Challenges to New Testament Theology: An Attempt to Justify the Enterprise | Peter Balla

book: Challenges to New Testament Theology: An Attempt to Justify the Enterprise | Peter Balla

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Challenges to New ...

	Challenges to New Testament Theology: An Attempt to Justify the Enterprise Peter Balla Hendrickson Publishers, 1998 - 279 pages average customer review:based on 1 review view larger image
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Balla surveys and examines the challenges facing any attempt to write a New Testament theology and offers his own program for justifying such an undertaking. With a view toward uncovering a basic unity in the theology of the New Testament, Balla maps how the historian may indeed describe the theological content of the New Testament. He asserts that orthodoxy was not a later development but Christianity in its earliest form. He further avers that the canonÂ?s formation was not the result of a late decision; rather, it can be traced to moorings in the first century. Sure to be controversial, Challenges to New Testament Theology holds great promise as a textbook in New Testament courses and as a starting point in the scholarly discussion of the topic.

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Good, but technical

Balla's book is, in my opinion, an excellent book. It deals with the various arguments against the concept of a New Testament Theology systematically and thoroughly. Balla does a good job throughout to not overstate his case. In a number of instances, he acknowledges that a particular challenge cannot be completely swept away. In these cases, he shows that there is, however, an alternative means of understanding the data, such that the challenge is weakened. This is a sign of humility in writing, of which we need much more.

However, I only rated Balla'a book 4 stars for two reasons. First, it often assumes a background in the subject matter. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because Balla can simply move beyond the basic matter without using unnecessary space. However, the potential reader or buyer should be aware of the fact. Second, and more importantly, Balla utilizes many quotes from the original sources that he is arguing against, many of which are in German. Balla neither summarizes the points nor provides even a rough translation. Therefore, it is difficult to assess his point and his argument without a reading knowledge of German. While this is par for the course in Biblical Studies, it does significantly restrict the audience that will find this book helpful.

On the whole, this is an excellent book on the topic. However, readers should be aware of the challenges in reading the book.

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