James M. Hamilton, Jr.Recensioni

Comprehensive and informative overview of Jesus' teaching on the Spirit in John's Gospel. Good at setting in the context of the old testament, less convincing on the new. I didn't agree with all his conclusions - particularly his interpretation of Acts - much less his brief attempt at an application for today.

Taken for what this is, this is a very good book. So what is it? It is a short introduction to Biblical Theology--the theology of the biblical authors. Hamilton describes the Bible's 'big story,' its symbolic universe, and the place of the Church within the biblical story.

My favorite part of the book was part two, which focus on the 'symbolic universe.' Discussing the Bible's symbols, Hamilton gives a brief overview of some important biblical imagery (i.e. trees, roots, floods, etc). He also talks about the nature of typology in the Old Testament, where an archetype is paired with an 'escalation.' Patterns (like annual feasts or the righteous sufferer) illuminate various biblical themes.

I think this would be a good undergrad intro to biblical theology. However, I caution that it is overly simple. He synthesizes the theology of scripture but does not discuss the theologies (or theological emphases) in various books. He also doesn't explore every major theme in scripture but keeps his focus on how the biblical narrative tells the story of our redemption through Christ. I agree that this of central importance but I wished that he said something about economic justice which is a major stream running through both Testaments. He also seems to be fairly supersessionist in regard to Israel.

An excellent resource for obtaining a basic understanding of theology. This has given me. thirst to study my Bible more.

Summary: A true study of the biblical theology of Daniel, including its structure, key themes, how the book influences both early Jewish literature and the New Testament, and how it connects to key themes throughout scripture.

In this book, James M. Hamilton, Jr. sets out to give us an evangelical biblical theology of the book of Daniel. He begins by assuming a canonical approach to the book of Daniel, that Daniel would have had access to most of the works that preceded his, and he contends, against a significant part of the scholarly community for dating Daniel in the exile, and not in the Maccabean period of the second century B.C.

Working from these assumptions then, Hamilton sets out first to consider Daniel's contribution to the Old Testament picture of the history and future of the world, which is one that reflects the literary structure of exile and return, with the critical piece of the four kingdoms, the coming of the Son of Man, and the end of days including the 70 weeks. He considers the visions of Daniel 2-4, 7-8, and 10-12 and their meaning, the beastly powers that attempt to stamp out the people of God against which the faithful are to stand in hope. He then discusses the seventy weeks, with the persecution of the faithful and the ultimate victory of the son of man. With that he turns to the various heavenly figures throughout Daniel and considers which may be equated with the son of man, and actually determines that none can be definitively equated with him.

Chapters 7 to 9 then explore how the book of Daniel influenced early Jewish literature, the New Testament other than Revelation, and finally the use of and fulfillment of Daniel in Revelation. Hamilton argues that not only the language but also the structure of Revelation parallels that of Daniel.

I thought the final chapter the most interesting as Hamilton considers Daniel as part of the big story of all of scripture, considering the parallels of Daniel with Joseph in Egypt, Nehemiah, Esther, Jehoiachin, and finally Jesus. Daniel's life is a type as intercessor, one who "rises from the dead" and his message with the four kingdoms, during the last of which the kingdom of the son of man comes, in the sixty ninth week, as it were. Hamilton sees the seventieth week as divided into the first half, a long period of growth and witness, and a final tribulation the last three and a half days (a shorter time he argues) before the final victory of the son of man and the resurrection of the dead.

Whether or not one agrees with all of Hamilton's conclusions, what is most valuable in this book is the careful work in the structure and theology of Daniel, the appropriation of Daniel in later literature, and the place of Daniel within the canon of Scripture. Furthermore, Hamilton draws out Daniel's vision of history that is of great encouragement to faithfulness as kingdom advance is met with beastly resistance and brutal opposition. Daniel's faithful witness and prophetic word call us to a faithful witness that looks one way or the other to the Lord for deliverance from the lion's mouth, and for the final restoration of all things.

This is a wonderful resource for the student of scripture who wants to understand more deeply the inter-textual connections between Daniel and the rest of scripture. It is a valuable resource to those who would teach or preach this book and a good complement to any commentary in understanding the "big picture" of Daniel.

Is there a center around which the entire Bible can be organized and understood? James M. Hamilton Jr. believes that there in is and in this book he sets out to demonstrate that the center of Biblical theology is that there is an essential connection between salvation and judgment which consistently brings glory to God. It is a magisterial claim and I believe that Hamilton demonstrates it convincingly.

