New Testament Theology: Extending the Table.

Weaver, Dorothy Jean

New Testament Theology: Extending the Table. By Jon M. Isaak. Eugene, Ore.: Cascade Books. 2011. Pp. 381. $44.

Here is a solid, rich, and delightfully accessible resource for scholars, seminary students, and laypersons committed to serious study of the New Testament. In this volume Jon Isaak seeks "to write a NT theology in a popular format that is historically rigorous in its reconstruction of the NT voices ... theologically grounded in Jesus's story as witnessed by the NT writers..., and thematically constructive for the church in its ongoing witness to the watching world" (xviii, emphasis Isaak's). Isaak comes to this task from a perspective that he describes as "anabaptist-evangelical," based on an

  optimism about human transformation as a
  journey of growth and development including
  commitments to community building, nonviolent
  peacemaking, and lifelong discipleship--a few
  of the key anabaptist ideals; [and on the] deep
  conviction that such transformation is best
  rooted in a personal connection to Jesus...
  the one who was uniquely grounded in the
  active pursuit of the mission of God to
  reconstitute the people of God for the
  transformation of all creation--a key
  evangelical ideal (xii, emphasis Isaak's).

In methodological terms Isaak identifies his New Testament theology both as "descriptive in that it deals with the accounts that the NT writers narrate of their experience with Yahweh" and as "constructive in that it joins the diverse testimonies of these writers into a textured and thick space" (xi, emphasis Isaak's). In line with this dual approach Isaak frames his volume metaphorically as a theological conference at which the New Testament writers first sit around a conference table and speak descriptively, each in turn, of "their driving vision or passion" (20): chapter 3: "The Theological Contribution of Paul"; chapter 4; "The Theological Contribution of the Synoptic Gospel Writers"; chapter 5: "The Theological Contribution of the Johannine Traditions"; and chapter 6; "The Theological Contribution of the Remaining Canonical Witnesses."

Then, following a "Conference Intermission" (chapter 7), which points toward the constructive task ahead, Isaak, the conference moderator, organizes the respective contributions of the New Testament writers constructively around standard theological rubrics: chapter 8: "Christology: The Person and Work of Messiah Jesus"; chapter 9: "Revelation: God's Self-Disclosure to Humanity and All Creation"; chapter 10: "Theology: God-Talk and Imagination"; chapter 11: "Anthropology: What It Means to Be Human"; chapter 12: "Pneumatology: God's Living Presence through the Resurrected Lord"; chapter 13: "Ecclesiology: The Identity and Mission of the Gathered Messianic Community of God"; and chapter 14: "Lsehatology: Picturing the Goal and Completion of Creation."

The strengths of Isaak's volume are many. Prominent among these strengths is Isaak's clear commitment to a holistic, textuallv-based, and community-oriented theological effort. Isaak's criteria for his own volume stipulate, among other things, a New Testament theology which is "firmly rooted in the language of the XT writings themselves" (16), which "incorporate[s] in some way all the theologies represented in the XT" (16), which is a "theology of the whole Christian Bible," without restricting Old Testament study to the search for christological evidence (17), and which "emergens] from and also shape[s] local ecclesial communities of biblical interpretation" (17).

Isaak's scholarship is indeed rigorous, even as he writes in accessible fashion for a potentially or partially non-academic readership. Isaak's solid acquaintance with scholarly debate over the New Testament is readily visible in his discussion of such issues as Pauline theology (chapter 3), synoptic source theories (chapter 4), hermeneutical approaches to the Apocalypse of John (chapter 5), textual criticism of the New Testament manuscripts (chapter 7), and theological perspectives on the atonement (chapter 8). And Isaak's own analysis of varying theological perspectives is significantly thoughtful and perceptive throughout.

Structural features of Isaak's work provide helpful assistance for the scholar, student, and study group as well. Isaak's discussion, chapter by chapter, of the "theological vision" of each New Testament writer and the "thematic implications" emerging from the respective theologies of the writers provide focus and substance for the "conference table" discussion that Isaak seeks to moderate. And the "exercises" at the conclusion of each chapter--including questions, bibliographical tips, and background material--provide outstanding resources for further study and discussion.

Along with its manifest strengths, however, Isaak's work also raises issues that beg for greater resolution. More than once in his "constructive" chapters Isaak appeals to the way in which things are "usually" categorized within biblical theology: "Usually Christology is divided into two sections..." (238); "Usually the topic of revelation is divided into two sections..." (255). Such appeals to traditional categories beg the obvious question as to whether these "usual" modes of operation are adequate for the "constructive" task that Isaak sets for himself. Do these "usual" theological categories in fact grow organically out of the New Testament evidence? This is a pertinent question, given Isaak's self-identified "constructive" task, but a question that Isaak fails to engage.

Elsewhere, in spite of his stated commitment to a New Testament theology "firmly rooted in the language of the NT writings themselves" (16), Isaak occasionally draws conclusions that move beyond the language and the concepts of the writers in question. Speaking of the Gospel of Mark--which ends strategically at 16:8, before anyone has met the resurrected Jesus--Isaak surprisingly concludes that "in meeting the resurrected Jesus God offers a new chance for the world" (118). Discussing the Markan account of Jesus' return (13:26-27), Isaak identifies the paronsia as that time "when all people (both far and near) are compelled to acknowledge Jesus as Savior and Lord" (119), an event clearly depicted in Philippians 2:9-11 but nowhere envisioned within Mark's Gospel. And speaking of John's Apocalypse, Isaak curiously avoids specific reference to John's hallmark "Lamb" Christology, referring instead in 5:5 to "the exalted Messiah Jesus" as "the only one worthy 'to open the scroll' " (176).

Eastern Mennonite Seminary

DOROTHY JEAN WEAVER