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The State of New Testament Studies: A Survey of Recent Research
This book surveys the current landscape of New Testament studies, offering readers a concise guide to contemporary discussions. Bringing together a diverse group of experts, it covers research on the most important issues in New Testament studies, including new discipline areas, making it an ideal supplemental textbook for a variety of courses on the New Testament. Michael Bird, David Capes, Greg Carey, Lynn Cohick, Dennis Edwards, Michael Gorman, and Abson Joseph are among the contributors.
512 pages, Paperback
Published November 5, 2019
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About the author
Scot McKnight
209 books542 followersScot McKnight is a recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. McKnight, author or editor of forty books, is the Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lombard, IL. Dr. McKnight has given interviews on radios across the nation, has appeared on television, and is regularly speaks at local churches, conferences, colleges, and seminaries in the USA and abroad. Dr. McKnight obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Nottingham (1986).
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 29, 2021
A fantastic book, which I give 5 stars despite a few very apparent flaws. I'll quickly cover the flaws before the virtues. First, some of the essays were a bit overly concerned to squeeze in every tree in the forest, and this made some of them read a bit too rigidly. Gorman's essay, while extremely valuable as a prose oriented bibliography, threw out contributions left and right, to the point that he was including studies and scholars about which he had no space to explain. For example, he mentions the study by Kathy Ehrensperger, and in a single sentence states that she seeks to explain "the space in between Jewish and Gentile peoples." What does that mean? Gorman doesn't explain. He simply says that this is what her book is about, and moves on to other single sentence descriptions of lots of other studies. He gave me enough to know that Ehrensperger's book exists, but not enough to know if I should seek it out. I think limiting himself slightly on the scope of all he mentions would have enabled him to give better and fuller descriptions of some of the studies he recommends.
Second, the book has three glaring omissions:
1. There is a chapter on the NT use of the OT, but nothing on non-biblical Second Temple literature. A chapter on the relevance of the Dead Sea Scrolls to the NT seems entirely necessary considering the current state of NT studies.
2. There was nothing in textual criticism.
3. Most of the Pauline letters get little mention, and some contested letters get no mention at all. Titus? Appears in a single footnote. 2 Timothy? Never mentioned in the book. Doing a full chapter on every letter might have made the book too long, sure, but here they are not even represented. Even a chapter on Pauline authorship of the contested letters would have mentioned them all and ensured that this discussion was brought up to date.
Despite these critiques, the book is extremely helpful, and, dare I say, indispensable to students entering into serious academic study of the NT. Not every researcher will need the whole book. In fact, say, anyone acutely focused on a single book, such as Hebrews, might not find more than 3 or 4 chapters that they need to read out of the available 23. Gospels and Pauline scholars will need much more, and for those who work on both Gospels and Paul, such as myself, then most of the book becomes very helpful indeed. Particularly engaging for me were the chapters by Bird and Mitchel.
An excellent resource that every student of the New Testament should consult.
Second, the book has three glaring omissions:
1. There is a chapter on the NT use of the OT, but nothing on non-biblical Second Temple literature. A chapter on the relevance of the Dead Sea Scrolls to the NT seems entirely necessary considering the current state of NT studies.
2. There was nothing in textual criticism.
3. Most of the Pauline letters get little mention, and some contested letters get no mention at all. Titus? Appears in a single footnote. 2 Timothy? Never mentioned in the book. Doing a full chapter on every letter might have made the book too long, sure, but here they are not even represented. Even a chapter on Pauline authorship of the contested letters would have mentioned them all and ensured that this discussion was brought up to date.
Despite these critiques, the book is extremely helpful, and, dare I say, indispensable to students entering into serious academic study of the NT. Not every researcher will need the whole book. In fact, say, anyone acutely focused on a single book, such as Hebrews, might not find more than 3 or 4 chapters that they need to read out of the available 23. Gospels and Pauline scholars will need much more, and for those who work on both Gospels and Paul, such as myself, then most of the book becomes very helpful indeed. Particularly engaging for me were the chapters by Bird and Mitchel.
An excellent resource that every student of the New Testament should consult.
June 22, 2021
One of those essential books for understanding forests and trees in such a diverse field as New Testament Studies. In my view, it only falls short in two areas: (1) it doesn't have a chapter on textual criticism, which has changed significantly in its methodologies in the last twenty years; and (2) there is a visible lack of interest on the biblical books widely regarded in academic circles as deuteropauline (Eph, Col; 2 Thess, 1-2 Tim; Titus). It is astonishing in a survey of NT Studies that "Martyrdom and Ascension of Isaiah" and Quintilian are individually quoted more times than Titus; 2 Thessalonians and 2 Timothy don't have a single citation in the whole book.
Other than that, it was completely worth my time and money. I really learned a lot and could map the field more accurately.
Other than that, it was completely worth my time and money. I really learned a lot and could map the field more accurately.
August 3, 2020
A collection of essays exploring the current lines of thought in New Testament scholarship, "updating" a previous work doing the same type of thing for a previous generation.
The work begins with NT context: the Roman empire, and the standing of women in Jewish, Greco-Roman, and early Christian culture. It then explores various issues relating to interpretation: exegesis, the OT, Gospels, and Greek. Jesus, Christology, Paul, Paul's theology, eschatology, and ethics are then considered. The rest of the work considers lines of thought regarding many books of the NT: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, Hebrews, James, 1/2 Peter and Jude, and Revelation.
This book is a lot to take in. A lot of good information; a lot of challenging information. Gorman on Pauline theology really stood out as exemplary. In general, though, this is a work to consult regarding the various topics, and mostly directed at scholars.
**--galley received as part of early review program
The work begins with NT context: the Roman empire, and the standing of women in Jewish, Greco-Roman, and early Christian culture. It then explores various issues relating to interpretation: exegesis, the OT, Gospels, and Greek. Jesus, Christology, Paul, Paul's theology, eschatology, and ethics are then considered. The rest of the work considers lines of thought regarding many books of the NT: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, Hebrews, James, 1/2 Peter and Jude, and Revelation.
This book is a lot to take in. A lot of good information; a lot of challenging information. Gorman on Pauline theology really stood out as exemplary. In general, though, this is a work to consult regarding the various topics, and mostly directed at scholars.
**--galley received as part of early review program
March 21, 2020
This collection of essays is an informative map for the vast land of recent New Testament studies and scholarship. While not every chapter is equally helpful or interesting, this book is beneficial for getting a grasp of the recent issues, commentaries, perspectives, and methods for particular books the NT.
February 9, 2020
As a survey book, it is very good.
December 15, 2019
Wow – this is a solid and fascinating book. I haven’t managed to finish every chapter, but it will be great for a reference book to dip into. As a very amateur Bible student, I found this collection of essays a useful ‘clothes-line’ on which to peg other books and articles – and concepts - I have read over the past few years. The essays are thought provoking and of an exceptionally high standard, covering the breadth of New Testament Studies in this generation. I’d recommend the book to anyone wanting to take a dip into New Testament studies, and needing a guidebook to point them in the right direction.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews