What Is Biblical Theology?: A Guide to the Bible's Story, Symbolism, and Patterns

This is a great introductory level book into understanding the basics of theology. I have a BS in Biblical and Theological studies and wanted to read something to dive back into it for fun. I also teach High School ELA and appreciate the breakdown of the Bible as one would with teaching any of piece of literature; there are plenty of references in the text. Overall it took about 2 hours to read and will serve as a recommendation to beginner friends. Someone well studied in the field may find it boring but sometimes it’s good to revert back to the basics from time to time.As far as the physical book, delivered next day and no damage to it.

You can read my full review here: wp [.] me/p3JhRp-4Cspoiledmilks [.] wordpress [.] com/2013/10/28/review-of-what-is-biblical-theology-by-james-hamilton-jr/James Hamilton, Jr. does a wonderful job on simplifying the Bible's grand, overarching story in his new book. I often hear about how the Bible is a continuous story, but I often forget just how much of it really is a unified story. I forget to picture it with story qualities: episodes, themes, conflicts, victories, mystery, symbols, a protagonist, an antagonist, and many other mini-characters in other mini-settings.

TypologyHamilton explains the extra step of Typology over Symbolism. Typology doesn't have to be difficult or weird to understand. It's just what God typically does (p. 44). We have the initial occurrence of an event (the archetype), then we have the uphill climb (the installations) until the type finds fulfillment in its ultimate expression.

***The Chocolate Milk (what I liked)

***+This book clears up a number of the issues people have with biblical prophecy. How can Jesus say in John 13:18 that the one who eats His food will turn against Him according to the Scriptures (in Ps 41:9)? When you read Ps 41:9 it just says that the one who shared the author's food, who he trusted completely, has turned against him (my paraphrase).

Why was this scripture prophetic?

There's a recurring theme through the Bible to have your closest ally turn against you (Noah with Ham, Jacob and Esau, Jacob and Laban, Moses and Aaron, David and Saul, Jesus and Judas). Jesus is just fulfilling one of the messages of the grand story: someone very close to you is going to turn against you.

+ His chapter on Typology was great. His definition of it was super-easy to understand. Typology = what God typically does. As you can tell from the section above, I don't have much more to say about it here: I did appreciate it. I remember hearing about typology in high school and thinking it was a neat idea. As I got older I wondered what the base of it was. How can you tell what the typology is? Are we just making it up as we go or is there a clearer road to understanding the process? This section lays it out in layman's terms, which is just what I need.

+ The application of Chapter 13 "The Church's Plot Tension and It's Resolution" was highly favored. Why does the Church suffer? Because Christ suffered. He was hated for who He was, and we will be hated for the One we know and are united with. Satan is pursuing the same strategy with the church as He did Jesus. He thought he had the upper hand in the death of Jesus, but God accomplished victory with what looked like defeat. And He will do the same for us (Dan 7:23-27).***The Spoiled Milk (what I didn't like)***As great as I think this book is, there are some shortcomings in my view.

- Patterns: Hamilton reuses the Israel's Feasts and the Righteous Sufferer examples. These are good examples, but I would like to have seen more (I know they're in there). Otherwise it makes me wonder why there even had to be a "Patterns" chapter. Even in the beginning of the chapter he says patterns are almost the same as typology.

- I was disappointed in how short Chapter 12 (The Church's Setting in the Story) was (3 pages long). The temple is a symbol of the cosmos, and the church being the temple of the Spirit means that the church is a preview of what the world is going to become. It was a wonderful section on the place of the church in the Big Setting.

Thankfully, this was one of 4 chapters of Part 3 that makes up roughly 21 pages (in my version). Despite Part 3 itself not being very long, it still provided an adequate explanation of the purpose and place of the church in the setting of the Scriptures.
***Recommended?***This was a great book that introduces the overall themes of the Bible to it's reader. It's important to go book by book when studying the Bible, finding out what each passage really says as well as the book as a whole. But also important is how the entire Bible flows together. If it's important to know how we went from verse 1 to verse 10, it's equally important to know how we went from Genesis to Revelation. Hamilton doesn't give detail to every connection in this book, but he gives you a framework on which to start viewing the Bible.
[A big "thank you" to NetGalley and Crossway for allowing me to read and review this book before it came out. I was not obligated to give a positive review in return for reviewing my copy.]

