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Short Studies in Biblical Theology
From Chaos to Cosmos: Creation to New Creation
“I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things.” Isaiah 45:7 When God created the world, he brought perfect order out of what was “without form and void.” But with human rebellion against God leading to God’s curse, disorder was introduced into creation―disorder that we still see all around us today. Tracing the chaos to cosmos theme from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22, pastor-scholar Sidney Greidanus reveals how God is restoring his creation through Jesus Christ, who has already begun to shine light into the darkness and will one day return to bring peace, order, and restoration once and for all. With discussion questions at the end of each chapter and a fourteen-session reading plan, this book is ideal for small groups as well as individual study.
244 pages, Paperback
Published October 31, 2018
About the author
Sidney Greidanus
15 books11 followersSidney Greidanus (born 1935) is an American pastor and biblical scholar.
Greidanus studied at Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary before obtaining a Th.D. from the Free University in Amsterdam. He served as pastor in the Christian Reformed Church and taught at Calvin College and The King’s College before becoming professor of preaching at Calvin Theological Seminary in 1990.
Greidanus is best known for his emphasis on preaching Christ from Old Testament texts. He has been described as one of the most important and influential authors today in the area of biblical preaching.
Greidanus studied at Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary before obtaining a Th.D. from the Free University in Amsterdam. He served as pastor in the Christian Reformed Church and taught at Calvin College and The King’s College before becoming professor of preaching at Calvin Theological Seminary in 1990.
Greidanus is best known for his emphasis on preaching Christ from Old Testament texts. He has been described as one of the most important and influential authors today in the area of biblical preaching.
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March 16, 2020
While I am much more aware of the Chaos/cosmos theme in Scripture after reading this, Greidanus does little other than simply string texts together to prove it is there. He comments very little on implications of it. While I believe this Scriptural theme is tremendously important, I would have rather heard one good talk on the subject or read a series of articles than bought and read this book.
December 12, 2018
Sidney Greidanus has earned a reputation as a fantastic biblical theologian, especially for teaching many students how to preach Christ from the Old Testament. Given my love for Biblical Theology and respect for Greidanus’s work, I was excited to dig into From Chaos to Cosmos, the latest installment in Crossway’s series “Short Studies in Biblical Theology.” I eagerly received this book as part of Crossway’s blog review program. However, I found this work to be far less illuminating than I hoped.
Overview
As with all the contributions to this series, From Chaos to Cosmos is written to make the recent scholarly work on biblical theology available to a wider lay-Christian audience. Biblical theology is concerned with the study of the Bible as a cohesive whole, often with an interest in the themes that run through the Bible and display its unity. To tease out the theme of Chaos and Cosmos, Greidanus examines the Bible across 3 chapters; chapter 1 considers Genesis, Exodus, and Joshua; chapter 2 considers “Wisdom, Psalms, and Prophets;” and chapter 3 the New Testament. These chapters are rather long, divided into smaller sections ending in discussion questions. This breaks up the book rather awkwardly. It would have been better to have broken each of these divisions with study questions into individual chapters and to have titled the “chapters” as parts.
Chapter 4 moves from exposition to application, offering guidance on how to preach or teach this theme. Having such a chapter is a great idea and feeds right into Greidanus’s strengths as a teacher and scholar. However, every chapter, including this last one, is severely crippled by two significant issues, namely, the lack of a clear definition for the theme and the misidentification of the theme in Scripture.
Evaluation
Like the previous book in this series I reviewed (The City of God and the Goal of Creation), this book is sorely missing a clear definition of its theme. Shortly into the book, it is clear that by “chaos” some form of disorder is intended and by “comos” order(17-18). These are pretty obvious definitions given the usual meaning of “chaos” and the technical sense of the word “cosmos.”
What is unclear for me is how order and disorder are related to the various examples of “chaos” and “cosmos” that Greidanus unpacks throughout the book: how are sin, death, Satan, the sea creatures, the waters, the deep, the flood, darkness, and the wilderness (or formless and void places) all captured by the term “chaos?” This ultimately gets at what I think is the most significant issue of the book. While lacking a clear definition at the outset makes it hard to follow the theme(s) he unpacks, following the argument of the book is made all the harder by the fact that Chaos with its opposite Cosmos is not actually a theme in Scripture. Now, that is a bold claim, but let me defend it.
The discipline of biblical theology is interested in identifying, expounding, and presenting those features of Scripture that bring it unity. One of the significant ways of doing this is to trace a theme throughout the Scriptures. This is the form of biblical theology that Crossway’s “Short Studies in Biblical Theology” is interested in. To make such a study Biblical—that is, of the Bible—and unifying, the theme it traces must actually be present in Scripture. Though there are many volumes dedicated the theme of “Chaos” in the Old Testament, I remain convinced from my studies of the Old Testament (the OT is the subject of both my master’s degrees) that it is a figment of scholar’s imaginations.
That this is the case is subtly hinted by Greidanus himself when he observes that many biblical scholars do not like the word “chaos” because it is not found in the Bible, instead preferring a slew of terms (“without form, void, darkness, the deep, the waters, the seas, Rahab, great sea creatures, and Leviathan,” 17). It is not a problem, of course, if a term does not appear in Scripture; the tri-unity of God is surely a theme in Scripture though there is no term for it. However, considering the slew of terms Greidanus offers, we must ask “what unifies these terms?” If “chaos” brings all these terms and figures together, what feature is “chaos” describing? I cannot identify such a unifying feature. It is all the more telling that Greidanus begins his survey in the Ancient Near East.
That is, “Chaos” is a very clear theme in the Ancient Near East. In the pagan culture around Israel—as in the pagan cultures of Greece and elsewhere—the contrast between order and disorder, or chaos and cosmos, is prominent. In fact, the “sea” (YAM), leviathan (the seven headed chaos beast), Rahab (the chaos or sea dragon), and darkness are all symbols of disorder and philosophical chaos—the formless “nothing” that exists in opposition to the primary creator deity or force. However, the question of Biblical theology is not “what themes are present in the ancient near east” but “what themes are present in Scripture?” (See this article.) We must ask, are the ideas of “formless and void,” darkness, Rahab, leviathan, the sea, death, Satan, and sin held together by a single unifying idea in Scripture—“chaos.”1 To this question, I think the answer is a resounding no. If they are, Greidanus and the supporting literature do not show it; they assume it because of the ANE background. Instead, I would argue that what is presented as one theme is a mixture of 2 or 3 themes.
For example, Chaos is said to be broad enough to encompass a variety of ideas and themes, including Satan, death, and sin; by definition, it must then be considered a sort of evil. In fact, if chaos means disorder in contrast with God’s order and is manifest most often in rebellion and curse (e.g. Rahab,Satan, sin, and death), it is hard to avoid the conclusion that “chaos” is thoroughly negative; either a judgment of God or rebellion against God (two ideas that are sufficiently distinct to cast doubt on the theme already). However, as is clear from the creation narrative, “formless and void,” ”darkness,” and “sea” are not presented as bad things. The later are part of the whole creation God identifies as “good.” We may include “formless and void” in that category, for it merely describes the world as all sea without land. All of this is created by God, by His word, and considered good. How, then, is it part of a negative “chaos” theme?
You may at this point bring up the fact that these are in fact treated as negative in the rest of Scripture. When the flood is brought on the earth, once again the world is covered in water (Gen 7:20); when Israel and the nations are judged, they become “formless” and “void” (Isa 24:10, 34:11, Jer 4:23); and in the New Creation, there is no longer night nor the sea (Rev 21:1, 25). However, this development is not explained by a “chaos” theme but by three distinct themes: the creation/decreation theme; the rebellious sea and its creatures theme (for a lack of a better term); and the light/darkness contrast.