He begin with a chapter describing his thesis and then works through the various genres and sections of the Bible, beginning with the Old Testament and the Law and concluding with the New Testament and the Revelation to John. Each book of the Bible is gone through in a systematic manner, allowing Hamilton to show that not only is the Bible a unified book but it is a book unified around a very particular theme. He closes with a chapter addressing several arguments against his thesis and a final chapter of practical and pastoral application.

I am a pastor of the Calvinist persuasion and fond of the work of continental Reformed theologians such as Calvin, Turretin, a Brakel and Bavinck, as well as Old Princeton, so that he idea of God's glory being central in all things is something I identify with. The result is that reading this book was like preaching to the choir, as if I was sitting with the conductor of an orchestra who was showing me the coherence of the score. Pastors and theologians identified with other traditions, or having a more of a social justice understanding of their ministry, would likely find Hamilton's work lacking and something they might desire to continually push back against. And I would suggest that they open their Bible, read the areas relevant to his writing, read their Bible again, and let God's Spirit be their teacher. They might be pleasantly surprised at the beauty of the Biblical canvas when seen from the center of glory in salvation through judgment.

God's Glory in Salvation Through Judgment for children!!!...well, probably not. But it sure is close! I was super-excited when I saw this book on Amazon and bought it, in part, to ensure my Free Super Saver Shipping(you know you've bought stuff for that reason before!).

I am so glad I did. While I did not expect a Biblical Theology for children, I was pleasantly surprised to find something so robust and so simple for children....and honestly for me. I truly think that a great sermon series could be created from simply following the outline of this book!!

The Bible's Big Story takes kids from the Creation to Consummation, teaching the grand narrative of Scripture in a rhyming fashion. The Scripture references included make this a nice guide to use in family devotions with younger children and helps kids see the bigger picture in one sitting.

The rhymes are memorable and implant core truths into the minds of our kids: "On the cross he paid for sin, Jesus, Savior of all men." "From the grave he rose again, Conquering death and hell and sin."

Based on the format, this would be ideal for memorizing and we are considering how to utilize it in a Sunday School/Home-school Co-op type setting. This is a really good book and I feel very blessed to have stumbled upon it how I did and am thankful to Dr. Hamilton and Christian Focus Publications for writing and publishing this book.

God’s Glory in Salvation Through Judgment is a book I have wanted to read for a long time. Actually, it is a book I have wanted to and attempted to read multiple times. It has just been a bit overwhelming. It is long and it covers a topic, biblical theology, that is a bit foreign to me. I have been intrigued by the topic and especially his premise of the unifying theme of Scripture. But it has just been a mountain of a book that I have not been willing/able to ascend.

Boy was I excited when I heard about Hamilton’s new book, What is Biblical Theology. I was excited to see a short book written as an introduction to Biblical Theology from Hamilton’s perspective. This was a book that I had high expectations of and I was not disappointed.
As in his extensive biblical theology, Hamilton argues that the theme of the entire Bible is the glory of god on salvation through judgement. Bur before we understand this, it would be good to know just what Hamilton means when he says “biblical theology”.

To summarize, by the phrase biblical theology I mean the interpretive perspective reflected in the way the biblical authors have presented their understanding of earlier Scripture, redemptive history, and the events they are describing, recounting, celebrating, or addressing in narratives, poems, proverbs, letters, and apocalypses.

This is not some abstract theological study for seminarians and book reviewers who read just because. Biblical theology is the study of how the Bible authors interpret the Bible and, thus, how all Christians should interpret the Bible.

What I’m suggesting is that the Bible teaches Christians how the Bible should be read. Studying biblical theology is the best way to learn how to read the Bible as a Christian should. By the same token, studying the Bible is the best way to learn biblical theology.

Hamilton divides his book up into three parts: the Bible’s big story, the Bible’s symbolic universe, and the Bible’s love story—story, symbol, and church. Not only does Hamilton cover the narratives of Scripture, he shows how the Bible’s stories and our stories fit within God’s story. The narratives in the Bible are placed within the narrative of the Bible to help show the unity and purpose of all that is and to help remind us that all creation is the theatre of God, created to display His glory. Hamilton shows the setting, characters, and plot of God’s great story and how this relates to us and our life.

This might be a good place to emphasize how pastoral this book is. Is this book written by an academic? Certainly. Dr. Hamilton is a top-notch theologian and you can tell in this work and others. But this work is also written by a pastor and his pastor’s heart shows up throughout. This is not a book that deals solely in speculation and theory, What is Biblical Theology is academically stimulating, but it is immensely practical and pastoral. There are numerous occasions where Dr. Hamilton will be covering an aspect of typology or imagery or expounding on a certain plotline of Scripture and the pastor in him bursts through the academia and his desire to exhort the reader to greater faith, love, obedience, confidence, etc. is expressed with clear passion and concern. In this way it reminds me of Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church by Michael Lawrence but with Hamilton’s emphasis on the theme of God’s glory in salvation through judgment as central to interpretation.

