A Book Review from Books at a Glance
by Jacob Hercamp
Greg Lanier, in his book Old Made New: A Guide to the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, sets out to introduce novice Bible readers to the issues of the New Testament’s use of the Old Testament Scripture passages. In doing so, Lanier meets his objective. To make it even better, he does so in a fashion that any student of the Bible can understand. This is the great strength of this book. Another strength is the fact that Lanier gives an impressive list of books to read once he finishes his own on the subject (Pg. 137), and Lanier offers a large appendix section that shows New Testament uses of Old Testament (Pg. 139–154).
Lanier offers up a clear method to investigate the OT passages being used in New Testament texts. It is a three-step process. (1) Identify the passage (Pg. 20). Ask whether the passage is quoted, a citation, or an allusion. (2) “Double-click on the OT” (Pg. 25). Lanier wants his reader to compare the OT and the NT texts side-by-side, noting the similarities as well as the differences. (3) “Listen to the Remix” (Pg. 32). In step 3, Lanier wants his reader to understand that the New Testament’s author’s “reinterpretation” could be compared to listening to musical conductors working through the same musical scoresheet. One conductor may have his orchestra play at a quicker tempo than the other conductor. What is important to note is that the original music can still be recognized to a degree but a newness exists. The same can be said of the New Testament author’s uses of Old Testament texts. Old is made new.
Once Lanier lays out his method of investigation, he puts his method to use for much of the book.
The merits of this work are immense as Lanier has made this book easy to understand, and he kept it simple all the way through the book as was his aim. This book is a wonderful primer for those who have never put a toe in the water of New Testament use of the Old. It also serves as a great book for those seeking to teach the New Testament’s use of the Old to laypeople in church pews.
Jacob Hercamp
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary