A THEOLOGY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT (PART 2), by George Eldon Ladd

A Brief Book Summary from Books At a Glance

By Steve West

About the Author

George Ladd (1911-1982) was Professor of New Testament Exegesis and Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California. He wrote many books which were highly influential.

Introduction

Ladd’s A Theology of the New Testament is a classic reference work for NT studies. He works through the major NT corpuses, expounding their theological contributions and emphases. Ladd is conservative and evangelical, but sensitive to the contributions responsible criticism can play. This book has served as a major and valuable contribution to the field for years.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

I: The Synoptic Gospels

2. John the Baptist
3. The Need of the Kingdom
4. The Kingdom of God
5. The New Age of Salvation
6. The God of the Kingdom
7. The Mystery of the Kingdom
8. The Kingdom and the Church
9. The Ethics of the Kingdom
10. The Messiah
11. The Son of Man
12. The Son of God
13. The Messianic Problem
14. The Messianic Mission
15. Eschatology
16. Matthew, Mark, and Luke (R. T. France)

II: The Fourth Gospel

17. The Critical Problem
18. The Johannine Dualism
19. Christology
20. Eternal Life
21. The Christian Life
22. The Holy Spirit
23. Eschatology

III: The Primitive Church

24. The Critical Problem
25. The Resurrection of Jesus
26. The Eschatological Kerygma
27. The Church

IV: Paul

28. Introduction
29. Sources of Paul’s Thought
30. Humanity outside of Christ
31. The Person of Christ
32. The Work of Christ: Atonement
33. The Work of Christ: Justification
34. The Pauline Psychology
35. The New Life in Christ
36. The Law
37. The Christian Life
38. The Church
39. Eschatology

V: Hebrews and the General Epistles

40. Hebrews
41. James
42. 1 Peter
43. 2 Peter and Jude
44. Johannine Epistles

VI: The Apocalypse

45. The Apocalypse
46. Appendix: Unity and Diversity in the New Testament (David Wenham)

Summary of Parts III – IV

Part III: The Primitive Church

Since the Book of Acts purports to give us a history of the growth, experience, and preaching of the early church, it is essential to know if it is accurate. Many liberal scholars were highly skeptical of Luke’s historical accuracy, but research has helped to establish the trustworthiness of Luke’s material. There is no reason to think that the recorded sermons are not faithful summaries of what was preached. All historical reporting is selective and interpretive. Luke does not write history in a contemporary sense, but he is an accurate first-century historian.

At first, the crucifixion of Jesus destroyed the hopes of the disciples that he was the Messiah and that the Kingdom was about to dawn. Something happened, though, that totally transformed them a few days later. They claimed that Jesus was raised from the dead. It was the resurrection that they bore witness to, and it was the center of their message. God’s program of salvation led up to the cross and resurrection. Without the resurrection, faith was said to be futile. The resurrection is a miracle, and the Scriptures record it as an objective fact.

A good historical case can be made to counter skepticism and to establish that the resurrection actually occurred. Alternative explanations for all of the data fail to be persuasive and leave more questions than answers. The resurrection is what propelled the life and growth of the church. It was not an existential, religious, or spiritual event alone: it was a physical event where Jesus was bodily raised. It was not merely a reviving of a corpse, but the entering into of glorified life. Eschatology broke into space-time history in the resurrection. Jesus’ resurrection body was physical, but it belonged to the Age to Come.

Acts contains the earliest interpretation of the life and work of Jesus. It focused on Jesus’ death, resurrection, and exaltation. His death is seen as an atonement for sin, which was part of the redemptive plan of God. Jesus acts as the Servant and Messiah. “Christ” becomes a prominent title. In the resurrection, unexpectedly the future age broke into the present. The phrase “the Kingdom of God” is not nearly as prominent in Acts as it was in the Synoptics, but the idea of the Kingdom in the present and in its future consummation is not absent. In the ascension, Jesus is exalted in glory to the right hand of the Father.

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A THEOLOGY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, by George Eldon Ladd

Eerdmans, 1993 | 764 pages

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