Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament
Edited by GK Beale and DA Carson
Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, 2007, 1,280pp.
It always bothers me when the author or editor of a book starts by telling me what their book is not. So it was with some concern that I began my reading of Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament—a book that, the editors say, neither surveys, summarizes nor takes a position on the debates over the use of the Old Testament in the New Testament. However, it was not long before I became pleased with it.
This volume is a commentary on every Old Testament citation and almost every allusion found in the New Testament. Each New Testament book is analyzed by a variety of authors who were asked to identify the Old Testament texts in each of the New Testament books and answer these questions:
- What is the New Testament context of the citation or allusion?
- What is the Old Testament context from which the quotation or allusion is drawn?
- How is the Old Testament quotation or source handled in the literature of Second Temple or of early Judaism?
- What textual factors must be borne in mind as one seeks to understand a particular use of the Old Testament?
- What is the nature of the connection (between the Old Testament text and the New Testament writing) as the New Testament writer sees it?
- To what theological use does the New Testament writer put the Old Testament quotation or allusion? (pp. xxiv-xxv)
The commentary does not contain articles or arguments concerning the use
of the Old Testament in the New Testament, nor debates about typology or context. Instead, it takes an ‘in the wild’ approach, allowing us to see how the Old Testament texts function in their New Testament context. Some authors, however, provide an insight into their own thinking on these issues in the introduction to their portion of the commentary.
Carson and Beale have chosen scholars who think similarly about biblical theology and the unity of the Scriptures. They write in the preface,
Even if some contemporary readers do not think the Bible holds together in any theological sense… every thoughtful reader must acknowledge that the biblical books themselves have been read that way from the time of their early circulation, and that the writers of the New Testament books saw themselves not as originators… but as those who stood under the authority of those Old Testament documents… (p. vii)
I first used this commentary in my preparation of a series of sermons on 1 Corinthians 1-7. I started with my work on the text itself and then turned to this commentary. I discovered that Ciampa and Rosner provided some of their own insights into each passage on top of their analysis of Old Testament quotations and allusions. They allowed their understanding of the structure of the book and its purpose to permeate the discussion, thus providing a much richer, more useful commentary. They interacted with a variety of scholars on both the role of Scripture in 1 Corinthians, and how one should understand the texts that are quoted and alluded to. I found this commentary especially helpful as I prepared a sermon on the confronting question of expulsion in 1 Corinthians 5 as their analysis of the question from the perspective of Deuteronomy was superb.
Having read subsequently through many other sections, I can say that this is not the sort of commentary that you sit down and read from beginning to end. It is a useful reference book that also contains comprehensive bibliographies and indices that will help you prepare well for Old Testament and New Testament preaching and teaching.
However, although the editors are pleased with the flexibility of the book’s style and presentation, personally I found it a little frustrating. As I looked up some of my favourite Old Testament texts and read the authors’ comments, I would have liked to see the structured approach adopted in each contribution—especially in the section on Romans 9-11. In addition, the overall formatting lacks clarity; occasionally it is difficult to follow the flow of a section. Perhaps, though, these observations say more about me than the commentary!
This commentary was a decade in the making, but it was well worth the effort, and it will repay the investment for anyone who preaches or teaches regularly. A prior knowledge of Greek and Hebrew is not required to be able to use it effectively as most of ancient texts are transliterated, but such knowledge is helpful at points.
The next New Testament series I am preaching on is 1 John. I am keeping this volume on my desk all the way through the preparation period, and I strongly recommend this practice to others.
