D. A. Carson and Douglas J. Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament 2nd. ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1995. 743 pp. $38.77
Books covering New Testament introductory material are abundant. All one needs to do is type in “New Testament introduction” in their search engine and numerous resources will appear. In An Introduction to the New Testament, D. A. Carson and Douglas J. Moo have added an excellent edition to this category of biblical scholarship. Carson serves as a research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. Moo is serving as a professor of New Testament at Wheaton College Graduate School. Both men have authored numerous book and articles dealing with the New Testament. According to the preface their goal is to present the readers with “special introduction” material (authorship, date, sources, purpose, destination, etc.) instead of literary form, rhetorical criticism, and historical parallels (pg. 7). The authors have given a lengthy, yet readable work that deals with this special introductory material in this volume.
The book is composed of twenty-six chapters. Chapter one deals with why one should consider studying this special introductory material of the New Testament. Chapter two then deals with the Synoptic problem, while chapters three through seven deal with the Gospels and the book of Acts. Chapter eight then deals with New Testament letters while chapter nine deals with Paul as an apostle and a theologian. Chapters ten through twenty-five then deal with each book of the New Testament, grouping multiple books (1 and 2 Corinthians, etc.) in a single chapter and the Pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus) together in one chapter. The final chapter deals with the New Testament as Canon.
Chapter one explains how the text of Scripture came together, the interpretive traditions throughout church history, the rise of biblical theology, historical criticism, literary tools, and the impact of postmodernism on New Testament studies. Carson and Moo make an excellent point that some of the historical developments discussed in the chapter are helpful but should be used in a way to guard against “irresponsible use (page 73). The chapter closes with the authors’ reflection on New Testament Study with a quote from Craig Blomberg that encourages confessional Christians to engage with Scripture by “the way it is discussed in their own generation, bearing in mind some of the long heritage that has gone before.” (page 74).
Chapter two deals with the Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Carson and Moo clearly articulate the issues raised against the Gospels while giving an excellent refutation of those objections. The authors included many helpful charts in this chapter, especially the one on page 81 dealing with the terminology of form criticism. This chart effectively presented the three main proponents of form criticism (Dibelius, Bultmann, and Taylor) and what they taught.
The chapters dealing with the books of Scripture themselves followed a similar format: contents, author, provenance, date, destination, purpose, text, adoption into the Canon, the book in recent studies, and its contribution to Scripture and theology. Chapter twenty-six: “The New Testament Canon”, opened with an introduction on the use of the word “canon” and how it has developed into the field of study we have today. The chapter then discusses the “Relevance of the Old Testament Canon”, “The Formation of the New Testament Canon”, and closes with “The Significance of the New Testament Canon”. Carson and Moo close the chapter with the idea that the church does not establish the Canon but recognizes or affirms the Canon as “God’s gracious self-revelation” (page 741), reminding us that the Bible is self-authenticating.
Carson and Moo do a good job of dealing with the issues and dangers of different criticisms and arguments, but do so in a clear and concise manner, while encouraging the reader to hold fast to a conservative understanding of the issues. Their ability to work through both the pros and cons of any argument is commendable and should be a model for conservatives to follow in dealing with those whom they disagree with. I would recommend this book to anyone seeking to gain a better understanding of these special introductory matters.
Daniel D. Baltich
4/22/2021