EXPLORING THE NEW TESTAMENT: THE LETTERS AND REVELATION

Written by Howard Marshall, Stephen Travis and Ian Paul Reviewed By Gordon Campbell

This user-friendly book is the companion to another devoted to the Gospels and Acts. Here, Marshall, Travis and Paul offer teachers of NT a manual designed to help first and second year theology or religious studies students engage with the NT text. Written by seasoned teachers for fellow-teachers and students, the book’s methods and meterials have largely been tried and tested on students taught, over the years, by Marshall in Aberdeen or Travis in Nottingham. The 21 chapters, each using the format of the first Volume, include discussion questions which students might pursue for seminars, as well as more formal essay topics and up-to-date reading lists.

Before inviting the student to enter the world evoked by these ancient letters, Travis gives a helpful introduction to politics, society and ideas in the first century. After this taster, two thirds of the book are not surprisingly given over to Paul. Following a short introduction by Travis to NT letters in general, Marshall provides ten thoughtful chapters on the individual pauline letters, bracketed by some important and helpful preliminaries about paul, his letters and life together with a digest of what the letters tell us of Paul’s thought as a missionary theologian. Finally, the two scholars draw some conclusions about interpretation and authorship.

Here are some personal reactions to the section on Paul. The introduction to the first readers and the main topics of 1 Corinthians is excellent. The discussion of page walk through the text are very helpful. The tricky introductory issues affecting Galatians are handled well. Philemon is dealt with imaginatively but disproportionately (as much attention as each Thessalonian letter receives). The chapter on Colossians does a better job in helping the student read the letter than the one on Ephesians which gets bogged down by the authorship controversy and undersells the theological wealth of Ephesians. Similarly, the treatment of 2 Corinthians is strong on partition theories or on issues relating to Paul’s apostleship at Corinth, but disappointing on the letter’s contents. Marshall’s expertise on the Pastorals, however, makes for a nuanced treatment of the authorship and situation of these letters.

In the book’s other major section Travis groups the remaining NT letters in five chapters (2 Pet./Jude and 1, 2, 3 John have one each). They are allocated about as much space as was devoted to Paul’s core letters to Rome, Corinth and Philippi. There is solid help, for example for reading Hebrews and understanding its argument, while a fine chapter on James is marred only by the odd omission of any reference to the letter’s eschatological horizons. The chapter on 1 Peter is particularly full of questions for the thoughtful student to chew on.

The volume’s final contribution is from Ian Paul, on the Revelation to John (the author wrote a doctoral thesis on metaphor in Revelation). Paul addresses what he calls a ‘vacuum of understanding’ which has led to misuse of the book over the centuries. To help as the void, he deals not only with historical issues or notorious riddles but with language and genre, similar apocalyptic writings, structure and composition or how to interpret image, symbol and metaphor. Most readers will especially appreciate Paul’s guidance on how to get from Revelation’s text to today’s world without falling into some very old traps.

The authors’ English style is that of today’s classroom; clarity and informality are the hallmarks and they make this book a joy to read—quite a feat when the topic is New Testament Introduction! What a pity this teacher and his students work in French.


Gordon Campbell

Belfast