Theological Commentary: Evangelical Perspectives

231 Pages·2011·1.636 MB·English

by  R. Michael Allen

Theological Commentary
This page intentionally left blank
Theological Commentary
Evangelical Perspectives
Edited by R. Michael Allen
Published by T&T Clark International
A Continuum Imprint
The Tower Building, 80 Maiden Lane,
11 York Road, Suite 704,
London SE1 7NX New York, NY 10038
www.continuumbooks.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
© R. Michael Allen, with contributors, 2011
R.Michael Allen and contributors have asserted their right under the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act, 1988, to be identifi ed as the Author of this work.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
I SBN: 978–0–567–42329–0 (paperback)
Typeset by Newgen Imaging Systems Pvt Ltd, Chennai, India
Printed and bound in India
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Contributors viii
Chapter 1: Theological Commentary 1
Michael Allen
Chapter 2: Genesis 1 10
Ryan S. Peterson
Chapter 3: Exodus 3 25
Michael Allen
Chapter 4: Psalm 22: Forsakenness and the God Who Sings 41
Kelly M. Kapic
Chapter 5: Proverbs 8: Hearing Lady Wisdom’s Offer Again 57
Daniel J. Treier
Chapter 6: E zekiel 14: “I, The Lord, Have Deceived That
Prophet”: Divine Deception, Inception,
and Communicative Action 73
Kevin J. Vanhoozer
Chapter 7: Mark 12: God’s Lordly Son and Trinitarian Christology 99
Scott R. Swain
Chapter 8: John 1: Preexistent Logos and God the Son 115
Henri Blocher
Chapter 9: Ephesians 4:1-16: The Ascension, the Church,
and the Spoils of War 129
Michael Horton
Chapter 10: C olossians 3: Deifi cation, Theosis, Participation,
or Union with Christ? 154
Andrew McGowan
vi Contents
Chapter 11: What Is Theological Commentary?
An Old Testament Perspective 172
Walter L. Moberly
Chapter 12: Theological Interpretation of Scripture: Yes, But . . . 187
D.A. Carson
Index of Scriptures 208
Index of Names 218
Acknowledgments
There are many persons to thank for their help in preparing this volume. Most
importantly, a number of able contributors submitted chapters of excellent
quality ranging over the whole canon of Scripture and engaging a wide host
of doctrinal topics. Geoff Ziegler played a pivotal role in the conceptualization
and planning of the volume. My assistant Jason Paugh compiled the index.
Tom Kraft, Anna Turton, and the capable staff of T & T Clark guided the
manuscript to completion. It is always a pleasure to work with them. My wife
Emily was ever supportive during the course of this project.
The editor and contributors dedicate this book to Prof. Henri Blocher, until
recently the Gunther Knoedler Professor of Theology at Wheaton College in
Wheaton, Illinois, and the longtime Professor of Systematic Theology at the
Faculté Libre de Théologie Évangélique in Vaux-sur-Seine, France. For us, he
has been many things—teacher, colleague, collaborator—and beyond any of
these formal roles, a model of humble and rigorous theological scholarship
in service of the church. His own service to theological studies can be cap-
tured well by pointing to his own “theological commentary”: especially his In
the Beginning: The Opening Chapters of Genesis (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity,
1984) and his exegesis of Romans 5 in Original Sin: Illumining the Riddle (New
Studies in Biblical Theology; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1997). It is a
delight to include his essay on John 1 in this volume as a representative exam-
ple of his theological work. He has exemplifi ed careful and patient listening
to the self-revelation of God through the testimony of these prophetic and
apostolic witnesses, always as a member of an interpretive company that ranges
through the centuries and around the globe. He has never been stuck in her-
meneutical debates about exegesis; rather he has consistently read the Bible
with theological and churchly passion. We thank him and pray that his exam-
ple might be imitated by many.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
January 2011
Contributors
Michael Allen is Assistant Professor of Systematic Theologya t Knox Theological
Seminary in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is the author of Reformed Theology
and The Christ’s Faith: A Dogmatic Account. His writings have appeared in schol-
arly journals such as International Journal of Systematic Theology, Scottish Journal
