The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament

by Andreas J. Köstenberger, L. Scott Kellum, Charles L. Quarles

The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown guides serious New Testament students through the historical, literary, and theological dimensions of the biblical text, allowing them to better understand and share God’s “word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15). It offers a thorough introduction to all twenty-seven books of the New Testament and closely examines events such as Christ’s incarnation and virgin birth, his crucifixion and resurrection, and triumphant return.
 
The second edition features updated bibliographies and footnotes, interpretation sections that cover different literary genres in the New Testament, an epilogue that canvasses the entire storyline of Scripture, and a variety of maps. All of these new features contribute to making this a life-long resource for students of Scripture.
 

Genres: Theology, Christian, Reference, Biblical Studies, New Testament, Christianity, Nonfiction

1106 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2009

Reviews

[BJ Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the New Testament survey book I should have had for my MDiv classes. I initially bought it close to a year ago thinking to get ahead in my reading. Then they changed the syllabus from one semester to the next and I got stuck with a different one. For a while, I was reading them side by side and the difference was astounding. Cradle, Cross, and Crown was more in-depth, it presented a better look at the views of modern scholarship while maintaining a conservative perspective, and it was by far the more readible and engaging textbook. I have absolutely no regrets buying a textbook that was not going to be a textbook because it was just that good.

So here is a little note to any professors or potential professors out there who are considering this book for your NT survey classes. Use it. The book is readable enough to be understood and beneficial as an undergrad textbook and it is thorough enough for even the most rigorous master's level classes. Beyond that, it is balanced enough in presentation that whether your school is fundamentalist, mainline, Catholic, secular, or nutcase (erm... Union Theological Seminary) this book would benefit.

And if you are thinking, "I'm not a professor. I'm not a student. I'm not interested in a textbook." So what? If you love God and/or want to have a deeper understanding of the teachings of the New Testament, this book would be a benefit to you too. So stop reading my review and start reading the text.

[Jimmy Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! After having seen and used several New Testament Introductions, this volume strikes me as ideal. It’s clearly designed for advanced studies, yet is so well written and accessible that it will not bore the reader as some advanced studies do. I have never had access to the first edition and so am not sure the level of updating in this second edition, but this is an outstanding book.

Be sure to read the Preface to the Second Edition to see clearly the conservative outlook of Andreas Kostenberger, L. Scott Kellum, and Charles Quarles, and design of the volume. On both counts, it is exactly what I would be looking for in this type volume. Chapter 1 speaks of issues of canonicity and even inerrancy. They well outline the twists and turns of scholarship while not allowing it to make them lose perspective. The chapter on the political and religious background is finely executed.

Chapter 3 expertly introduces the Gospels with a chapter following on each Gospel. Next we have a chapter on Acts, then one on Paul, followed by each of the rest of the books of the New Testament. An ending chapter and an epilogue well round out the volume.

Each of the chapters covering the perspective book is the greatest asset on the volume. Real background, scholarly thought, literary designs, theology, and contents of the book are all enlightening. Fine charts and maps only make the content better.

Again, I give this the highest possible ratings among Introductions of the New Testament.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good NT Introduction. Read for NT2 w/Schreiner at SBTS Spring '15.

[Peter Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read about half for New Testament at SEBTS. Not sure if that technically means I “read” it but whatever. I really enjoyed it!

[Taylor Snyder]

Had to read this for school but ain’t no way I’m not adding this behemoth to my Read books

[Steve Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5-5 stars

[Mike Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read everything but the sections on the Gospels. I am conflicted on how to rate the book because it excels at certain things and not at others. The chapters spend many pages defending traditional views of authorship, date, and provenance. This is valuable information and many pastors and scholars need a reliable source that can defend those views.

On the other hand, I often found the synopsis and theology sections for each book to be underwhelming. I have a feeling Carson’s overview is a better one-volume source for that.

[Neil Kruger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid evangelical New Testament Introduction.

[Nehemiah R. Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too long. Too nerdy. 3 stars.

[Jordan Litts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does anyone else forget most of what they read?

[Jackson Roderick · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best resources on the NT I have read!

[Elizabeth Aucoin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this more than I expected. Seemed daunting at first, but Kostenberger writes and communicates in such a way that is easy to understand, and I found really intriguing. Such a helpful guide/commentary on the history, content, debates, and themes in each NT book. (it's a thick book though, a commitment for sure)

[Cole Michaels · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an evangelical scholarly overview of the New Testament, which excelled at engaging with secular and liberal theological views of the New Testament as well as giving the kind of background and summary information that one expects in a work such as this.

Note: Did not read chapters 3-7

[Jared Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not completely read through this, but it is an excellently thorough introduction to the NT. The authors leave no stone unturned and I find myself referring back to this work out of personal interest. I have not read any other NT introductions so take this review with a grain of salt but if you've got to start somewhere I highly recommend this one.

