New Testament

Review: The Vision of Ephesians

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Cover image of "The Vision of Ephesians" by N.T. Wright

The Vision of Ephesians

The Vision of Ephesians, N.T. Wright. Zondervan Academic (ISBN: 9780310172505) 2025.

Summary: Ephesians as a vision of the church between creation and consummation as God’s small working model of new creation.

In recent years, N.T. Wright has been revisiting books of scripture on which he has written previously. He has written new, and briefer texts on Acts and a portion of Romans. Here, Wright turns to Ephesians, and as he has returned to it, has been struck with its visionary character. It reaches back to creation and before, and forward to the consummation of all things in Christ. And in the midst of all this are both the glory of Christ and of his body on earth, the church.

In particular, he centers on the vocation of the church. In chapters 1-3 of Ephesians he sees God’s purpose as displaying his glory through the church’s life. And then, chapters 4-6 focus on the mission of the church, accomplished through its unity and holiness. Rather than focus on specific problems, Paul offers an expansive vision both of Christ and the church. This may reflect the letter’s likely circular nature.

Wright covers the book in nine chapters. His approach is not verse by verse but by sections and paragraphs. Often, Wright will set the passage under discussion in the context of biblical history, the cultural backgrounds of second temple Judaism, and Greco-Roman culture. This background will often take up nearly half a chapter.

Wright offers some interesting insights. For example, discussing Ephesians 2 under the theme of the new temple, he observes how the new temple theme is what unites the “old” perspective of justification of verses 1-10 and the “new” perspective of covenant inclusion in one new man. He eloquently captures the wonder of the doxology of 3:20-21 that speaks of glory in the church and Christ Jesus, where we are “being thrust on stage to link arms with Jesus and take a bow before the whole redeemed creation.”

His treatment of unity portrays well a spirit-enabled unity amidst diversity. He gets more challenging as he moves into the realm of sexual ethics. While not explicitly mentioning LGBTQ+ persons, he writes of “a desire to be a different kind of human from the one you were born as. That is a form of Gnosticism, rejecting the goodness of creation itself. It is (as we all know) widespread in the Western world today, as distorted desires twist themselves into ever more bizarre shapes” (p. 105). No matter one’s stance on sexual ethics, many would regard this characterization as both pastorally insensitive and as a polemical caricature. In a brief commentary, dealing with a biblical text that does not address explicitly LGBTQ+ sexuality, it might be asked why this was included.

This contrasts with a much more thoughtful discussion of mutual submission in the household code material, recognizing how Paul, while not overtly challenging role distinctions, subverts them with the ethic of the one new people. Finally, in discussing the spiritual battle in 6:10-20, Wright helpfully observes that sharing Christ’s royal status in the heavenly places does not exempt us from battle. Also, how we fight is important, not with flesh and blood or earthly weapons.

There is much of value in anything Wright writes. Yet, I wish he would have gone into greater depth at many points in unpacking the text. Still, I believe Wright succeeds in casting an elevated vision of the church in the grand purposes of God. Many churches seem to think they can only be significant if linked to a political agenda. Wright reminds us of the glory we share with Christ. He points to our incredible privilege to demonstrate the grace of God and the new creation. What could be better than this?

Review: Under Her Wings

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Cover image of "Under Her Wings" by Jennifer Houston McNeel

Under Her Wings

Under Her Wings, Jennifer Houston McNeel. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802885081) 2025.

Summary: A comprehensive study of the mothers mentioned in the New Testament as well as references to motherhood.

What is one topic in biblical studies for which there is significant material but little scholarship? Jennifer Houston McNeel contends that mothers and motherhood is one of those. Some has to do with the space mothers are given in male-written and dominated texts. And then there is the historic dominance of men in preaching and scholarship. This book is an important step in redressing this imbalance. McNeel undertakes a comprehensive study of the mothers who appear in the pages of the New Testament as well as the references, often metaphorical, to motherhood.

