Available at: http://www.amazon.com/
Chapter 1: Why Study the New Testament, 20-35
The Bible is a high-stakes book.
People died for possessing the New Testament, be it during the Roman imperial persecutions or during the days of the Anglo-Italian domininion in Canterbury, York and London, e.g. Wycliffites and Tyndale. Even in our time, people risked their lives smuggling the Bible behind the Iron Curtain. Again, in our time, people suffer in Islamic countries for being Christian. Also, many believers in China long for a personal copy but availability is limited by government printing restrictions and import restrictions (that sounds like England until Edward VI).
And what do we see but neglect, cherry-picking, Montanism, liberalism and denials, Episcopalianism, dumbness in the Church of England and more? If there was no election, no grace and no divine initiative, we'd be toast.
With respect to respect for the Old Testament, another example of oppression and repression is evinced by the hostile Seleucid ruler, Antioches IV, in his Syrian over-lordship of Israel:
“…the king sent an Athenian senator [to Jerusalem] to compel the Jews to forsake the laws of their fathers and cease to live by the laws of God, and also to pollute the temple in Jerusalem and call it the temple of the Olympian Zeus…Harsh and utterly grievous was the onslaught of evil. For the temple was filled with debauchery and reveling by the Gentiles, who dallied with harlots and had intercourse with women within the sacred precincts…It happened also that seven [Jewish] brothers and their mother were arrested and were being compelled by the king, under torture with whips and cords, to partake of unlawful swine’s flesh. One of them, acting as their spokesman, said, `What do you intend to ask and learn from us? For we are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our fathers.’ The king fell into a rage, and gave orders than pans and caldrons be heated. These were heated immediately, and he commanded that the tongue of their spokesman be cut out and that they scalp him and cut off his hands and feet, while the rest of the brothers and the mother looked on. When he was utterly helpless, the king ordered them to take them to the fire, still breathing, and to fry him in a pan. The smoke from the pan spread widely, but the brothers and their mother encouraged one another to die nobly, saying, `The LORD God is watching over us and in truth has compassion on us, as Moses declared…’” (2 Macc. 6.1-2a, 3-4a; 7.1-6a)
Yes, the Bible is a high-stakes affair.
So, why study the New Testament? Elwell offers three reasons: (1) it mediates God’s presence, (2) it’s of ultimate personal experience, and (3) it’s the foundation of cultural literacy.
We would have amplified on the Trinity and divine inspiration with historical references from Churchmen, Confessions, and BCP allusions; it is clear we are dealing with an "evangelical perspective" that lacks these sensibilities; we will not tolerate these absences; on the other hand, we have a classical perspective on Biblical authority, presupposing God, yet lacking churchly theocentricity. Notice the "anthropomorphic orientation" in his three answers. We are certainly in the house of friends with this book, but we may not--yeah, we will not--surrender our historic Reformed Confessional and liturgical orientation. It would have been easy to cite a goodly tract from a Reformed catechism and prayer from the BCP, but we get neither.
Yet, to the volume's credit, divine inspiration, afflatus and empowerment are asserted by these memorials:
John 14.26: “ But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
John 15.26-27: “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.”
John 16.12-14: “ I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”
A good quote by the Iron-willed Bishop of Alexandria, Athanasius, is ordered up and appreciated:
“There must be no hesitation to state again the [books] of the New Testament; for they are these: Four Gospels: according to Matthew, according to Mark, according to Luke, and according to John. Further, after these, also [The] Acts of [the] Apostles, and the seven so-called Catholic Epistles of the Apostles, as follows: One of James, but two of Peter, then, three of John, and after these, one of Jude. In addition to these there are fourteen Epistles of the Apostle Paul put down in the following order: The first to the Romans, then two to the Corinthians, and after these, [the Epistles] to the Galatians, and then to the Ephesians; further, [the Epistles] to the Philippians and to the Colossians and two to the Thessalonians, and the [Epistle] to the Hebrews. And next two [letters] to Timothy, but one to Titus, and the last [being] one to Philemon. Moreover, also the Apocalypse of John…” (Athanasius, c. A.D. 296-373)
Respect, analysis, lively faith, and obedience have resulted in transmission of the text. Prof. Elwell commendably notes: “The New Testament is by far the best-attested writing of classical antiquity” (emphasis in original, 28).
There are in Greek:
• 96 uncials (on papyrus made of reeds)
• 299 uncial manuscripts catalogued, that is, in capital letters on leather/vellum
• 2812 miniscule manuscripts evincing Byzantium writing c. 9th century
• 2281 lectionaries
There are also translations in Syriac, Latin and Coptic. There are 8000 Latin manuscripts, for example.
So, why study the New Testament?
Prof. Elwell tries a few more reasons and suggests: (1) it corrects or challenges “preformed personal opinions,” (2) it avoids a “misguided reliance on the Holy Spirit” [claiming the Holy Spirit while, in effect, protecting a personal and misguided view] and (3) it facilitates a “historical-theological” interpretation, affording a basis for thinking that accords with authorial intent.
The Professor might well have expanded: (1) root out error, bias, and prejudice grounded in our depravity, dullness and prejudiced, (2) avoid mysticism, enthusiasm, Pentebillism and claims to support from the Holy Spirit while missing the claims of the text, and (3) a “historical-theological-confes
He’s appears to be addressing--without direct citations-- some problems in the evangelical world by the way he approaches this; he evidently is not Confessionally or liturgically oriented; but, prima facie, this is an excellent chapter.
We are pondering the merit of the volume. It's suitable for high school students or a 100-200 level course. As such, this would have high value for the retooling and re-education of the Archbishop of Canterbury and all ACNA "Clerks [bishops] of a stout presbytery." This should form this basis for stiff "entrance" exams to seminary.
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