As I emphasize the academic nature of the work I definitely have to clarify. Hamilton has written this for the Christian, not the academic. He does not bog the reader down with jargon and debate and he does not dive into complexities and nuance. This work is not exhaustive so it is not exhausting. If you want to dive into the deep end of Biblical theology, God’s Glory in Salvation Through Judgment is what you want. If you, like most of us, feel the need to wade in and test the waters, What is Biblical Theology will definitely give you a taste for biblical theology and whet your appetite for more of this discipline and this author.

The apostle Paul once wrote to young Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16). While we may nod our heads in agreement with this verse, many in ministry have abandoned preaching of the book of Revelation to those more inclined to controversy. Just the notion of preaching through the book of Revelation tends to bring to mind the wild-eyed preacher pronouncing judgment and warning his hearers of the danger of the mark of the Beast.

In Revelation: The Spirit Speaks to the Churches, James Hamilton (Associate Professor of Biblical Theology at Southern Seminary) presents a compelling alternative by modeling for the reader an expositional sermon series through the book of Revelation. Rather than striving to identify the Anti-Christ (or the Beast, False Prophet, or Great Harlot) in modern society – a practice that is all too common and equally unhelpful – Hamilton pores through the text, seeking to reveal God’s primary message to the churches to whom it was first penned.

“God wants us to know the glory of his mercy and his justice, and that is what we see in Revelation: history culminates in climactic demonstrations of the glory of God in salvation through judgment” (18).

Revelation, then, is not about the Anti-Christ, the Beast, the False Prophet, or the Great Harlot. Neither is it primarily about the Two Witnesses, the Sealed 144,000, the Seven Seals, Seven Bowls, or Seven Trumpets. The Four Horsemen and the number 666 all play minor, bit-roles in the Apocalypse. Revelation is focused on presenting the mercy and justice of God as He brings to a head all of the wrongs of the world and pours out his righteous judgment upon them all. His enemies shall be judged, and his redeemed shall be vindicated. Revelation is about the glory and majesty of Christ.
Critique

This is a collection of expositional sermons through the book of Revelation. As such, it is not a technical commentary that extensively interacts with the text in its original language. Neither is it a pastoral commentary that provides helps for crafting sermons out of the text. That simply is not the intent of this series. That does not diminish the value of such a series, but those seeking a technical series will be disappointed.

In commentaries written in this manner, one may often find the footnotes (or, in this case, endnotes) to be as helpful as the sermon transcript itself. Many times, the author chooses to interact with the original languages and reveal his studies in this manner. Hamilton, at times, presents the reader with a helpful interaction with commentaries and languages, but at others leaves his readers longing for more – more interaction with the Greek, more discussion on contested doctrinal emphases, more sources to point someone desiring to study further.

This commentary is well-done, and an extremely helpful work in an extremely needed arena. Hamilton has the skill to combine scholarly acumen with pastoral wisdom. For those desirous of an example of preaching through Revelation, this commentary is highly recommended.

Bible, O.T. Commentary

This eBook, which I will refer to in this brief review as "?", is a critique of and answer to Matthew Vines' "God and the Gay Christian."
Vines' reinterprets (actually, misinterprets) Scripture based on his sexual desires, and the authors of "?" unequivocally succeed at revealing Vine's lack of proficiency with Scripture and his failure to convince.
As the authors point out, the defense of same-sex marriage is a denial of gender complementarity, which is logically prior to denying sexual complementarity.
But the refutation is gracious and un-bigoted. (It is a common tactic to label as bigots those who are opposed to redefining marriage and family to suit sexual preference.)
Vines stands on the graves of Paul, Peter, Tertullian, Luther, Calvin, and millions of Christians who have been faithful witnesses to the truths of Scripture by recasting six major texts of the Bible in his homosexual mold (Genesis 19:5; Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9; and 1 Timothy 1:10). His poor exegetical and linguistic skills are easy prey to the Christian in complete armor.
To stand steadfastly against error is faithfulness, not obstinacy. To accept the current movement within Evangelicalism in favor of same-sex unions is unreasonable, that is, contrary to sound reason in defense of heterosexual marriage as taught from Genesis to Revelation and understood by the Church for 6 millennia. This short eBook does a magnificent job of distilling the arguments and revealing Vines' errors.

The eBook is free at http://sbts.me/ebook