The creation/de-creation theme is linked to God’s judgment. God originally created a good and orderly word to be the theatre of His glory, a world with a purpose. However, when sin enters, rebellious individuals seek to twist the created order to their own purpose. Therefore God often responds by wiping the slate clean: He de-creates and recommissions the creation for His purposes. In the flood, He wipes out most of created life except for pairs of animals (as at creation) and some humans. He also re-covers the earth in water, like it was in the initial created state. God then recommissions humans, as He had the original man and woman. In this way, God de-creates in judgment and engages in recreation, only this time promising never to de-create on this scale again. At Babel, God de-creates by shattering the unity He gave to man, yet he recreates at Pentecost. In His judgment of Israel, God de-creates by decimating the land, only to return the exiles and recommission it (temporarily) for His purposes. God will ultimately de-create and recreate when He wipes out the whole old creation and makes a new creation (2 Pet 3:11-13). It should be noted than in every case where creation/de-creation is found, God is the origin of the formless and void or de-created state. It is, therefore, the exact opposite of chaos; it is part of God’s great plan and a manifestation of His unchanging character, the purest manifestation of order.
Turning to the sea and its creatures, there is no evidence in the creation account that the “sea” or the “great sea creatures” are perceived negatively; in fact, Psalm 104:24-26 uses the sea and its great creature par excellence—Leviathan—as a testimony to God’s “manifold works.” However, throughout the Prophets and the Writings, the sea and its creatures—particularly Leviathan and Rahab—become symbols of rebellion or reckless power. Rahab—and potentially Leviathan in one case (Ps 74:14)—isa pseudonym for Egypt, a significant manifestation of rebellion against God. Leviathan is a creature formed by God and controlled by God (Ps 104:24-26), yet a figure of what is out of man’s control (Job 41:1-34). And the sea is considered a force that needs to be contained (e.g. after the flood, Ps 104:5-9). Proverbs 8:29 could be read negatively as if the sea was a transgressor, yet “transgress” in the ESV can and probably does mean “cross over” without connotations of disobedience. However, throughout the Prophets and by the time of Revelation, the sea is seen to represent opposition to God (e.g. Rev 13:1, 21:1). In every case however, the sea is considered to be firmly under God’s control, even if it symbolizes attempted opposition to Him. Thus, like de-creation, the sea and its creatures are not “chaos” but tools in God’s hands.
The same could be said for light/darkness. I think is evident how the association between light and good and dark and bad could develop from common experience, and I see no reason to root it in the creation account or attach it to these themes. It is nevertheless the case that dark vs. light becomes a significant theme in Scripture, characterizing the kingdom of Satan and its behaviour in opposition to the kingdom of God and its behaviour (e.g. John, Eph 5:3-27, 1 John).
Conclusion
All this to say, I am not convinced by Greidanus or any other scholar that there is truly a “chaos” theme in Scripture. It is surely present in ANE literature but not in the Bible. Because there is no unifying theme in the first place, Greidanus’s attempt to bring together the above three themes along with themes of unrighteousness/righteousness, life/death, sin/obedience, kingdom of God/kingdom of Satan is ultimately disunified and unfortunately forces many texts into a mold in which they do not fit. References to the Exodus are mistaken for references to a mythical creation battle—which is prominent in ANE cosmogonies—and references to the flood are also mistaken as creation references. Greidanus is a fantastic scholar and his work has been a gift to the church, yet in this case the result will not be helpful for students of the Bible. I sadly cannot recommend this little book.
Overview
As with all the contributions to this series, From Chaos to Cosmos is written to make the recent scholarly work on biblical theology available to a wider lay-Christian audience. Biblical theology is concerned with the study of the Bible as a cohesive whole, often with an interest in the themes that run through the Bible and display its unity. To tease out the theme of Chaos and Cosmos, Greidanus examines the Bible across 3 chapters; chapter 1 considers Genesis, Exodus, and Joshua; chapter 2 considers “Wisdom, Psalms, and Prophets;” and chapter 3 the New Testament. These chapters are rather long, divided into smaller sections ending in discussion questions. This breaks up the book rather awkwardly. It would have been better to have broken each of these divisions with study questions into individual chapters and to have titled the “chapters” as parts.
Chapter 4 moves from exposition to application, offering guidance on how to preach or teach this theme. Having such a chapter is a great idea and feeds right into Greidanus’s strengths as a teacher and scholar. However, every chapter, including this last one, is severely crippled by two significant issues, namely, the lack of a clear definition for the theme and the misidentification of the theme in Scripture.
Evaluation
Like the previous book in this series I reviewed (The City of God and the Goal of Creation), this book is sorely missing a clear definition of its theme. Shortly into the book, it is clear that by “chaos” some form of disorder is intended and by “comos” order(17-18). These are pretty obvious definitions given the usual meaning of “chaos” and the technical sense of the word “cosmos.”
What is unclear for me is how order and disorder are related to the various examples of “chaos” and “cosmos” that Greidanus unpacks throughout the book: how are sin, death, Satan, the sea creatures, the waters, the deep, the flood, darkness, and the wilderness (or formless and void places) all captured by the term “chaos?” This ultimately gets at what I think is the most significant issue of the book. While lacking a clear definition at the outset makes it hard to follow the theme(s) he unpacks, following the argument of the book is made all the harder by the fact that Chaos with its opposite Cosmos is not actually a theme in Scripture. Now, that is a bold claim, but let me defend it.
The discipline of biblical theology is interested in identifying, expounding, and presenting those features of Scripture that bring it unity. One of the significant ways of doing this is to trace a theme throughout the Scriptures. This is the form of biblical theology that Crossway’s “Short Studies in Biblical Theology” is interested in. To make such a study Biblical—that is, of the Bible—and unifying, the theme it traces must actually be present in Scripture. Though there are many volumes dedicated the theme of “Chaos” in the Old Testament, I remain convinced from my studies of the Old Testament (the OT is the subject of both my master’s degrees) that it is a figment of scholar’s imaginations.
That this is the case is subtly hinted by Greidanus himself when he observes that many biblical scholars do not like the word “chaos” because it is not found in the Bible, instead preferring a slew of terms (“without form, void, darkness, the deep, the waters, the seas, Rahab, great sea creatures, and Leviathan,” 17). It is not a problem, of course, if a term does not appear in Scripture; the tri-unity of God is surely a theme in Scripture though there is no term for it. However, considering the slew of terms Greidanus offers, we must ask “what unifies these terms?” If “chaos” brings all these terms and figures together, what feature is “chaos” describing? I cannot identify such a unifying feature. It is all the more telling that Greidanus begins his survey in the Ancient Near East.
That is, “Chaos” is a very clear theme in the Ancient Near East. In the pagan culture around Israel—as in the pagan cultures of Greece and elsewhere—the contrast between order and disorder, or chaos and cosmos, is prominent. In fact, the “sea” (YAM), leviathan (the seven headed chaos beast), Rahab (the chaos or sea dragon), and darkness are all symbols of disorder and philosophical chaos—the formless “nothing” that exists in opposition to the primary creator deity or force. However, the question of Biblical theology is not “what themes are present in the ancient near east” but “what themes are present in Scripture?” (See this article.) We must ask, are the ideas of “formless and void,” darkness, Rahab, leviathan, the sea, death, Satan, and sin held together by a single unifying idea in Scripture—“chaos.”1 To this question, I think the answer is a resounding no. If they are, Greidanus and the supporting literature do not show it; they assume it because of the ANE background. Instead, I would argue that what is presented as one theme is a mixture of 2 or 3 themes.
