The New Biblical Theology Movement

The New Biblical Theology Movement

Lindsay ROBERTSON

There has been a recent resurgence of interest in Biblical Theology in the evangelical and Reformed traditions. The common element is the centrality of Christology in controlling hermeneutics and homiletics. Scripture (both Old and New Testaments) needs to be read as Christian Scripture and therefore as a unity, with a sense of it being one book, with an overall “theological continuity” (Childs). This paper, while describing the nature and rise of this Biblical Theology movement, discusses these two prime issues of contention: Scripture's unity and its Christological centre. Various presuppositions are discussed with implications for practice in interpretation. Modern approaches to the function of narrative add new dimensions to our appreciation of the working of the biblical narratives and their unity (Wright, Vanhoozer, etc.). Unity rests, in the end, on the person of Christ. Scripture should be understood in a Christian, Trinitarian and theological way. The paper concludes with reflections on the nature of Scripture.