She begins by setting the context of mothers in the Old Testament and in Jewish and Greco-Roman culture. The genealogies of scripture emphasize families and every named person, mostly men, had a mother! But the society was patriarchal, though free women had opportunities to manage their households. At the same time, childbirth was perilous, and the purview of midwives and female family and friends. While male metaphors dominate God talk, female images also are used.

Then McNeel turns to the birth narratives, beginning with the four unusual mothers who appear in Matthew’s genealogy. None are conventional. Nor is Mary in Matthew and McNeel likens Joseph to Uriah, the righteous Hittite. He marries her despite the scandal. In Matthew, she is silent. But this is hardly the case in Luke. She engages Gabriel and gives assent, if not consent (McNeel explores the ambiguities in her submission to God’s will). McNeel not only explores the encounter between Mary and Elizabeth but has a fascinating section on Mary as Jesus’ teacher. But how does one mother a grown-up Messiah? McNeel’s next chapter considers John’s portrayal of their relationship at the wedding at Cana and at the cross.

Having considered Mary’s motherhood, the next chapters turn to other mothers in the gospels. First McNeel looks at the accounts of four mothers in crisis: Simon’s mother-in-law, the mother of Jairus daughter, the Syro-Phoenician woman, and the widow at Nain. The one thing in common beyond the urgency of their crises was that none of them are named. These were good mothers, but not all mothers are good. McNeel treats the cases of three mothers which range from ambiguous to evil: the mother of the man born blind who protects her own interests, the mother of James and John, who promotes the interests of her sons (and perhaps herself), and Herodias who exposes her daughter to horror to gain revenge upon John the Baptist. Scripture gives us both exemplars and cautionary tales of motherhood.

Before moving on from the gospels, McNeels considers the metaphors of motherhood associated with Jesus. He speaks of himself as a mother hen. There are allusions to Proverbs Mother Wisdom in his call for people to come to him in Matthew 11:28-30 and he is the logos. Likewise, Jesus uses the imagery of birth to describe the new life he brings. When Jesus speaks of rivers of living water springing from him, the word Jesus uses, koilia, can mean either stomach or womb. Water and blood flow from his side as he gives birth to the church.

Acts is dealt with briefly, because the only references are to Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mary, the mother of John Mark, and the unnamed mother of Timothy. McNeel sees Acts as an interlude in the story of mothers, to become more prominent in the early church. In the undisputed letters of Paul, McNeel finds actual mothers sidelined. Women are co-workers in the gospel mission, playing prominent roles in many situations. But we don’t learn if they were mothers.. However, she observes Paul using a number of metaphors of motherhood. He uses birth pang imagery for the end times and speaks of creation groaning as if in labor. Then he speaks of his own birth and apostleship as untimely. He describes himself tenderly as a nursing mother with the Thessalonians. But he chides the Corinthians for needing milk rather than solid food.

McNeel treats the controversial material material in the pastorals as part of the non-authentic Pauline letters, written at a later time, reflecting the transitional issues facing the church. Meanwhile she notes the commending of Lois, Eunice, and others. She addresses different options for understanding women being saved through childhood, acknowledging problems with all but opting for a straightforward reading of the text, albeit not in individual terms.

McNeel treats Hebrews and the general epistles together, focusing on the faith of Sarah, Rahab, and unnamed mothers. Revelation presents us with the contrast of the virgin and the whore, which may smack of patriarchal norms. Yet Revelation anticipates a new creation where all oppression ends.

The concluding chapter summarizes themes running through this study: new life, suffering, identity, caregiving, and influence. Not only are mothers important in the biblical story, but motherhood images are at the heart of the gospel. This challenges us to combat androcentrism in biblical interpretation.