[RT · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, helpful, and useful resource for the New Testament. It provides key discussion for a book’s Historical Background, Themes, Structure, and Theology. A down side to the content is there are several places where sentences or even whole paragraphs are simply copied and pasted. You’ll likely read the same sentence/paragraph in a number of places throughout the book. This was first discovered in the section on Mark. This type of laziness is a true robber of the quality of content this book could have. Overall, still a worthy resource for every student of the New Testament.

On a separate note. The quality of the paper and binding are absolutely terrible. The book begins to fall apart quite quickly with minimal/casual use. This is unfortunate considering the book’s price tag, as well as its usefulness for research.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

In my opinion this is a PHENOMENAL resource. It gives the facts, and the most recent academic debates as well as a break down of each passage within each book found in the NT. It is a great place to start, a great place to grow, a great place the reference!

You will learn a tremendous amount about the beautiful words found in NT. As well as great facts, debates, and more! I can't recommend this book enough.

If you are a pastor, student, Christian looking to grow in bible study, or anything this is great place to go!

[Bill Forgeard · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 1st year New Testament Survey textbook. It's given me a solid foundation for ongoing study and a good introduction to the world of NT scholarship. Highlights were the thorough interaction with other scholarship, and the overall comprehensive approach.

[Joseph Benhardt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Huge minus, Bart Erhman? Really? You could not find anyone else for an opinion?

Nah, Bart Erhman was given a chance to put his two sense in, Really? Erhman? He denies Christ. I don't get it.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every pastor should have a good introductions to both the New and Old Testaments.  Some of these introductions are either to highly scholastic or they are so watered down that they are completely useless.  One of the handful of good conservative introductions are produced by B&H Academic.  There are two volumes, The Word and the Word: An Introduction to the Old Testament, and, The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament.  The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament has recently released a new edition to fantastic volume which does not disappoint.  This volume is updated with recent scholastic developments and how it relates to the interpretation of scripture. 

This new edition is authored by Andres J. Kostenberger, L. Scott Kellum and Charles L. Quarles, seminary professors from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, who are all top notch scholars in their own right.  Together they have authored a volume which can be used in a variety of settings and contexts.  For instance it is a valuable asset for Pastors to study when they are starting a new sermon series, to Sunday School teachers in preparing for teaching lessons, and for a professor who is looking to teach a New Testament survey class.

Each chapter gives a very detailed outline of the Biblical book, which are very useful in preaching exegetical sermons, then a short unit to unit study which touch on important passages, and cultural contexts.  After this, there is a study in theological themes found in each book and how each book contributes to the cannon, basically why each book is in the cannon.  Lastly each chapter has extremely helpful study questions that are thought provoking and application lending.

Outside of chapters dedicated to each book of the Bible there is a short introduction to the New Testament as a whole.  Which will be very valuable to any serious student of scripture.  The only caveat is that this work is written on a popular level and is not of much use to the scholar, but is of great weight to mostly everyone else.  I highly recommend this work for its continued dedication to the inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility of Holy Scripture.

This book was provided to me free of charge from B & H Academic Publishing in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.



The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament 

© 2016 by by Andres J. Kostenberger, L. Scott Kellum and Charles L. Quarles

Publisher: B & H Academic Publishing

Page Count: 1168 Pages

ISBN: 978-1433684005

[Emmanuel Boston · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I received this book from the publisher, I was slightly daunted—over 900 pages of careful, scholarly investigation into the New Testament. But the daunting turns to satisfaction page after page. Each segment, each NT book, each subsection (History, Literature, Theology), treats our New Covenant document with humbled admiration and diligence. Indeed, at the start of the book they remind readers:

“’All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work,’ and the student of Scripture must…’be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.’”

They recognize their intended audience to be ‘the teacher and the student’—so they write in a manner ‘scholarly yet accessible,’ and hope to aid the teacher in showing the student that “The NT, with its 27 books, presents both a wonderful, God-given treasure trove of spiritual insights and a formidable challenge for faithful, accurate interpretation.”


The book is broken into five sections: Introduction, Gospels, Early Church & Paul, General Epistles & Revelation, Conclusion. Which is, of course, pretty standard. The conclusion, unlike some others deals with ‘diversity in unity’ in the New Testament—an helpful discussion for any student of Scripture. Each book-focused chapter is subdivided into an Introduction; History, Literature, and Theology sections; a Conclusion, Study Questions, and Further Resources. The History section deals with the necessary presumed issues of authorship, etc. The Literature section offers a unit-by-unit discussion, tracing the flow of the book. And the Theology section offers a brief discussion on various theological themes. Throughout the chapter also offer numerous sidebar articles throughout which highlight interesting details, dichotomies, and spiritual meditations. They include a section on the book’s contribution to the canon.. At the beginning of each chapter they offer at-a-glance key facts as well as an objectives list—preparing readers to look for and understand certain elements. Notably they offer three different levels for these objectives lists: Basic/Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.

