Theology of the New Testament

Following his well-received Apostle Paul , prominent European scholar Udo Schnelle now offers a major new theology of the New Testament. The work has been translated into English from the original German, with bibliographic adaptations, by leading American scholar M. Eugene Boring. This comprehensive critical introduction combines historical and theological analysis. Schnelle begins with the teaching of Jesus and continues with a discussion of the theology of Paul. He then moves on to the Synoptic Gospels; the deutero-Pauline, catholic, and Johannine letters; and Revelation, paying due attention to authorship, chronology, genre, and canonical considerations. This is an essential book for anyone with a scholarly interest in the New Testament Udo Schnelle's Theology Of The New Testament Comprises Philosophical Reflection, Reconstruction Of Earliest Christian Thought, And A History Of Biblical Interpretation. At Heart, However, The Volume Offers Meticulous Analysis Of The New Testament's Varied Constituents. Translator's Preface -- Author's Preface To The German Edition -- Approach : Theology Of The New Testament As Meaning-formation -- How History Is Made And Written -- History As Meaning-formation -- Understanding Through Narration -- Structure : History And Meaning -- The Phenomenon Of The Beginning -- Theology And The Academic Study Of Religion -- Diversity And Unity -- New Testament Theology As Meaning-formation -- Jesus Of Nazareth : The Near God -- The Quest For Jesus -- Beginning : John The Baptist -- Point Of Departure : The Coming Of The One God In His Kingly Power -- Center : The Proclamation Of The Kingdom Of God -- Ethics In The Horizon Of The Kingdom Of God -- Jesus As Healer : God's Miraculous Power -- The Imminent Judgment : Nothing Is Without Its Consequences -- Jesus And The Law : To Will The Good -- Jesus's Self-understanding : More Than A Prophet -- Jesus's Destiny In Jerusalem : End And Beginning -- The First Transformation : The Emergence Of Christology. Jesus's Pre-easter Claim -- The Resurrection Appearances -- Experiences Of The Spirit -- The Christological Reading Of Scripture -- History-of-religions Context -- Language And Shape Of Early Christology : Myth, Titles, Formulae, And Traditions -- The Second Transformation : The Early Christian Mission Without The Precondition Of Circumcision -- The Hellenists -- Antioch -- The Stance Of Paul -- Paul : Missionary And Thinker -- Theology -- Christology -- Pneumatology -- Soteriology -- Anthropology -- Ethics -- Ecclesiology -- Eschatology -- Setting In The History Of Early Christian Theology -- The Third Transformation : Composition Of Gospels As Innovative Response To Crises -- Death Of The Founders -- Delay Of The Parousia -- Destruction Of Jerusalem And The Earliest Christian Congregation -- The Rise Of The Flavians -- The Writing Of Gospels As Innovative Response To Crises -- The Sayings Source, The Synoptic Gospels, And Acts : Meaning Through Narration. The Sayings Source As Proto-gospel -- Mark : The Way Of Jesus -- Matthew : The New And Better Righteousness -- Luke : Salvation And History -- The Fourth Transformation : The Gospel In The World -- Social, Religious, And Political Developments -- Pseudepigraphy/deuteronymity As A Historical, Literary, And Theological Phenomenon -- The Deutero-pauline Letters : Paul's Thought Extended -- Colossians : Paul In Changing Times -- Ephesians : Space And Time -- Thessalonians : Date (of The End) As Problem -- The Pastoral Epistles : God's Philanthropy -- The Catholic Epistles : Voices In Dangerous Times -- Peter : Testing By Suffering -- James : Acting And Being -- Hebrews : The God Who Speaks -- Jude And 2 Peter : Identity Through Tradition And Polemic Against Heresy -- Johannine Theology : Introduction To The Christian Faith -- Theology -- Christology -- Pneumatology -- Soteriology -- Anthropology -- Ethics -- Ecclesiology -- Eschatology. Setting In The History Of Early Christian Theology -- Revelation : Seeing And Understanding. Udo Schnelle ; Translated By M. Eugene Boring. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 773-838) And Indexes. Content: Translator's preface -- Author's preface to the German edition -- Approach : theology of the New Testament as meaning-formation -- How history is made and written -- History as meaning-formation -- Understanding through narration -- Structure : history and meaning -- The phenomenon of the beginning -- Theology and the academic study of religion -- Diversity and unity -- New Testament theology as meaning-formation -- Jesus of Nazareth : the near God -- The quest for Jesus -- Beginning : John the Baptist -- Point of departure : the coming of the one God in his kingly power -- Center : the proclamation of the Kingdom of God -- Ethics in the horizon of the Kingdom of God -- Jesus as healer : God's miraculous power -- The imminent judgment : nothing is without its consequences -- Jesus and the law : to will the good -- Jesus's self-understanding : more than a prophet -- Jesus's destiny in Jerusalem : end and beginning -- The first transformation : the emergence of Christology -- Jesus's pre-Easter claim -- The Resurrection appearances -- Experiences of the spirit -- The christological reading of Scripture -- History-of-religions context -- Language and shape of early Christology : myth, titles, formulae, and traditions -- The second transformation : the early Christian mission without the precondition of circumcision -- The Hellenists -- Antioch -- The stance of Paul -- Paul : missionary and thinker -- Theology -- Christology -- Pneumatology -- Soteriology -- Anthropology -- Ethics -- Ecclesiology -- Eschatology -- Setting in the history of early Christian theology -- The third transformation : composition of Gospels as innovative response to crises -- Death of the founders -- Delay of the Parousia -- Destruction of Jerusalem and the earliest Christian congregation -- The rise of the Flavians -- The writing of Gospels as innovative response to crises -- The sayings source, the Synoptic Gospels, and Acts : meaning through narration -- The sayings source as proto-Gospel -- Mark : the way of Jesus -- Matthew : the new and better righteousness -- Luke : salvation and history -- The fourth transformation : the Gospel in the world -- Social, religious, and political developments -- Pseudepigraphy/deuteronymity as a historical, literary, and theological phenomenon -- The Deutero-Pauline Letters : Paul's thought extended -- Colossians : Paul in changing times -- Ephesians : space and time -- Second Thessalonians : date (of the end) as problem -- The Pastoral Epistles : God's philanthropy -- The Catholic Epistles : voices in dangerous times -- First Peter : testing by suffering -- James : acting and being -- Hebrews : the God who speaks -- Jude and 2 Peter : identity through tradition and polemic against heresy -- Johannine theology : introduction to the Christian faith -- Theology -- Christology -- Pneumatology -- Soteriology -- Anthropology -- Ethics -- Ecclesiology -- Eschatology -- Setting in the history of early Christian theology -- Revelation : seeing and understanding. The crowning achievement for students of the New Testament is to grasp the whole while discerning the parts, to derive contemporary theological meaning without compromising historical accuracy, to respect the integrity of the ancient texts while interpreting validly within the structures of modern and postmodern consciousness. But how is it possible to communicate the diversely expressed faith of ancient Mediterranean fishermen and tentmakers in a crucified Jewish messiah to the academy and the church of the globalized and pluralized twenty-first century? In Theology of the New Testament, Udo Schnelle--master teacher, deft exegete, committed churchman, and fully attuned contemporary intellectual--takes up this challenge with extraordinary energy and intelligence. The result is a capstone volume that puts all the pieces together both for students who read it straight through and for professors, theologians, pastors, and others who work through it at their own pace. For all who read it, the book will become a standard reference, a reliable source not only for summaries of particular New Testament books and topics but also for a refreshed and deepened perception of how a transcendent message has been uttered through temporally and spatially fixed actions and words. The translation, prepared by a leading American scholar who knows the author well and shares similar qualifications and commitments, achieves the literary quality of an original English composition while conveying accurately the sense of the original German and adding bibliographic adaptations for English-language readers. - Publisher. A major international scholar offers a New Testament theology textbook that is critically astute and theologically attuned.