For example, Chaos is said to be broad enough to encompass a variety of ideas and themes, including Satan, death, and sin; by definition, it must then be considered a sort of evil. In fact, if chaos means disorder in contrast with God’s order and is manifest most often in rebellion and curse (e.g. Rahab,Satan, sin, and death), it is hard to avoid the conclusion that “chaos” is thoroughly negative; either a judgment of God or rebellion against God (two ideas that are sufficiently distinct to cast doubt on the theme already). However, as is clear from the creation narrative, “formless and void,” ”darkness,” and “sea” are not presented as bad things. The later are part of the whole creation God identifies as “good.” We may include “formless and void” in that category, for it merely describes the world as all sea without land. All of this is created by God, by His word, and considered good. How, then, is it part of a negative “chaos” theme?
You may at this point bring up the fact that these are in fact treated as negative in the rest of Scripture. When the flood is brought on the earth, once again the world is covered in water (Gen 7:20); when Israel and the nations are judged, they become “formless” and “void” (Isa 24:10, 34:11, Jer 4:23); and in the New Creation, there is no longer night nor the sea (Rev 21:1, 25). However, this development is not explained by a “chaos” theme but by three distinct themes: the creation/decreation theme; the rebellious sea and its creatures theme (for a lack of a better term); and the light/darkness contrast.
The creation/de-creation theme is linked to God’s judgment. God originally created a good and orderly word to be the theatre of His glory, a world with a purpose. However, when sin enters, rebellious individuals seek to twist the created order to their own purpose. Therefore God often responds by wiping the slate clean: He de-creates and recommissions the creation for His purposes. In the flood, He wipes out most of created life except for pairs of animals (as at creation) and some humans. He also re-covers the earth in water, like it was in the initial created state. God then recommissions humans, as He had the original man and woman. In this way, God de-creates in judgment and engages in recreation, only this time promising never to de-create on this scale again. At Babel, God de-creates by shattering the unity He gave to man, yet he recreates at Pentecost. In His judgment of Israel, God de-creates by decimating the land, only to return the exiles and recommission it (temporarily) for His purposes. God will ultimately de-create and recreate when He wipes out the whole old creation and makes a new creation (2 Pet 3:11-13). It should be noted than in every case where creation/de-creation is found, God is the origin of the formless and void or de-created state. It is, therefore, the exact opposite of chaos; it is part of God’s great plan and a manifestation of His unchanging character, the purest manifestation of order.
Turning to the sea and its creatures, there is no evidence in the creation account that the “sea” or the “great sea creatures” are perceived negatively; in fact, Psalm 104:24-26 uses the sea and its great creature par excellence—Leviathan—as a testimony to God’s “manifold works.” However, throughout the Prophets and the Writings, the sea and its creatures—particularly Leviathan and Rahab—become symbols of rebellion or reckless power. Rahab—and potentially Leviathan in one case (Ps 74:14)—isa pseudonym for Egypt, a significant manifestation of rebellion against God. Leviathan is a creature formed by God and controlled by God (Ps 104:24-26), yet a figure of what is out of man’s control (Job 41:1-34). And the sea is considered a force that needs to be contained (e.g. after the flood, Ps 104:5-9). Proverbs 8:29 could be read negatively as if the sea was a transgressor, yet “transgress” in the ESV can and probably does mean “cross over” without connotations of disobedience. However, throughout the Prophets and by the time of Revelation, the sea is seen to represent opposition to God (e.g. Rev 13:1, 21:1). In every case however, the sea is considered to be firmly under God’s control, even if it symbolizes attempted opposition to Him. Thus, like de-creation, the sea and its creatures are not “chaos” but tools in God’s hands.
The same could be said for light/darkness. I think is evident how the association between light and good and dark and bad could develop from common experience, and I see no reason to root it in the creation account or attach it to these themes. It is nevertheless the case that dark vs. light becomes a significant theme in Scripture, characterizing the kingdom of Satan and its behaviour in opposition to the kingdom of God and its behaviour (e.g. John, Eph 5:3-27, 1 John).
Conclusion
All this to say, I am not convinced by Greidanus or any other scholar that there is truly a “chaos” theme in Scripture. It is surely present in ANE literature but not in the Bible. Because there is no unifying theme in the first place, Greidanus’s attempt to bring together the above three themes along with themes of unrighteousness/righteousness, life/death, sin/obedience, kingdom of God/kingdom of Satan is ultimately disunified and unfortunately forces many texts into a mold in which they do not fit. References to the Exodus are mistaken for references to a mythical creation battle—which is prominent in ANE cosmogonies—and references to the flood are also mistaken as creation references. Greidanus is a fantastic scholar and his work has been a gift to the church, yet in this case the result will not be helpful for students of the Bible. I sadly cannot recommend this little book.
January 2, 2019
This is the fifth book I read from the “Short Studies in Biblical Theology” series published by Crossway. This series is a wonderful introduction for the layman on biblical theology in which one see the content of God’s truth being taught according to the consideration of the flow of Scripture as it progressed in redemptive history. I have immensely enjoyed the other four volumes. I also enjoyed this particular volume. This present work explores the theme of chaos to cosmos starting with the first chapter of Genesis and ending with the last chapter Revelation. This is a theme that is literally from the first page to the last page of the Bible and yet it is not often as obvious or noted by preachers and teachers today so this book is definitely helpful.
I know many reading this review might think this is something for theologians or Bible geeks rather than the average Christian to read. I would argue on the contrary: being aware of the various forms of chaos since the fall is something Christians need to know lest we live in a fantasy worldview that is also short of being biblical. Yet at the same time knowing the biblical motif of chaos and cosmos also makes us aware of God’s sovereignty over chaos in which God will turn chaos into cosmos (order and good). The sovereignty of God has huge implication for the Christian life from giving believers hope and comfort and also stirring the Christian to become godlier even in the midst of difficult circumstances.
The book consists of four chapters and an appendix. The first chapter explore the Chaos-Cosmos theme from the book of Genesis to the book of Joshua. The second chapter then explores the theme being picked up in the Wisdom literature of the Bible and the Prophets. Chapter three then looks at the New Testament while chapter four is on how to teach a series on the Chaos-Cosmos theme in a teaching or preaching ministry.
I thought the book has a strong start when it looked at the theme of chaos in the book of Genesis. What stood out to me was Greidanus’s insight that within Genesis 1 we see seven words for chaos that would later be found throughout the rest of the Scripture for chaos. These seven Hebrew terms are what we translate in English as “without form,” “void,” “darkness,” “the deep,” “the waters,” “seas” (Genesis 1:10) and “sea creatures/monsters” (Genesis 1:21). Though at first I was skeptical as later Scripture later use these terms we do see this being an intent of the biblical writers to convey chaos and spiritual darkness.
Obviously there are more things one will learn than what can be summarized in a book review. I wrote down many pages of notes when I read this book. This book was also different than other works thus far in this series in that it is longer in length than the rest. Actually coming in at 244 pages while most of the works are under 200 pages this work is rather a misnomer as part of the “Short Studies in Biblical Theology” unless you consider it being shorter than most of the works written by the author. A big reason while this book is lengthy is due to the fact that this book has a chapter on how to teach on this motif, something unique with this book compared to the other works in this series thus far. This chapter might not be surprising if one is aware that the author Sidney Greidanus is big on how to preach Christ in the Old Testament and have written multiple books on this subject.
