NT THEOLOGY

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NT THEOLOGY

• THE BASIC QUESTIONS

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1. THEOLOGY OR HISTORY?

• 1.1 The early history of the discipline
• 1.1.1 Melancthon
• 1.1.2 Protestant Thinkers
• 1.1.3 German Pietism
• 1.1.4 Rationalism
• 1.2. The Challenges of Gabler, Wrede, and
  Raisanen.

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1.2.1 Johan Philipp Gabler

• J. P. Gabler delivered his 1787 inaugural address
  at the University of Altdorf on The Proper
  Distinction Between Biblical and Dogmatic
  Theology and the Specific Objectives of Each, an
  address which most historians see as a
  significant milestone in the development of
  biblical theology.
• BT must be a two-part task.

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1.2.2 William Wrede

• German NT scholar. Wrede is noted primarily for
  his book, The Messianic Secret in the Gospels
  (1901). His studies with Adolf Harnack and
  Albrecht Ritschl were influential for his role in
  developing the Religionsgeschichtliche Schule
  (history of religions school) at the University
  of Göttingen.
• Concluded that NTT is wrong in both its terms.
• Coined the term messianic secret.

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1.2.3 Heikki Raisanen

• Took up Wredes cause in a work Beyond NTT
• One of the perplexities in reading the NT is that
  it seems to say contradictory things about the
  law. In fact, Raisanen makes this his central
  plank in his book on Pauls view of the law,
  contending that Pauls theology of the law is
  inconsistent and contradictory

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1.2.4 Common Elements (p. 25)

• The separation of the historical from the
  theological
• The priority of history over theology
• The illegitimacy of confining ones efforts to
  the Christian canon

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1.3 A Response to the Challenges

• 1.3.1 The issue of Canon p.28
• 1.3.2 The issue of presuppositions p. 30

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1.4 The Legitimacy of NTT

• A summary of the challenges
• A clear statement of the canon
• An admission of some validity
• A question of some importance

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2. DIVERSITY OR CONTRADICTION? P. 34

• 2.1 The Problem-Is there really a theology of
  the Bible or even of the NT for that matter?
• How can Peter say that God wants no one to perish
  (2 Peter 39) and yet Mark says that Jesus told
  some parables so that people would not understand
  (Mark 715, 19)?
• How can Paul say that none are slaves (Gal.
  328), yet tell slaves to obey their masters
  (Eph. 65)

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2.2 A Canon Within the Canon

• Some have solved this problem of diversity by
  appealing to some works as more important than
  others. p. 35
• This was held to by Bultmann, Kasemann and
  others.
• This is very problematic because it
• Is Subjective and individualistic-p. 37
• Fails to recognize the univerality of the Canon

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2.3 A Way Forward

• 2.3.1 The Tension as Evidence of Gods Nearness
• 2.3.2. The Tension as Evidence of Gods Otherness
• 2.4 NTT and Theological Diversity A Summary p.
  40

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3. HISTORY, THEOLOGY, UNITY, AND DIVERSITY IN THE
STUDY OF NTT

• Two challenges
• 3.1 The historian who thinks that NTT is
  hopelessly biased
• 3.2 The theologian who thinks that BT or NTT is
  hopelessly diverse