Two Testaments to Tell: Biblical Theology and the Canonical Shape of the Gospel

Abstract

The relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament within the Christian Bible should be the defining focus of the discipline of biblical theology. This characterization provides a strong contrast with some historically oriented models of biblical theology and can also inform several intramural discussions within confessional approaches to the discipline. The viability of this large-scale exegetical inquiry can be seen in a stream of recent research that articulates a canonical approach to biblical theology. Several strategic passages in the New Testament also encourage this particular mode of biblical-theological reflection. An orienting focus on the relationship between the Testaments will not resolve every riddle in the discipline of biblical theology, but it can produce a gravitational pull that can hold together a diverse constellation of methodological commitments and theological conclusions.