As a constructive criticism I do think the author seem to weaken in its exegetical rigor as the book progressed. Towards the second half of the book there were more lengthy quotations from Scripture while having less explanation. Also I thought Greidanus’ discussion on Amillennialism to be inadequate even if readers were sympathetic or hold to Amillennialism. I’m not asking for a whole treatise on Amillennialism but felt the response and chide to Premillennialism and Postmillennialism was less than satisfying. He does quote the older work on Amillennialism by Anthony Hoekema and I wished his footnotes would have demonstrated interaction with more recent materials, discussion and scholarship.
Despite the constructive criticism I think it does not take away the overall strength and value of this book. I recommend readers get this book.
NOTE: This book was provided to me free by Crossway and Net Galley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
I know many reading this review might think this is something for theologians or Bible geeks rather than the average Christian to read. I would argue on the contrary: being aware of the various forms of chaos since the fall is something Christians need to know lest we live in a fantasy worldview that is also short of being biblical. Yet at the same time knowing the biblical motif of chaos and cosmos also makes us aware of God’s sovereignty over chaos in which God will turn chaos into cosmos (order and good). The sovereignty of God has huge implication for the Christian life from giving believers hope and comfort and also stirring the Christian to become godlier even in the midst of difficult circumstances.
The book consists of four chapters and an appendix. The first chapter explore the Chaos-Cosmos theme from the book of Genesis to the book of Joshua. The second chapter then explores the theme being picked up in the Wisdom literature of the Bible and the Prophets. Chapter three then looks at the New Testament while chapter four is on how to teach a series on the Chaos-Cosmos theme in a teaching or preaching ministry.
I thought the book has a strong start when it looked at the theme of chaos in the book of Genesis. What stood out to me was Greidanus’s insight that within Genesis 1 we see seven words for chaos that would later be found throughout the rest of the Scripture for chaos. These seven Hebrew terms are what we translate in English as “without form,” “void,” “darkness,” “the deep,” “the waters,” “seas” (Genesis 1:10) and “sea creatures/monsters” (Genesis 1:21). Though at first I was skeptical as later Scripture later use these terms we do see this being an intent of the biblical writers to convey chaos and spiritual darkness.
Obviously there are more things one will learn than what can be summarized in a book review. I wrote down many pages of notes when I read this book. This book was also different than other works thus far in this series in that it is longer in length than the rest. Actually coming in at 244 pages while most of the works are under 200 pages this work is rather a misnomer as part of the “Short Studies in Biblical Theology” unless you consider it being shorter than most of the works written by the author. A big reason while this book is lengthy is due to the fact that this book has a chapter on how to teach on this motif, something unique with this book compared to the other works in this series thus far. This chapter might not be surprising if one is aware that the author Sidney Greidanus is big on how to preach Christ in the Old Testament and have written multiple books on this subject.
As a constructive criticism I do think the author seem to weaken in its exegetical rigor as the book progressed. Towards the second half of the book there were more lengthy quotations from Scripture while having less explanation. Also I thought Greidanus’ discussion on Amillennialism to be inadequate even if readers were sympathetic or hold to Amillennialism. I’m not asking for a whole treatise on Amillennialism but felt the response and chide to Premillennialism and Postmillennialism was less than satisfying. He does quote the older work on Amillennialism by Anthony Hoekema and I wished his footnotes would have demonstrated interaction with more recent materials, discussion and scholarship.
Despite the constructive criticism I think it does not take away the overall strength and value of this book. I recommend readers get this book.
NOTE: This book was provided to me free by Crossway and Net Galley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
August 28, 2023
Good little book. The last chapter on teaching the creation-chaos theme was the most helpful part of the book.
February 4, 2023
In order to review this book effectively, I must look to what the author intended to achieve by writing it. He spells this out in the preface:
A) Deepen our understanding of the original creation and the coming New Creation.
B) See the unity of scripture
C) See the centrality of Christ in the Scriptures
D) Make us aware of the various forms of chaos caused by the fall into sin and of God's cursing the ground.
E) Make us aware of God's sovereignty over chaos,
F) and God's intent to restore his creation to the cosmos he intended it to be from the beginning.
Since this book intends to address a theological theme, one expects to delve deeper in the subjects and their relationship to the will and purpose God has planned for them. Sadly, this does not occur. Though the author claims and shows God's sovereignty over chaos, I perceive that what he expresses in the pages of this book reveals a shallower understanding than what was intended.
When summarizing the first chapter, Greidanus repeats his presupposition noted in the preface - that the various forms of chaos are caused by the sin of man, the fall. This, together with the deception of the serpent, alone are the source of all evil (chaos). Early in the book Greidanus claims that the chaos created by God was not evil, yet now east of Eden, there exists a chaos riddled with evil and co-exists with the cosmos. Yet he fails to pursue the validity or implications of this, by asking a simple question - what has entered the created world that this pro-active God did not create?
- Did God create the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and set it in the midst of the garden?
- Did God create Adam and Eve with free will?
- Did God issue the second command as a prelude to sin?
- Did God create the opposing serpent and allow him to tempt Adam and Eve?
- Once expelled from the garden, did God continue to work with his "fallen" creation to move them in the direction he intended - toward the New Creation?
The author recognizes that God is able to turn chaos into cosmos and to use the waters for good or for ill in order to achieve his plan for an orderly cosmos. Yet there seems to be a clear disconnect by the author in God's use or involvement in the chaos which is such a prevalent part of his creation. A creation which God sees as very good for achieving his purpose; leading his children (the physical/mortal) into the New Creation in Christ (the heavenly/immortal). Perhaps Greidanus' God is not omniscient and pro-active, but reactive.
For a pro-active God, the pathway from the one (the physical) to the other (the spiritual) requires maturation and character development not possible when hedged among the walls of Eden. Character doesn't come merely by instruction but requires the refiner's fire. This world, with its chaos and cosmos, disorder and order, good and evil, life and death, is that fire. It's as though the author see everything between Eden and the New Creation as worthless and to be forgotten; God will wipe away every tear by making us forget the evil and chaos we walked through. Rubbish! God will not wipe away every tear by making us forget our struggles, pain, and suffering, but by giving us victory over them! Just as Christ's suffering bought the lives of all humanity, thereby making their suffering also priceless, likewise our suffering has value we don't yet fully realize.
By the end of the second chapter, I'm finding myself in agreement with J. Rutherford's two-star review. Since he goes into much detail there, I'll try to avoid repeating those points here.
Greidanus' perspective of the Book of Job came across as lacking the depth expected for its role in this theme of theological context. Rather than looking deeper to the three-dimensional aspects of the book, the author settles for the shallow two-dimension view. He takes the statements in the prologue too literally and misses the immaturity, incompleteness, and unknowing aspects of the traits applied to Job there. I could write a book on what's missing, but I don't have to because I believe Stephen Mitchell has already done a fine job of capturing the "New Creation" aspect of Job's encounter with God. The Book of Job reveals that God is the master over chaos, that chaos is the master over the proud, and that mankind is subjected to both as he learns to be master over the limited cosmos God has entrusted to him.
All of this aligns perfectly with God subjecting his creation to futility (chaos); directly through the curse, and indirectly through those elements of chaos that have always existed as part of the physical creation (Romans 8). A creation that was never intended to be chaos-free until it fulfills its desired purpose for those bearing his image. 2 Corinthians 15:15 is the answer to the confidence (hope) in which God subjected the whole world to futility - that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who died and was raised for their sake.
