In Progress

A New Testament Biblical Theology

02.02.2012 by Greg Billingsley

In our first In Progress review, we are going to delve deeply into G. K. Beale's new release, A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New. It has been repeatedly described as his magnum opus, and even at this early stage in my reading I can find no fault in giving his work such a title. Weighing in at a hefty 1072 pages, a project of this nature can run a dangerous risk of being heady and too academic, getting bogged down in the monotonous details of a scholar's world. However, I have already found that to not be the case. Each page, and many times each sentence, is full of fresh insights and clear thoughts that calls for a reading and then a rereading. I liken it to a master's painting that continues to leave you saying, “Oh, I never noticed that before!” Each nook and cranny reveals a new surprise patiently waiting for you to discover it.

The downside to this volume of treasures is that it will take me a considerable amount of time to complete this In Progress review. I quickly realized that the book will take far longer to go through than first anticipated, but this doesn't bother me at all. I read to learn, not to just get through it. So, while I may be following an extended timeline, the upside is that the wealth of knowledge and insight will make it well worth the extra time.

Here is a general overview from the author himself:

 

 

You can also view the table of contents and read the third chapter of the book, "The Eschatological Storyline of the Old Testament: The Old Testament Focus on the Latter Days," here.

My plan for this In Progress review, as it will be with future In Progress reviews, is to take the book chapter-by-chapter, publishing a separate post, which we will call a Book Note, for each one. I will share with you the author's thesis, arguments, and conclusions while adding my own questions, commentary, and response. My goal is to make this more of an in-depth analysis than a typical review. Think of it as a classroom where we interact with the author to understand his arguments, ask him questions, respond to him, and evaluate his overall claims. Our goal is to learn from this book.

The next post will begin the Book Notes, starting with a general overview of the book by analyzing the title, subtitle, table of contents, and overall structure of the book. It will set the stage for digging deeply into the rest of Beal's work.

May God be glorified.