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Two Testaments, one BibleThe theological relationship between the Old and New TestamentsDoes it add up?TWO TESTAMENTS, ONE BIBLE The question of how the Old Testament (OT) relates to the New Testament (NT) is one that has exercised the minds of Christians from the earliest days of the church. And it can still give rise to heated debates. In addition, there is concern today over how many Christians bother to read the Old Testament at all. Are some passages of the OT ignored in church because their contents are considered embarrassing or sub-Christian? Why do we need the OT? How is the OT to be preached? While these questions are not directly addressed, this book does focus on the theological basis for viewing the OT as Christian Scripture. The author examines and assesses in a scholarly way the contribution of various theologians throughout church history. It is a most useful work of reference, and it is set out and expressed in a clear and easy style. What a remarkable transformation from the first edition! It has been revised, expanded and updated. The thesis format of the 1976 original has completely disappeared. The contents are divided into four parts with an extensive bibliography and Scripture reference, author and subject indices. Part 1 considers the problem and presents the biblical foundations for the relationship between the Testaments. This is followed by a history of biblical interpretation from the Early Church to the end of the 20th century. The influence of Nazi anti-Semitism on German scholarship is salutary. In Part 2, modern solutions are critically examined. Is the NT the essential Bible or the OT? Are the two Testaments equally Christian Scripture? How helpful is the idea of salvation history in understanding the relationship between the Testaments? The views of scholars as diverse as Bultmann, Childs, Barr, Brueggermann, Goldingay, von Rad, Cullmann, Pannerberg, Moltmann, etc. are included. Part 3 is particularly helpful and informative. Four key themes are considered: Typology, Promise and Fulfilment, Continuity and Discontinuity, and Covenant. The concluding Part 4 summarises the problems and solutions and reminds the reader that interpreting the OT should be no more problematic than interpreting the NT. It was at this point that I felt somewhat uneasy. His final remarks seemed to undermine the good of his earlier material. Are the Bible’s own methods of interpreting scriptural texts to be played down? Without qualification it is dangerous to state that ‘to truly understand and respond to the Word of God today we should use the methods of modern hermeneutics’ (p.278). In suggesting ways for developing a method of interpreting the Bible to suit 21st-century concerns, no mention is made of the need for prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit. Are these too spiritual for a scholarly work? Overall, this is an excellent survey of the subject and one that every theological lecturer and student should read. Philip H. Eveson,
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