Greidanus wants to equate chaos with evil, yet these are not synonymous. When addressing God's own claim about his involvement with good and evil (well-being and calamity) in Isaiah 45:7, the author chooses not to delve into the obvious involvement of God in both, much less consider any potential value God might see in utilizing them for the benefit of his children. Since character is developed, not given, the adversity presented by darkness and chaos become all the more necessary. Our omniscient and pro-active God surely understood that enmity and the potential for moral abuse (evil) were certain for all his creatures endowed with free will. It's as true of those who oppose him in heaven as it is for those who oppose him on earth. Clearly through the gracious work of Christ, God will endure the vessels of dishonor in order to lead all that are willing into the obedience of faith (Isaiah 45:20-25; Romans 11:26-27).
I do have to admit I appreciate Greidanus' recognition of the "already, but not yet" aspect of the New Creation. This often gets overlooked. This is an element of many themes throughout scripture; covenants, kingdoms, etc.
Even in the chapters focused on the NT, Greidanus doesn't take the time to dig into the implications for the obvious statements made about Christ. These claims are not there to simply inform us, but to lead our thinking, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit of Christ, into the deeper things of God (1 Corinthians 2:9-13). It's not enough to claim that Christ is the light of the world, but it should lead us to understand the nature of that light, its relationship to the truth he brings versus the deception we're subjected to. This even extends back to the original creation and the elements of chaos built into the creation. The very visible light (symbolic of truth) has elements of chaos within it that are not apparent without digging further.
The visible light waves that bring light and life to the world are only a small fraction of the entire electromagnetic spectrum. That spectrum also includes gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet and infrared rays, as well as microwaves; all of which are harmful to life on earth to one degree or another. The existence of visible light in creation prior to the fall is a prime example of the chaotic elements God built into the creation he saw as very good for achieving his will and purpose.
I also found Greidanus' attempt to redefine "Amillennialism" in a more favorable light reminiscent of a political ploy. Not that I think all of the claims by amillennialists are invalid. Quite the contrary. But again the issue is context, and a larger context is needed to unify the perspectives of amillennial, premillennial, and postmillennial views. Perhaps it warrants a book of its own in the future.
Based on the authors own objectives for the book, I find that he only really succeeded with C) the centrality of Christ in the Scriptures, and partly E) the awareness of God's sovereignty over chaos. Leaving the others unexplored sufficiently results in my two-star rating, and why I would not recommend this book to others.
A) Deepen our understanding of the original creation and the coming New Creation.
B) See the unity of scripture
C) See the centrality of Christ in the Scriptures
D) Make us aware of the various forms of chaos caused by the fall into sin and of God's cursing the ground.
E) Make us aware of God's sovereignty over chaos,
F) and God's intent to restore his creation to the cosmos he intended it to be from the beginning.
Since this book intends to address a theological theme, one expects to delve deeper in the subjects and their relationship to the will and purpose God has planned for them. Sadly, this does not occur. Though the author claims and shows God's sovereignty over chaos, I perceive that what he expresses in the pages of this book reveals a shallower understanding than what was intended.
When summarizing the first chapter, Greidanus repeats his presupposition noted in the preface - that the various forms of chaos are caused by the sin of man, the fall. This, together with the deception of the serpent, alone are the source of all evil (chaos). Early in the book Greidanus claims that the chaos created by God was not evil, yet now east of Eden, there exists a chaos riddled with evil and co-exists with the cosmos. Yet he fails to pursue the validity or implications of this, by asking a simple question - what has entered the created world that this pro-active God did not create?
- Did God create the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and set it in the midst of the garden?
- Did God create Adam and Eve with free will?
- Did God issue the second command as a prelude to sin?
- Did God create the opposing serpent and allow him to tempt Adam and Eve?
- Once expelled from the garden, did God continue to work with his "fallen" creation to move them in the direction he intended - toward the New Creation?
The author recognizes that God is able to turn chaos into cosmos and to use the waters for good or for ill in order to achieve his plan for an orderly cosmos. Yet there seems to be a clear disconnect by the author in God's use or involvement in the chaos which is such a prevalent part of his creation. A creation which God sees as very good for achieving his purpose; leading his children (the physical/mortal) into the New Creation in Christ (the heavenly/immortal). Perhaps Greidanus' God is not omniscient and pro-active, but reactive.
For a pro-active God, the pathway from the one (the physical) to the other (the spiritual) requires maturation and character development not possible when hedged among the walls of Eden. Character doesn't come merely by instruction but requires the refiner's fire. This world, with its chaos and cosmos, disorder and order, good and evil, life and death, is that fire. It's as though the author see everything between Eden and the New Creation as worthless and to be forgotten; God will wipe away every tear by making us forget the evil and chaos we walked through. Rubbish! God will not wipe away every tear by making us forget our struggles, pain, and suffering, but by giving us victory over them! Just as Christ's suffering bought the lives of all humanity, thereby making their suffering also priceless, likewise our suffering has value we don't yet fully realize.
By the end of the second chapter, I'm finding myself in agreement with J. Rutherford's two-star review. Since he goes into much detail there, I'll try to avoid repeating those points here.
Greidanus' perspective of the Book of Job came across as lacking the depth expected for its role in this theme of theological context. Rather than looking deeper to the three-dimensional aspects of the book, the author settles for the shallow two-dimension view. He takes the statements in the prologue too literally and misses the immaturity, incompleteness, and unknowing aspects of the traits applied to Job there. I could write a book on what's missing, but I don't have to because I believe Stephen Mitchell has already done a fine job of capturing the "New Creation" aspect of Job's encounter with God. The Book of Job reveals that God is the master over chaos, that chaos is the master over the proud, and that mankind is subjected to both as he learns to be master over the limited cosmos God has entrusted to him.
All of this aligns perfectly with God subjecting his creation to futility (chaos); directly through the curse, and indirectly through those elements of chaos that have always existed as part of the physical creation (Romans 8). A creation that was never intended to be chaos-free until it fulfills its desired purpose for those bearing his image. 2 Corinthians 15:15 is the answer to the confidence (hope) in which God subjected the whole world to futility - that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who died and was raised for their sake.
Greidanus wants to equate chaos with evil, yet these are not synonymous. When addressing God's own claim about his involvement with good and evil (well-being and calamity) in Isaiah 45:7, the author chooses not to delve into the obvious involvement of God in both, much less consider any potential value God might see in utilizing them for the benefit of his children. Since character is developed, not given, the adversity presented by darkness and chaos become all the more necessary. Our omniscient and pro-active God surely understood that enmity and the potential for moral abuse (evil) were certain for all his creatures endowed with free will. It's as true of those who oppose him in heaven as it is for those who oppose him on earth. Clearly through the gracious work of Christ, God will endure the vessels of dishonor in order to lead all that are willing into the obedience of faith (Isaiah 45:20-25; Romans 11:26-27).
I do have to admit I appreciate Greidanus' recognition of the "already, but not yet" aspect of the New Creation. This often gets overlooked. This is an element of many themes throughout scripture; covenants, kingdoms, etc.
Even in the chapters focused on the NT, Greidanus doesn't take the time to dig into the implications for the obvious statements made about Christ. These claims are not there to simply inform us, but to lead our thinking, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit of Christ, into the deeper things of God (1 Corinthians 2:9-13). It's not enough to claim that Christ is the light of the world, but it should lead us to understand the nature of that light, its relationship to the truth he brings versus the deception we're subjected to. This even extends back to the original creation and the elements of chaos built into the creation. The very visible light (symbolic of truth) has elements of chaos within it that are not apparent without digging further.
The visible light waves that bring light and life to the world are only a small fraction of the entire electromagnetic spectrum. That spectrum also includes gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet and infrared rays, as well as microwaves; all of which are harmful to life on earth to one degree or another. The existence of visible light in creation prior to the fall is a prime example of the chaotic elements God built into the creation he saw as very good for achieving his will and purpose.
I also found Greidanus' attempt to redefine "Amillennialism" in a more favorable light reminiscent of a political ploy. Not that I think all of the claims by amillennialists are invalid. Quite the contrary. But again the issue is context, and a larger context is needed to unify the perspectives of amillennial, premillennial, and postmillennial views. Perhaps it warrants a book of its own in the future.
Based on the authors own objectives for the book, I find that he only really succeeded with C) the centrality of Christ in the Scriptures, and partly E) the awareness of God's sovereignty over chaos. Leaving the others unexplored sufficiently results in my two-star rating, and why I would not recommend this book to others.
October 15, 2018
This is a very odd book. With almost no introduction it launches into a 200-page barrage of Scripture quotations that are very poorly linked together. Basically Greidanus pulls seven words for "chaos" out of Genesis 1 (without form, void, darkness, the deep, the waters, seas, and sea creatures/monsters) and finds every passage that happens to mention them. Surprise surprise, the Lord will defeat the chaos and usher in a perfectly ordered new heavens and a new earth (what Greidanus calls "cosmos," pronounced to rhyme with "chaos," I assume). I actually think this topic could be interestingly presented, perhaps in an article or chapter of a book, but I can't understand the purpose of this volume, which is basically a glorified concordance. Disappointed.
September 27, 2022
Very interesting theme to trace through the whole bible. Having never studied this as a concept before I found it a helpful way to relate to reality.
The symbolism that the Israelites and early Christians relied upon is sometimes so easily lost on me, and yet, this book spoke to me about this present reality.
Loved the amount of bible that was in this book. These short studies from Crossway are a brilliant way to delve quickly into a biblical theme from cover to cover and decide if one wants to go deeper into it.
The symbolism that the Israelites and early Christians relied upon is sometimes so easily lost on me, and yet, this book spoke to me about this present reality.
Loved the amount of bible that was in this book. These short studies from Crossway are a brilliant way to delve quickly into a biblical theme from cover to cover and decide if one wants to go deeper into it.
December 6, 2018
If you’ve followed this blog for even a short time, you’ll know that I am a big fan of Crossway’s Short Studies in Biblical Theology. These books make Biblical Theology approachable to the masses. So whenever Crossway offers the books, I jump at them.
And that was the case with the latest entry to the series ‘From Chaos to Cosmos: Creation to New Creation”, by Sidney Greidanus. This theme is a major one that spans the entire Bible, and when I heard that it was to be released I was excited.
A number of issues, related to the idea of chaos and cosmos, that would have been easily accessible to the Bible’s first readers tend to escape us today. This book aims to bring the topic back to understanding, tracing it through creation, fall, redemption and the new creation.
Chapter 1 introduces us to the the idea of chaos and cosmos. Greidanus does this by looking at the first verses in Genesis 1 where we see the idea front and center.
“The earth was without form and void (tōhû wābōhû), and darkness (hōšek) was over the face of the deep (tĕhôm). And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of waters (māyim).”
He points out that a (good) dictionary defines the terms as:
Using these two terms, he then begins to explore the Biblical data surrounding them. He is very convincing as he works through Genesis and Exodus, and I picked up a number of points from him.
Chapter 2 though is a bit odd. It appears that any verse that references the idea is pulled out and printed, with a short explanation. This makes the chapter feel like a concordance of the idea, rather than a readable explanation of how the idea develops. This makes the book feel very different to the rest of the series. Of course, we want to be looking at scripture as we work through, but that’s where references are useful - the verses did not need to be printed. It is possible that in order to point out the idea to the lay reader, that transliteration of the chaos/cosmos words needed pointing out. But it does make the entry hard to read, and I wonder if an average reader would persevere.
If you make it through to Chapter 3 though, you’ll reach the comments on the New Testament. The writing style reverts back to chapter one, but not completely. As a chapter, it is readable, but the quotations are quite dense. Greidanus’ main point in this section is that “Jesus is the one who can turn chaos into orderly cosmos.”
A number of threads are also tied up in this section, that are really powerful. For example, in this chapter Greidnaus makes a defence of amillennialism (or present-millennialism as he calls it), based off the Biblical Theology of chaos and cosmos. This is a powerful argument, but it does get a bit lost in the forest. I plan to go back and follow the argument through more closely now that I know it is there.
Finally, in Chapter 4, the book ends with how to preach a series on this theme. This is where the book really is different to others in the series, with others not having this section. It is an interesting addition, but it does make the book feel like it’s written for pastors/preachers rather than the lay person. The easy to reach volumes in the other series made biblical theology something for the masses - I feel that this particular addition to the series does not reach the same audience. Perhaps the theme is too complicated - but I do not think so. I wonder if a bit more editing on the manuscript may have helped bring this material back down into the average readers hands.
Overall, there were some interesting insights in this book, but the style of writing made it hard to follow. I must admit that I did not read this as avidly as I have others in the series, and it took a lot longer for that reason to finish. The theme is an important one though, and there are diamonds if you put the effort in to find them.
Once again, a big thanks to Crossway for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book through their Blog Review Program.
And that was the case with the latest entry to the series ‘From Chaos to Cosmos: Creation to New Creation”, by Sidney Greidanus. This theme is a major one that spans the entire Bible, and when I heard that it was to be released I was excited.
A number of issues, related to the idea of chaos and cosmos, that would have been easily accessible to the Bible’s first readers tend to escape us today. This book aims to bring the topic back to understanding, tracing it through creation, fall, redemption and the new creation.
Chapter 1 introduces us to the the idea of chaos and cosmos. Greidanus does this by looking at the first verses in Genesis 1 where we see the idea front and center.
“The earth was without form and void (tōhû wābōhû), and darkness (hōšek) was over the face of the deep (tĕhôm). And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of waters (māyim).”
He points out that a (good) dictionary defines the terms as:
chaos: “The infinity of space or formless matter supposed to have preceded the existence of the ordered universe.”
cosmos: “The world or universe regarded as an orderly, harmonious system.”
Using these two terms, he then begins to explore the Biblical data surrounding them. He is very convincing as he works through Genesis and Exodus, and I picked up a number of points from him.
Chapter 2 though is a bit odd. It appears that any verse that references the idea is pulled out and printed, with a short explanation. This makes the chapter feel like a concordance of the idea, rather than a readable explanation of how the idea develops. This makes the book feel very different to the rest of the series. Of course, we want to be looking at scripture as we work through, but that’s where references are useful - the verses did not need to be printed. It is possible that in order to point out the idea to the lay reader, that transliteration of the chaos/cosmos words needed pointing out. But it does make the entry hard to read, and I wonder if an average reader would persevere.
If you make it through to Chapter 3 though, you’ll reach the comments on the New Testament. The writing style reverts back to chapter one, but not completely. As a chapter, it is readable, but the quotations are quite dense. Greidanus’ main point in this section is that “Jesus is the one who can turn chaos into orderly cosmos.”
A number of threads are also tied up in this section, that are really powerful. For example, in this chapter Greidnaus makes a defence of amillennialism (or present-millennialism as he calls it), based off the Biblical Theology of chaos and cosmos. This is a powerful argument, but it does get a bit lost in the forest. I plan to go back and follow the argument through more closely now that I know it is there.
Finally, in Chapter 4, the book ends with how to preach a series on this theme. This is where the book really is different to others in the series, with others not having this section. It is an interesting addition, but it does make the book feel like it’s written for pastors/preachers rather than the lay person. The easy to reach volumes in the other series made biblical theology something for the masses - I feel that this particular addition to the series does not reach the same audience. Perhaps the theme is too complicated - but I do not think so. I wonder if a bit more editing on the manuscript may have helped bring this material back down into the average readers hands.
Overall, there were some interesting insights in this book, but the style of writing made it hard to follow. I must admit that I did not read this as avidly as I have others in the series, and it took a lot longer for that reason to finish. The theme is an important one though, and there are diamonds if you put the effort in to find them.
Once again, a big thanks to Crossway for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book through their Blog Review Program.
November 6, 2018
Sidney Greidanus’ From Chaos to Cosmos is the latest installment in the Short Studies in Biblical Theology series. Though I haven’t read the others in this series, I can see that this series is incredibly practical for those who are teaching the Bible regularly. Greidanus focuses almost exclusively on scripture, packing this short book with selected texts from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22 which evoke the chaos-cosmos theme.
Starting in Genesis, Greidanus selects words from the creation account that signal chaos: darkness, without form, void, the deep/waters/seas, references to Rahab, giant sea creatures, and Leviathan. All of these “building blocks of chaos” are actually created by God. Rather than ancient myths which see chaos as preexistent, God creates the chaos and then out of them calls to order the cosmos of creation. Then, throughout the scriptures, God uses the forms of chaos to display his glory through judgment and salvation. God also rebukes the chaos to provide order and display his glory through glimpses of the full glory of the cosmos He is capable of creating.
Greidanus builds a beautiful image of Jesus, the Word of God (logos) who was present at creation when the waters were given clear boundaries, present at the Red Sea when God displayed his power to rebuke the chaos of the water so His children could walk through but the Egyptians drowned, and then visibly present when he walked upon the sea and rebuked the wind and waves. This is just one stirring example of the way the chaos-cosmos theme cuts across scripture, drawing parallels between Old and New Testament passages and pointing ultimately towards Christ.
Obviously aimed towards preachers and teachers, this succinct book covers a lot of ground in a short space. Any teacher would benefit from seeing scripture again through this theme and would be able to glean insights that can fit right into their next sermon or lesson. But those who wish to use this theme as a sermon series will appreciate Greidanus’ helpful final chapter that lays out the key passages in this theme and provides a clear list of ways to get to Christ from any of these passages. I happen to live with a pastor, and he saw immediate ways to use the pages of this book that he read.
I personally love books like this that provide a new lens for scripture. This book made me want to read the Bible again to see this theme played out, and it made me look up from my book to consider all the ways the orderly cosmos of God’s Kingdom is already visible in His church. I finished this book praising God that both chaos and cosmos are tools in his hand being used to accomplish his will and declare his glory on the planet where I live. I rejoiced again at the coming completion of his cosmos where we will get to live with him, and that I will not be thrown into the “gloom of utter darkness [chaos]” (Jude 13Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). As Romans 8:35-39Open in Logos Bible Software (if available) reminds us “No form of chaos will be able to separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus.”
Originally appeared at Servants of Grace.
Starting in Genesis, Greidanus selects words from the creation account that signal chaos: darkness, without form, void, the deep/waters/seas, references to Rahab, giant sea creatures, and Leviathan. All of these “building blocks of chaos” are actually created by God. Rather than ancient myths which see chaos as preexistent, God creates the chaos and then out of them calls to order the cosmos of creation. Then, throughout the scriptures, God uses the forms of chaos to display his glory through judgment and salvation. God also rebukes the chaos to provide order and display his glory through glimpses of the full glory of the cosmos He is capable of creating.
Greidanus builds a beautiful image of Jesus, the Word of God (logos) who was present at creation when the waters were given clear boundaries, present at the Red Sea when God displayed his power to rebuke the chaos of the water so His children could walk through but the Egyptians drowned, and then visibly present when he walked upon the sea and rebuked the wind and waves. This is just one stirring example of the way the chaos-cosmos theme cuts across scripture, drawing parallels between Old and New Testament passages and pointing ultimately towards Christ.
Obviously aimed towards preachers and teachers, this succinct book covers a lot of ground in a short space. Any teacher would benefit from seeing scripture again through this theme and would be able to glean insights that can fit right into their next sermon or lesson. But those who wish to use this theme as a sermon series will appreciate Greidanus’ helpful final chapter that lays out the key passages in this theme and provides a clear list of ways to get to Christ from any of these passages. I happen to live with a pastor, and he saw immediate ways to use the pages of this book that he read.
I personally love books like this that provide a new lens for scripture. This book made me want to read the Bible again to see this theme played out, and it made me look up from my book to consider all the ways the orderly cosmos of God’s Kingdom is already visible in His church. I finished this book praising God that both chaos and cosmos are tools in his hand being used to accomplish his will and declare his glory on the planet where I live. I rejoiced again at the coming completion of his cosmos where we will get to live with him, and that I will not be thrown into the “gloom of utter darkness [chaos]” (Jude 13Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). As Romans 8:35-39Open in Logos Bible Software (if available) reminds us “No form of chaos will be able to separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus.”
Originally appeared at Servants of Grace.
January 27, 2025
The theme of creation and new creation runs throughout Scripture as God is the one who created all things in the beginning, and plans to usher in a new creation in the end devoid of any suffering, sin, or evil (chaos). This is the theme that the author seeks to trace in this work, but unfortunately I found this book to be very poorly put together. I feel like roughly 80% of the book is just block quotes of Scripture or quotes from other scholars. Another 15% of the book is discussion questions for group readings, and the last 5% is actual work from the author on the theme of chaos and cosmos in Scripture. While the author’s insights were good, it just didn’t feel like an original work. The amount of quotations to read through also gets kind of tedious. There were times where the author inserted commentary on biblical quotations in brackets that I found helpful. There were other times where I felt that he identified the themes of chaos and cosmos where it was not warranted, but he rarely provided explanations for his rationale. It came down to: this is a word used for chaos or cosmos in Scripture, therefore this text contributes to the theme. The most helpful part of the book was the first part of the book about the chaos-cosmos theme of Scripture in the context of the Ancient Near East. The author shows how God originally created chaos before forming it into a well-ordered cosmos, and that chaos is not inherently evil as it is depicted in other myths. There is also a helpful final chapter on how to preach this topic of chaos and cosmos in a Christocentric manner. The author gives a seven week study format and 14 study format for the topic. I specifically appreciated his explanations for ways to preach Christ from an Old Testament text. Ironically, that was the most informative part of the whole book and I did not know I would be getting that when I picked it up.
August 4, 2019
As part of the Short Studies in Biblical Theology Series, this was an interesting contribution on chaos (disorder) and cosmos (order). Most of the OT portion of the book focused on the 7 words of chaos in Genesis 1. The book reads more like an annotated compendium of Scriptures on the subject. Most of the text is Scripture with italicized key words and short notes connecting the theme.
The connections between Rahab, Leviathan, the serpent, and the sea monster are very interesting, especially in light of some of the ancient near eastern pagan religious beliefs. I would have liked to have seen more commentary processing this information rather than showing that there was chaos theme. I also felt that the plagues were passed over as a de-creation motif most likely because one a little to strict adherence to those 7 words.
The strength of the book is the OT section. Although the theme is present in the NT, I did not feel that it was brought out as strongly as it might have been.
So a helpful introduction but with more commentary it could have been more. Three stars.