of Theology, Horizons of Biblical Theology, and Journal of Theological Interpretation.
He serves as general editor of the forthcoming T&T Clark International
Theological Commentary series.
Henri Blocher was the Gunther Knoedler Professor of Theology at Wheaton
College in Wheaton, Illinois, and Professor of Systematic Theology at the
Faculte Libre de Theologie Evangelique in Vaux-sur-Seine, France. He is the
author of Original Sin: Illumining the Riddle, Evil and the Cross: An Analytical Look
at the Problem of Pain, and In the Beginning: The Opening Chapters of Genesis, as well
as many articles and a number of books in French. He has served as President
of the Fellowship of European Evangelical Theologians.
D. A. Carson is Research Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical
Divinity School in Deerfi eld, Illinois. He is the author of dozens of books, most
recently of Christ and Culture Revisited and Scandalous: The Death and Resurrection
of Jesus. He has also written commentaries on the Gospel of Matthew and the
Gospel of John. He is a founding member of the GRAMCORD Institute and
the Gospel Coalition.
Michael Horton is the J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology
and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary in Escondido, California. He has
authored numerous books, most recently The Christian Faith: A Systematic
Theology for Pilgrims on the Way. He serves as host for the White Horse Inn radio
program and as editor-in-chief for Modern Reformation magazine.
Kelly Kapic is Professor of Theological Studies at Covenant College in Lookout
Mountain, Georgia. He is the author of God So Loved He Gave and Communion
with God: The Divine and the Human in the Theology of John Owen. He has also
edited a number of contemporary editions of the works of John Owen and the
Puritan theologians.
Contributors ix
Andrew McGowan is Minister of Inverness East Church in Scotland and was
formerly Principal of Highland Theological College in Aberdeen, Scotland. He
is author of The Divine Spiration of Scripture: Challenging Evangelical Perspectives
and The Federal Theology of Thomas Boston.
Walter Moberly is Professor of Theology and Biblical Interpretation at
Durham University in Durham, England. He is the author of numerous books,
most recently of The Theology of the Book of Genesis, Prophecy and Discernment, and
The Bible, Theology, and Faith: A Study of Abraham and Jesus. His writings have
appeared in scholarly journals such as Vetus Testamentum, Journal of Theological
Studies, Harvard Theological Review, and Journal of Theological Interpretation.
Ryan Peterson is Assistant Professor of Theology at Cedarville University in
Cedarville, Ohio. His Wheaton Ph.D. dissertation on the doctrine of the image
of God was awarded the 2011 Dissertation Prize by the Center for Catholic and
Evangelical Dialogue.
Scott Swain is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed
Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. He is author of Trinity, Revelation,
and Reading and (with Andreas Köstenberger) Father, Son, and Spirit: The Trinity
and John’s Gospel. He serves as general editor for the forthcoming T & T Clark
International Theological Commentary series.
Daniel Treier is Associate Professor of Theology at Wheaton College in
Wheaton, Illinois. He is the author of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, Introducing
Theological Interpretation of Scripture: Recovering a Christian Practice and Virtue and
the Voice of God: Toward Theology as Wisdom. His writings have appeared in schol-
arly journals such as International Journal of Systematic Theology, Scottish Journal
of Theology, and Journal of Theological Interpretation. He has edited numerous
books, most notably serving as associate editor for the acclaimed Dictionary for
Theological Interpretation of Scripture.
Kevin Vanhoozer is the Blanchard Professor of Theology at Wheaton College
in Wheaton, Illinois. He has previously taught at Trinity Evangelical Divinity
School and the University of Edinburgh. He is the author of many books, most
recently of Remythologizing Theology: Divine Action, Passion, and Authorship and
The Drama of Doctrine: A Canonical-Linguistic Approach to Christian Theology. He
served as general editor of the acclaimed Dictionary for Theological Interpretation
of Scripture.