This is one of those pointless 'favourite books' posts. Pointless, as if I were to sit down tomorrow and try the list again, I would change my mind on not a few. And my categories are completely arbitrary – literally made up on the spot. I.e. I could have covered many more. What is more, such lists say more about me than the books in question. These points aside, here are my favourites from a number of subjects relating to the NT and theology; my favourites, at least, as I think off of the top of my head the first Sunday evening of November 2007.
- My favourite biblical commentary: Anthony Thiselton's NIGTC commentary on 1 Corinthians, with Dunn's Galatians commentary second
- My favourite book on the historical Jesus: N.T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God. This is my absolute favourite book of all time, actually. Second comes Richard Bauckham's Jesus and the Eyewitnesses
- My favourite book on NT eschatology: Andrew Perriman's The Coming of the Son of Man. There are only a few books that have made me think as much as this one.
- My favourite Pauline Theology generally: James Dunn's The Theology of the Apostle Paul.
- My favourite work on Pauline theology generally from a limited perspective (if you know what I mean): Westerholm's Perspectives Old and New on Paul.
- My favourite biblical scholarship history: Kümmel's The New Testament: The history of the investigation of its problems
- My favourite NT introduction: Either deSilva's An Introduction to the NT, or Schnelle's volume.
- My favourite work on the nature of scripture: John Goldingay, Models for Scripture. Enns Inspiration and Incarnation is second. I'm yet to read Webster's contribution.
- Favourite work relating to NT Christology: Mehrdad Fatehi's The Spirit's Relation to the Risen Lord in Paul. Second comes Larry Hurtado's Lord Jesus Christ. Of course, on Paul's Christology, second comes Fee's Pauline Christology.
- Favourite work by on the emergent church: Ray Anderson's An Emergent Theology for an Emergent Church. Though Brian McLaren's Generous Orthodoxy is a close second. I am presently reading Otherways, by Andrew Perriman which could end up my favourite in this category too.
- My favourite collection of essays relating to the NT: Rudolf Bultmann's Glauben und Verstehen (vol. I-IV)
- My favourite introduction to the Christian faith: Rowan Williams' Tokens of Trust.
- My favourite polemic work on Christian Theology in the last ten years: David Bentley Hart's The Beauty of the Infinite. This has been on my menu recently and I cannot recommend it more highly. Make sure you understand the basics of Derrida and his ilk, and you will LOVE it.
- My favourite collection of sermons: Jüngel's win hands down.
- My favourite systematic theology: This is difficult, as the one I most enjoy reading I have not finished (and won't do so for a long time), namely Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics. But with that understood, I still don't think I can say any other. I simply love reading Barth's CD!
- My favourite book on universalism: Gregory MacDonald's The Evangelical Universalist.
- My favourite work on judgment in Paul: Konradt's Gericht und Gemeinde
- My favourite book on NT Pneumatology: Max Turner's The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Gifts, then and Now
- My favourite book on Christian Zionism: I've recently been reading a pro Zionist book by Barry E. Horner, namely Future Israel: Why Christian Anti-judaism Must Be Challenged. It has been helpful in some ways, but I have a number of criticisms I will post here at some stage. My favourite remains Steve Motyer's Israel in the Plan of God.
- My favourite book on theodicy: David Bentley Hart's The Doors of the Sea
I'll stop now before I go back over what I've written and change my mind.
12 comments:
Definitely deSilva. I love his introduction. I've loved it since my sophomore year of college.
Thus by implication, I also love his Honor Patronage Kinship and Purity, which is an illuminating read.
How 'bout a favourite book of the NT? OT? 2TJ? First three Xian centuries?
Your not a Christian Zionist are you?
Danny, (You're) not a Christian Zionist are you? would be the correct English to ask that question.
Please, all of you "scholars"...take a little time when writing...Your students need to learn how to use it and they certainly need to lean how to spell.
Reading the recommendation of David deSilva's intro to the NT and Mike Aubrey's statement that it has been a favorite since college just makes me feel old!!
I published an article by David when he was still an M.Div. student in the now defunct student run Fuller Seminary journal Studia Biblia et Theologica. I was the journal's final editor! I believe that was David's first article -- way back in 1989!!!
Thanks Mike. David was here in Tübingen for a while - a very clever chap. I'll try to read the book you mention at some stage as I, too, find myself very impressed by anything he writes.
Good point JB - I'll have a think about that.
Danny, I am not, no. But I try to keep an open mind - and Christian Zionist friends of mine try to persuade me otherwise. Perhaps the will one day suceed. But I doubt it.
Crikey Bob, you old sake of bones!
Nick, I apologise for renching you from your drug enduced ecstacy.
I could respond by saying that Hurtado has long argued that his thesis concerning Christ devotion replace Christology. I think he is on to something but I hope my thesis makes something more profound of this suggestion. But I am afraid that Mehrdad's book is, in my humble view, better still. You will love it! Of curse, I am biased. I know Mehrdad personally. But still!
I just followed your link, Nick!!!!!!! You are crazy, man!!! This needs response!
"Perhaps the will one day suceed."
Please, all of you "scholars"...take a little time when writing...Your students need to learn how to use it and they certainly need to lean how to spell.
ben/anonymous:
Do they need to "lean" how to spell, or "learn" how to spell? Touche.
Different anonymous
Not pointless at all Chris. The way I get book recommendations is browsing through people's favorite lists. If I see a book recommended in several different places or from someone whose opinion I can trust, I add it to my reading list. So thanks.
Point taken, Alex. Thanks.
My favourite systematic theology: This is difficult, as the one I most enjoy reading I have not finished (and won't do so for a long time), namely Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics. But with that understood, I still don't think I can say any other. I simply love reading Barth's CD!
Last week I decided that if I were a true Barth fan boy, I needed to read the whole thing and not just hop around. I figure if I can cover 20 pages a day it will only take me about a year. (That's in English, BTW. German would probably take me 20 years.)
Those that hate Barth have not read Barth. There's a jewel on practically every page.
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