Oddly enough, this feature was one of the most helpful and encouraging. Grading knowledge levels is an apt reminder that the New Testament is a “treasure trove…and a formidable challenge.” It reminded me that I don’t know all the answers, and that even if I learned them briefly through my reading, I would likely forget them when I had finished. It offers milestones for the reader—perhaps they plan to go through the New Testament once per year. In year 1, they focus on the Beginner objectives. In year 2, they take a look at the study questions in the back and answer them. If they discover their ‘Basic Knowledge’ is adequate they focus on an Intermediate grasp, etc. Similarly, for teachers in university/seminary courses, it becomes easy to encourage students and explain expectations while giving the extra-motivated student a goal to achieve.



When the authors prepared this book (2009), they explained what they thought made The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown distinctive from other NT Introductions (which they appropriately praised. And so it is by their own scale which I grade their book now.

User-friendly. 100% (In accessibility, not simplicity.)
Comprehensive. 100% (In scope, not depth.)
Conservative. 100% (In scholarship, not in politics, and not fundamentalist.)
Balanced. 90%
Up-do-date. 95%
Spiritually nurturing and application oriented. 100%


I say that they are not quite perfect in balance (by which they describe as pertaining to more than date, provenance, authorship, destination but theological themes as well), because while they are certainly better than some other Introductions, I found myself wanting a bit more literature and a bit more theology—whether through intertextuality themes & biblical theology. Of course, I have to temper my desires with the books purpose as an introduction. And so I recognize that they do balance incredibly well… I guess I just want to be unbalanced—on the other side.

I listed up-to-date at 95% due to no fault of the others; it’s simply the reality of contributing to humanity’s understanding in time. Time moves past us, and there are new works out. I do not believe that there are any problems with the body of text, arguments, conclusions, etc. Instead, the recommended resources are now 6 years lacking.

I want to offer one more area for improvement, again understanding limitations of adding to a 900+ page book. I would like to see more room for creative presentation. The authors certainly present countless charts and tables, and a few maps here and there, but I would like to see the biblical data represented in new ways that reveal things about the text or assist the learning process. Perhaps even Flowcharts of Pauline arguments and rhetoric. “If yes, then…., If no, then…”



I want to end this review by widening the intended audience. Most who buy this book will be teachers and students. I think that is too limited. I encourage new members in my church that they should include in their monthly budget an amount for knowing God better. For some it might be as little as five or ten dollars per month. But if we as Christians truly believe the grandeur and grace of God, we ought to be willing to set aside money to know him better. This book’s listing is $59.99, but of course cheaper at certain locations. I can’t tell you how to use your money, but what I can say is

If you don’t have a good, foundational resource to help you understand the New Testament, this one can fill that void.

I don’t imagine you’ll read it start to finish. But if you keep it close to your Bible, you can take a few minutes each time you read from the New Testament to better grasp the whole.


I recommend this book to any Christians who want to understand the New Testament better. Pastors, small group leaders, the retired, the lay Christian, college students.

10/10 stars, 5/5 with no caveats.



I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
This review is crosslisted on Amazon and http://ejboston.blogspot.com .

[Danieltituscom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a helpful book and delivers on its goal to be a thorough introduction to the New Testament. It gives a detailed survey while not ignoring the big picture. It inspires the reader to dive deeper into interesting topics.

The main problem is that the format forces a repetition. This repetitive format is repeated 16 times. The other frustration that I have is that the three authors do not distinguish who wrote what chapters. They were all group efforts. This makes the work rather laborious to cite.

[Jacob Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a academic textbook to its core but does provide a level of readability. It would not be the first resource I would reach for when preparing a sermon but it is extremely helpful for getting an overview of the academic work surrounding each book in the New Testament. It serves as a good 30,000 feet look of each chapter and the extensive footnotes can serve to provide a launching point to other useful works.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great, comprehensive resource on the NT. This was my textbook for NT1, the readings don’t get too dry, but stay very interesting and very helpful.

Definitely a resource I’ll come back to. Once you get past the intro and start reading about the actually chapters on the NT books, it’s a great read.

Not a five star because its definitely not a must read, it’s too long and too detailed to be a book I’d give to anyone and everyone. It’s is, however, a resource I’d recommend highly!!

[Nicholas Moonis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read all but 5 or so chapters for New Testament II with Dr. Tom Schreiner. It’s an excellent treatment of the entire NT, providing both context, literary outlines, and thorough discussions of each book. It would be helpful for any seminary student or serious Bible student who wants to understand the books of the NT more comprehensively.

[Ben Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to the New Testament. I appreciate how the author's analysis of each book of the Bible is organized into easily identifiable sections, allowing readers to prioritize which parts they would like to read. There is something here for both the Bible beginner and the New Testament scholar, which is a rare accomplishment.

[Justin Wheaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Intro to the New Testament

This book is amazing. I read it as a textbook for one of my Seminary classes. This lays the foundation for further study in the NT. The authors are Calvanist so be aware of that. Great book.

[Stacia · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this book might be a little dry to read cover to cover, it is filled with treasures as a reference book. I've always wondered where I could find this information for any given book of the Bible. And here it is about each book of the NT. Excellent resource!

[Lauren Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to New Testament!

[Josiah Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the layout of this NT Intro. Probably the best I've read thusfar. Read for NT2 at SBTS Spring 2018.

[Someone Someplace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent NT introduction