Biblical Theology by Ben Witherington: A Book Review

In Biblical Theology, Ben Witherington, III, examines the theology of the Old and New Testaments as a totality. Going beyond an account of carefully crafted Old and New Testament theologies, he demonstrates the ideas that make the Bible a sacred book with a unified theology. Witherington brings a distinctive methodology to this study. Taking a constructive approach, he first examines the foundations of the writers' symbolic universe - what they thought and presupposed about God - and how they revealed those thoughts through the narratives of the Old and New Testaments. He also shows how the historical contexts and intellectual worlds of the Old and New Testaments conditioned their narratives, and, in the process, created a large coherent Biblical world view, one that progressively reveals the character and action of God. Thus, the Yahweh of the Old Testament, the Son in the Gospels, and the Father, Son, and Spirit in the New Testament writings are viewed as persons who are part of the singular divine identity. Witherington's progressive revelation approach allows each part of the canon to be read in its original context and with its original meaning.

Shawn received a review copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review of the book.

[Yaas_ok]

You did it ! Much respect for your work ! Yeah, that book is "different" and i made notebook of content to find topics quickly 😊. Many books should have decent topical index ! For example Leighton Flowers books, full of great stuff, but hard to find. Keep up good work and blessings from Finland !

[lukemorrison]

I couldn't agree more with your assessment about this book needing to be a reference book and the format needs adjusting.

[artc.]

One of the big disappointments for me with Adam Harwood's Christian Theology is the lack of comprehensive subject index. I looked up the topic of prayer and couldn't find one reference to the subject. In fact, the topic of santification and the Christian life with it's practical implications is missing. I wish he had followed Paul't model of explaining doctrine then applying the application to everyday life.