One of the books I purchased with my $1,000 Geneva bursary was the huge volume by Greg Beale and Don Carson, Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Baker, 2007). A comprehensive commentary on every quotation, allusion, and echo of the Old Testament that appears in Matthew through Revelation. 1152 pages. How do people write that much?!? Amazing!I was gleefully looking forward to plumbing the depths of its scholarship. Then a couple of days ago, I heard Professor Carson himself, speaking at Moore College. He made a passing reference to this volume. What's his assessment of his own work? "It's far too long. It'd make a great doorstop".
Oh dear. And an expensive one, too...
I'm sure he's underestimating the quality of his own work. Still, takes the wind out of my sails a bit.
Anyone used this volume yet? Is it any good? Should I keep it, or exchange it for something else...?
4 comments:
I don't know, but I'd like a look! If it's within copyright, I'd love a copy of the material on Matthew...
- Seumas
My initial glance was a disappointment. My copy came in the mail this week, and I immediately turned to the passage I'm preaching on this Sunday - Matthew 28:18-20. Incredibly, there was no mention of Genesis 1:26-28.
So maybe the book is too short...
How was Carson? I was unable to make it due to St John's having its' AVM that night. It finished in record time (7:30-8:45) and providing convincing proof of my masochistic tendancies - I'm back on as Synod Rep, Lay Canon & Parish Councillor.
Kamal,
I've used it a bit and it seems OK (probably a bit more than OK)! It is a good reminder that OT background is a key factor in NT interpretation at two levels. First in 'grammatico-historical' interpretation the OT determined so much of the thought world and expression of NT writers and second for more explicit Biblical-Theological interpretation. Of course a decent commentary will cover the material in more depth than this can, but it can do two things a commentary can't. It is an easy point of reference for any NT passage when you aren't working through a book in detail. It highlights the OT background immediately and gathers it in one place.
I'm preaching on John 1:1-18 this weekend and I've found it a good summary. See http://ptcsydney.blogspot.com/2008/05/johns-prologue.html for a few of my developing thoughts.
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