The connections between Rahab, Leviathan, the serpent, and the sea monster are very interesting, especially in light of some of the ancient near eastern pagan religious beliefs. I would have liked to have seen more commentary processing this information rather than showing that there was chaos theme. I also felt that the plagues were passed over as a de-creation motif most likely because one a little to strict adherence to those 7 words.
The strength of the book is the OT section. Although the theme is present in the NT, I did not feel that it was brought out as strongly as it might have been.
So a helpful introduction but with more commentary it could have been more. Three stars.
December 3, 2021
I tried to finish this book. Honestly, I did. However, I could not make myself do it. While I am normally a huge fan of this series this book left a lot to be desired. I appreciate the need to reinforce the ideas with the truth of Scripture I would have appreciated it if there were less this time.
It read very jumbled and thrown together with one point and then a bunch of scripture that spoke to the point but there was no expounding upon the point. The entire book could have been cut in half and it still would have conveyed the truth. Instead, if you make it through you have trudged through a lot of unnecessary words.
The rating of two stars is because it does not contain errors (despite some of my grievances with the theology) but because it could be improved. Overall it was not horrible but was not up to the standard that the other works in this series provoke.
Crossway provided this to me for a fair and honest review.
It read very jumbled and thrown together with one point and then a bunch of scripture that spoke to the point but there was no expounding upon the point. The entire book could have been cut in half and it still would have conveyed the truth. Instead, if you make it through you have trudged through a lot of unnecessary words.
The rating of two stars is because it does not contain errors (despite some of my grievances with the theology) but because it could be improved. Overall it was not horrible but was not up to the standard that the other works in this series provoke.
Crossway provided this to me for a fair and honest review.
February 21, 2026
This is a really helpful book. It not only traces a biblical theology of chaos and restoration for our world, but does so in a hugely readable and clear fashion. The embedding of large sections of Scripture into the text to save the reader looking them up - and ensuring he or she actually looks at those passages - but repeatedly shows the English transliteration of key words mirroring the text of early Genesis. Great for non-Hebrew speakers.
The author constantly shows Christ as fulfilling the chaos to an ordered cosmos better than the beginning, and gives clarity to the development of God's plan when chaos seems overwhelming.
In closing, he gives some extremely helpful ways to preach and teach these themes in the reality of congregational study. Deeply applicatory and a fine set of outlines for teachers and preachers wanting to trace these themes.
Great book, and highly recommended.
The author constantly shows Christ as fulfilling the chaos to an ordered cosmos better than the beginning, and gives clarity to the development of God's plan when chaos seems overwhelming.
In closing, he gives some extremely helpful ways to preach and teach these themes in the reality of congregational study. Deeply applicatory and a fine set of outlines for teachers and preachers wanting to trace these themes.
Great book, and highly recommended.
November 6, 2025
A refreshing and insightful read. I’ve mostly heard moderate or liberal scholars discuss this topic, but Greidanus shows how the Bible’s chaos imagery fits beautifully within a conservative/evangelical framework. His closing reflections on preaching were especially helpful, offering clear ways to connect the chaos-cosmos theme to Christ’s redeeming work. There were a couple times where he seemed to reduce the concept by equating all bad things with chaos and all good things with cosmos, but overall this short study deepened my understanding of the overarching story of Scripture.
November 8, 2018
I really don't know what to make of this work. Sidney Greidanus published From Chaos to Cosmos: Creation to New Creation through Crossway this year. The work really is more of a compendium of references than a "book" per se, inasmuch as Greidanus points to thematic evidence without much in terms of consolidation or argumentative momentum over the course of the book. From Chaos to Cosmos does not, then, make an argument so much as gesture to one which has already been made, or assumed.
That is not to say, however, that the book is without merit. Although the project does appear to have been poorly executed, the sheer quantity of recognizably purposeful uses of chaos-cosmos elements from the beginning of Scripture to the end is something to behold. When laid out in this format, it's quite compelling. Chaos-cosmos is, I would argue, a subservient theme to "kingdom/anti-kingdom," but it is nonetheless an important theme to note.
It's just that the constructive element one would expect from this kind of book is wholly lacking. It was disappointing in that respect. Nevertheless, Greidanus's book is certainly worth thumbing through to get a sense of this theme's prominence throughout the scriptural narrative.
That is not to say, however, that the book is without merit. Although the project does appear to have been poorly executed, the sheer quantity of recognizably purposeful uses of chaos-cosmos elements from the beginning of Scripture to the end is something to behold. When laid out in this format, it's quite compelling. Chaos-cosmos is, I would argue, a subservient theme to "kingdom/anti-kingdom," but it is nonetheless an important theme to note.
It's just that the constructive element one would expect from this kind of book is wholly lacking. It was disappointing in that respect. Nevertheless, Greidanus's book is certainly worth thumbing through to get a sense of this theme's prominence throughout the scriptural narrative.
January 12, 2024
Conflicted about this (a little wink to those who have read the book). On the one hand he’s really helpful in highlighting the chaos / cosmos theme in a succinct and relevant way. On the other hand, he sort of just extrapolates “chaos” and “cosmos” into passages that vaguely fit the theme…? I would have really liked him point us more in the direction of passages that use repeated words & phrases for chaos and cosmos - like the way Jim Hamilton does.
December 15, 2025
Overall, there was some intriguing aspects to this exploration of the theme of chaos and God's restoration of creation/new creation. The main issue was I had was that it was a bit abstract, i.e., one could argue that in some instances that author placed his exposition of biblical passages under the theme of chaos and restoration in a way that wasn't always compelling. Despite this, a worthwhile effort worth consulting.
January 12, 2019
I struggled with whether to give this 2 or 3 stars. Very different than the others in the series. This seemed to merely pile up references and passages walking the theme through the whole Bible. More of a reference work as it contained very little commentary or editorial remarks. In some ways it accomplished its task, but left me wanting more than just an organized concordance.
April 30, 2024
Started this twice, finished it finally. I think I would have preferred moving all these scripture references into one of those lawful good/chaotic neutral/chaotic evil charts. I didn’t think we defined chaos/cosmos enough in the beginning to follow his thoughts through the rest. I loved the concept and thought his final chapter on preaching these was good and more buttoned up than the rest.
January 17, 2019
Unnecessarily complicated at times; especially for a book in this series through Crossway's Short Studies in Biblical Theology.
March 15, 2020
Lots of scripture in a book is normally a good thing. In this case it just felt like reading a string of texts with minimal analysis or commentary.
September 4, 2021
Just didn’t love the style. Learned some things, and saw some good connections.
May 13, 2019
Another good work from Greidanus; another good work in this series.
December 26, 2018
"Fair warning: while this book is excellent, it is primarily intended for small group leaders and preachers. Which isn’t to say that it’s not accessible—it certainly is written for the layman. It’s just to say that much of the text is composed of reading guides, questions for reflection, and outlines."
Read the rest here:
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/schaeff...
Read the rest here:
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/schaeff...
February 22, 2019
When God created the world, he brought perfect order out of what was “without form and void.” But with human rebellion against God, disorder (chaos) was introduced into creation which God continues to redeem (cosmos). How is this “chaos to cosmos” theme interwoven through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation?
Bible Gateway interviewed Sidney Greidanus about his book, From Chaos to Cosmos: Creation to New Creation (Crossway, 2019). Read our interview with Sidney here: https://www.biblegateway.com/blog/201...
Bible Gateway interviewed Sidney Greidanus about his book, From Chaos to Cosmos: Creation to New Creation (Crossway, 2019). Read our interview with Sidney here: https://www.biblegateway.com/blog/201...
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