I love Biblical Theology. I love it because Jim Hamilton inspired me to love it. I love it because it makes me love my Bible and the God that it reveals. I am privileged to have studied with Dr. Jim Hamilton at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Jim was not only my professor, but pastor, and friend. I could not have been more happy to see this little manual (128 pgs), What is Biblical Theology?, published because it gives me one more staring point in sharing the passion I learned from Jim for God’s Word with my friends.Biblical Theology, in my opinion, is the must important, foundational way of learning to read our Bible. As Jim says, “To do biblical theology is to think about the whole story of the Bible…[it is] understand[ing] the organic development of the Bible’s teaching so that we are interpreting particular parts of the story in light of the whole” (12). The Bible does this through the use of symbols, imagery, typology, and patterns. The result is one big narrative that encapsulates all of what God is doing in our world through the person of Christ. When rightly seen, the developing story of the Bible is far from being just a disjointed, multi-part fiction series; it is the framework for life and the worldview that God has given to His people. When we begin to take on the mind of the Biblical authors we begin to enter into the only story that matters.In What is Biblical Theology? Jim communicates an intense passion for the Word (and I would expect nothing less). It is in the Bible that we experience God. We come to know Him by learning to read well his revelation of Himself (20). And that is what Biblical Theology is, “learning to read the Bible from the Bible itself” (20). Jim’s main Hope is that after reading his work “you want more – more of the Bible” since it is the seat of God’s self-revelation (21).What is Biblical Theology? is broken up into three parts: part 1 recounts the Bible’s big story; creation, fall, redemption, restoration, part 2 explains the parlance of Biblical Theologians; what do they mean by symbols, imagery, typology, and patterns, and part 3 puts what the reader has learned to use as the Bible’s love story is laid out. What is really great about the whole book is that it is teaching you Biblical Theology by doing it throughout. Jim cannot describe Biblical typology without showing you amazing types in the Bible! Not only does he show you amazing connections in the Bible, but He applies their significance to life. This is Biblical Theology done well. I guarantee the reader will find something new about the word of God through Jim’s explanation of Biblical Theology. As an example, my mind was blown on page 51, where Jim describes the way Isaiah’s reflections on David influenced the writing of his prophecy of the suffering servant.The mystery and surprise to Jim’s work is its radical focus on the church! This is a really refreshing breath of air in the midst of an evangelical culture that regularly tears down the bride of Christ. Through good Biblical Theology modeled, Jim tackles the question, “If the church is so special in God’s program, why does it seems so unimpressive?” (97). I will leave the answer to this question for the reader to discover. Jesus will marry His righteous, redeemed bride.My only critique of What is Biblical Theology? is that those looking for a didactic cut and dry guide to Biblical theology may find themselves lost in the sea of imagery that is throughout the book. Jim loves the imagery of the Bible and cannot speak about the Bible or life but by talking in the Bible’s imagery about its imagery. This is the mark of a true Biblical Theologian! By nature of my relationship to Jim, I knew exactly what he was saying, but someone fresh to the discipline of Biblical Theology may find himself or herself grasping for an anchor. My advice for that reader is to take the ride. Relax in the imagery of the Bible and let it wash over your soul again and again until the Holy Spirit sets his anchor by giving you eyes to see and ears to hear.Hearing the big story of the Bible for the first time was my biggest take away from Seminary. I am saddened that I had to what so long for something so critical to the way I read my Bible. But you don’t have to go to seminary to get the story of the Bible. I highly encourage you to pick up What is Biblical Theology?. Biblical Theology helps Christians understand that the classic literature narrative of hope, salvation, and the defeat of evil is true! And God is the original author of this grand story line that we love! As Jim says, “Biblical Theology… [is] a way of getting out of a false world into the real one, a transporter enabling us to inhabit the story of the Scriptures” (97).

Really loved this book. For anyone getting started in biblical theology, this is a great place to start.My only complaint is that I was loving it so much, I wanted more. Would've loved for it to be a little longer.Fantastic work.

Easy to read and understanding

Eines der wichtigsten Schlüssel zum Verständnis der Bibel sie mit Vorstellungskraft zu lesen. Die Bibel waren eine lange Zeit nur auf begrenzten Schriftrollen verfügbar und besteht deshalb aus exzellenter kunstvoller inspirierenden Literatur und das beste ist... Die Geschichte die die Bibel erzählt ist auch noch wahr. Sie ist groß genug, dass wir mit unserem ganzen Leben einen Platz darin finden können.

disappointing

This is an unusually well-written introduction to biblical theology. The author has that rare gift of being a theologian who can communicate effectively. A great deal of learning has gone into what Hamilton writes. Often scholars seem to be wanting to impress other scholars in their verbosity without ever really getting to the point. But this book can be read in one or two sittings - yet, by the same token, there is much to chew and meditate on if the reader is willing to pay close attention to the richness of what Hamilton is presenting.For the 'big picture' of the Bible and its recurring themes and images, this book is superb. My only qualm was the author's emphasis on the state of the lost, to the glory of God. I'm not sure that this brand of Calvinism fits as naturally into biblical theology as a more UNIVERSALIST theme of God's grand purpose to redeem the entire creation in Christ; where there will be a New Jerusalem whose gates shall never be shut, and a river flowing with the tree of life on either side, whose leaves are for the healing of the nations. See Bradley Jersak: "Her Gates Shall Never Be Shut: Hope, Hell, and the New Jerusalem"; and Gregory MacDonald: "The Evangelical Universalist" for further details.

I returned the book. Not meeting my expectation.