges I brought against Boda's 2016 NICOT commentary on Zechariah for Eerdmans in my Themelios review (41.3 December, 2016, pp. 492-93). So I find myself puzzled and desirous of explanation.

[Chandler Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and unique approach to the theology of Old Testament as Boda traces 3 key confessions that pervade the canon of the Hebrew Bible: the historical/narrative creed, the character creed, and the relational creed about God and his redemptive work in creation. Boda also seeks to bring these Old Testament theological emphases into conversation with New Testament theology: “The theological emphases on Yahweh as redeemer and creator with their rhythms in the narrative, character, and relational creeds are not only echoed in the NT but continued and brought to a climax in and through Jesus and his community.” Thus, Boda provides us with a theological scheme for developing a whole-Bible biblical theology. Boda shows us that creation is the arena of God’s redemptive activity as he historically acts to save his people due to his merciful character and transformative relationships with his people. Boda also teaches the prescriptive nature of OT theology as he urges readers to hear the theological rhythms of the OT today and allow it to transform our characters. He also teaches that biblical theology is the basis for systematic theology. The 30-page appendix to the book is also helpful as Boda is able to prove a definition for biblical theology and the hermeneutical principles required for doing biblical theology. Great work!

[Dónal Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on Old Testament theology, looking at how the simple creeds Jews would have made inform our theology. Really appreciated the depth and application. Probably a little academic in parts but overall really helped me appreciate the theology of the OT, see how it points to Christ and take stock of my own evangelical tradition in how it could be more biblical in the way it views its faith. Worth a read

[Ethan Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boda's book provides an excellent skeleton to Old Testament theology, yet it is just that, a skeleton. He traces three "heartbeats" throughout the canon of the OT which are the narrative, creedal, and covenantal formulas. The most helpful aspect of this study is to see the intertextuality present in the Hebrew Bible and how understanding these strands will make the whole theological message clearer.

[Shane Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent and brief survey of three creedal expressions that form the basis of OT theology: (1) the narratival creed of God's action in history; (2) the character creed of God's active character ; and (3) the relational creed of God's relation to humanity typically expressed in covenants.

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a solid, approachable and accessible introduction to OT theology. It’s worth reading just for the appendix, which provides an overview of the discipline of biblical theology and the relationship between the testaments.

[Philip Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boda is a beast. He has done some real donkey work in helping the reader understand what the OT is about. This is a fine example of the kind of work a student of the Bible should be doing in an effort to better understand it. Relatively short but very suggestive.

[Lanie Walkup · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with an interesting approach to OTT. Found it relatively accessible to lay readers and worth reading if not for the final three chapters alone.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. Thank you to the author,Mark J. Boda, and the publisher for this opportunity.

What is at the core of theology of the Old Testament? According to Christoph Barth, son of Karl Barth, the acts of God are "The Heart of the Matter." This is the basis of Mark J. Boda's new monograph, Heartbeat of Old Testament Theology (this is also the source of countless cheesy (gimmicky?) references to cardiology, EKGs, stethoscopes, etc.).

Boda identifies three "rhythms" of Old Testament theology:
1) The Narrative Creed - Building upon the work of Gerhard's Vos, G.E. Wright, and Gerhard von Rad, Boda argues that throughout the OT, there are "narrative creeds" about the nature of God. Each of these narrative creeds contain the following elements: mention of ancestors, the exodus, the wilderness period, the conquest, the Promised Land, and the exile.
2) The Character Rhythm - G.E. Wright argued that occasionally in the OT, such as in Exod 34:6-7, God's attributes are described instead of God's actions: mercy, steadfast love, justice, etc.
3) The Relational Rhythm - The final rhythm its based upon the work of Eichrodt (among others). This "rhythm" focuses on the covenant nature of God.

Boda extends his back out past the OT. He attempts to trace these same "rhythms" in the NT (unconvincing) and in the Christian life. Ironically enough, the chapter on the Christian life was the most enjoyable read to me. Boda emphasizes the importances of living out the acts of God in liturgy and such.

Overall, the writing was rather dry and dull. It is hard to take scholarship seriously when the author continually cites the NIV as his English translation of choice, cites John Piper at the climax of his work, and gets the majority of the Hebrew wrong (hopefully it was just typographical error in my ebook edition?).