An Interview with Tom Schreiner
Andy Cheung at Midlands Bible College and Divinity School (click here to read the full interview )recently interviewed Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation and Associate Dean, Scripture and Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, about his forthcoming book, New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ
As you wrote this new book, were some aspects harder to deal with than others? I assume the Pauline sections were more straightforward?
I think just in terms of research, it was the gospels. I haven't written a commentary on the gospels and there is so much written but I really did a lot of reading on the literature and that personally was one of the most rewarding things. There are so many monographs that are enormously helpful and I was struck by how many helpful dissertations are out there as well as commentaries of course.
One of the most frustrating aspects of writing this theology was in terms of the Synoptics and Luke-Acts. For example, should I write about the Son of Man in Matthew and then Mark and then Luke or should I synthesise? Or should I put Luke with other Synoptics or should I look at Luke-Acts together? One person I asked about this said you have to do it all! Well I don't have space to do that, I would have to write to 2000-3000 pages! So that was one of the frustrating things, having to make decisions like that.
I don't know if you've read my preface, but I don't think anyone can write a totalising New Testament theology. It's not humanly possible to grasp the depth and breadth of the subject. So for example I covered the Son of Man synthetically - I didn't separate it out for Matthew, Mark and Luke. I did that basically for all the Christological aspects but for the Holy Spirit, I put Luke-Acts together.
Let's consider two things that you focus upon in your book. The first is the theme of magnifying God and the second is the theme of salvation history. Taking the first of these, what do you mean when you say, "the New Testament is radically God-centred"?
What I mean by that is that the New Testament's ultimate aim is to lift us up into God's presence so that the purpose of the New Testament is not merely intellectual but is doxological, that we will glorify, honour, and praise God for his saving work in Christ. I have 10 plus chapters on the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit but the majority focus on Jesus Christ, for the person of Christ is central in the NT witness. My book is subtitled, Magnifying God in Christ because that is the interest of the New Testament writers themselves. It seems obvious, but if we don't centre on what God has done in Christ through the Spirit, then our NT theology does not accord with the documents themselves. Our first task is not to be creative, but as Schlatter said to observe the subject matter before us, to try to see in depth what is laid before us in the New Testament.
You state that, "the focus of New Testament theology is the supremacy of God in Christ." I understand there's been some criticism of your position that God seeks to bring glory to himself. How would you respond to that?
Yes, there has been criticism of that. Some think this is a wrong way of speaking about God and that it depicts him as selfish. But we must start first and foremost with exegesis and not our own conceptions. We must observe what is before us. In text after text after text we see that God's glory in Christ is paramount. Note that in the great Philippian hymn of Phil 2:6-11 that Christ's ministry, death, and exaltation bring glory to God the Father. Or, we can think of texts like Ephesians 1, or John 17, or the Lord's Prayer. In every case we see that God's aim is to glorify and honour himself. Three times we are told in Ephesians that God chose us to the praise of the glory of his grace. Jesus tells us in John 17 that the purpose of his ministry was to glorify the Father. Jesus instructed us to pray, "Hallowed by thy name."
God aims to glorify himself but he does so through the saving work of Christ, by loving and delivering us. We glorify God when we delight in him and trust in him. Yes, there is more than a hint of John Piper there, but we find the same themes in Augustine, Edwards, and many others. We must remember that God is the Lord. He is a transcendent God and we must beware of inverting the image (so to speak) so that we read God through our own lenses and our own experiences.
Description -
While none of the New Testament documents claims to provide a "theology" on its own, Thomas Schreiner suggests that certain recurring themes emerge from the study of the whole. In this volume, he traces key themes as they appear throughout the New Testament canon, exploring the emphases that emerge from a detailed reading of the texts.
Schreiner's approach is based on solid exegesis of all the key texts and leads him to a unified view of core New Testament teaching. He focuses particularly on two overarching themes. The first concerns the unity of redemptive history and the kingdom of God. The New Testament takes up Old Testament imagery and affirms that the kingdom has come (although it remains unfulfilled) in Jesus Christ. The second related theme concerns the goal of the kingdom--the glory of God through the work of Christ and the empowering presence of the Spirit. In the second half of the work, Schreiner takes up the question of what these themes mean for the life of the believer and the ministry of the community of faith.
Although this substantial and comprehensive volume will be of great interest to scholars, Schreiner's first concern is to provide an accessible guide for students and pastors. He has succeeded admirably, and readers will find here a lucid exposition of the theology of the New Testament.
"Thomas Schreiner is known for being a skillful and careful New Testament scholar. In his New Testament Theology his abilities and his clear, concise style are on full display as he gives us a synthetic account of this complex subject, an account that reflects his high view of Scripture. This is probably the best New Testament theology written in the last several decades from a decidedly Reformed and evangelical point of view. While I disagree with the analysis at various points, it is still a fine piece of work, and I am happy to commend it."
--Ben Witherington III, professor of New Testament, Asbury Theological Seminary
"Schreiner's New Testament Theology has long been awaited by colleagues, friends, and students. The appendix, which provides a helpful survey of the discipline of New Testament theology, and the discussion of justification, which contains a summary of the modern debate and a defense of a forensic interpretation of the Pauline teaching, are alone worth the price of the book."
--Robert H. Stein, senior professor of New Testament interpretation, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
"Tom Schreiner's New Testament Theology is a valuable addition to the field, providing to students the kind of overview that only a seasoned scholar can produce. The volume is particularly significant for taking a more thematic approach than have most other New Testament theologies. Schreiner therefore comes closer than most others to giving us a genuine New Testament 'theology' (rather than New Testament 'theologies')."
--Douglas J. Moo, Blanchard Professor of New Testament, Wheaton College
"Lucid, incisive, and above all devoted to listening to the text of the New Testament, Tom Schreiner's volume is like a cool drink in a postmodern desert. Schreiner unfolds the richness of New Testament theology through the lens of salvation history, showing how fruitful the promise-fulfillment, already-not yet paradigm is for understanding the New Testament. If you want a New Testament theology that is informed, exegetically grounded, canonically based, Trinitarian, and written from the standpoint of a sturdy faith, then this is the book for you!"
--Donald A. Hagner, George Eldon Ladd Professor Emeritus of New Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary
"Scholars frequently focus so tightly on the details of the New Testament documents that they miss the big picture. On the other hand, all too often attempts to summarize the message of the New Testament ignore the particular expressions and diverse emphases of its twenty-seven books. Without losing the trees for the wood, Schreiner's New Testament Theology offers a superb exposition of the New Testament's central message, the glory of God in Christ. Pastors and students will find it an invaluable resource for answering the question most readers are asking: what is the New Testament about?"
--Brian S. Rosner, senior lecturer in New Testament and ethics, Moore Theological College
"A magnificent achievement! Schreiner has combined the breadth and depth of his knowledge of the New Testament with extensive discussion of the scholarly literature. Best of all, it follows the New Testament in testifying to the majesty and glory of God."
--Simon J. Gathercole, lecturer in New Testament studies, University of Cambridge
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