While I might take issue with some of the author’s ideas about Pauline authorship, overall I deeply appreciated the approach to the study of mothers which foregrounded these women in a helpful way for me. The fact that many women are nameless, in comparison to men, is disturbing. It reminds me that while scripture is both inspired and authoritative, it is also a human document. As a male reader, this book challenges me to notice the portrayals of women. It challenges me to question but also to appreciate. Particularly as a Protestant, we give Mary short shrift. It was illuminating to consider her as the childhood teacher of Jesus. And it was a gift to think of the motherhood images of Jesus, to be “under her wings,” as it were.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, 2nd Edition

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Cover image of "Jesus and the Eyewitnesses" by Richard Bauckham

Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, 2nd Edition, Richard Bauckham, foreword by Simon Gathercole. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802874313) 2017.

Summary: Argues from both early church fathers and internal evidence that the gospels are based on eyewitness testimony.

Gospel scholarship over the past hundred years has embraced the idea that the gospels reflect anonymous community traditions that have passed through a number of hands, or storytellers. It is assumed that the “historical Jesus” behind these gospels is only dimly and uncertainly accessible. In this work, Richard Bauckham, in Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, asserts that the gospels are based on eyewitness testimony concerning the life and teaching of Jesus. His contention is that this testimony is “both a reputable historiographic category for reading the gospels as history and also a theological model for understanding the gospels as the entirely appropriate means of access to the historical reality of Jesus” (p. 5). He cites Samuel Byrskog’s scholarship emphasizing the importance of eyewitness testimony in ancient historiography.

He then begins his case for the gospels as eyewitness testimony with the early church father, Papias. Papias, writing around 130 CE, argued for the “living and surviving voice” rather than information from books. He preferred elders who could testify to what any of the Lord’s disciples had said. Specifically, he gave credence to those who heard Peter, John, Matthew or John the Elder. Rather than collective traditions, he prized above all testimony–the testimony on which our gospels are based.

In succeeding chapters, Bauckham looks at the gospels. He begins with the named persons, arguing their significance as possible sources of the accounts in which they are named. To underscore the credibility of the gospels, he creates a table of names in the gospels. Then he compares it to the frequency of common names of the time, finding significant overlap. He considers the twelve named disciples, the variants on their names, and their significance as eyewitnesses.

Then Bauckham turns to Mark. He notes the use of inclusio in naming Peter at both the beginning and end of the gospel and more than others (he also notes similar forms of inclusio in Luke and John to establish eyewitness testimony). In addition, there is an unusual alternating from third to first person in Mark that Bauckham suggests indicative of Peter’s speech. At this point, Bauckham brings in Papias, who mentions Mark as the translator of Peter. He affirms Matthew as writing an Aramaic version of this gospel (from which our Greek version arises).

Bauckham then offers an extended discussion of oral tradition, memorization, arguing that individuals kept traditions rather than communities. This includes an interesting chapter on eyewitness memory in modern psychology, with the conclusion that the gospels represent genuine memories.

However, the most interesting, and perhaps controversial material in the book, concerns his chapters on the Gospel of John. He argues that John, unlike the other gospels is not based on eyewitness testimony but rather is eyewitness testimony. Specifically, it is the testimony of the Beloved Disciple. However, he would identify “John” not as the son of Zebedee but as “John the Elder,” based on Papias. He argues that this John was not one of the twelve. However, he was a “beloved” friend, part of a larger group of disciples who had been with Jesus throughout his ministry. Unfortunately, discussion over who John is can overshadow Bauckham’s more important point, that this gospel is eyewitness testimony.

The book concludes with Bauckham recapitulating his argument for the gospels as testimony. While such testimony must be weighed, he argues for a presumption of trust rather than suspicion. Bauckham adds several chapters to the second edition at this point. These address criticisms of the earlier edition, particularly concerning eyewitnesses in Mark and the identity of John. Provocatively, he concludes that if his case for the gospels as testimony holds up, this means the end of form criticism.

It is striking to me to encounter scholarly confirmation of conclusions that arose inductively from student Bible studies in my college days. While we didn’t have the tables or patristic evidence marshalled by Bauckham, we took seriously Luke’s testimony of how he wrote his work. We saw Mark’s focus on Peter. We accepted John’s claim to be offering eyewitness testimony and noted the details unique to his account that suggested an eyewitness presence. It has always been baffling to me to see the skepticism of many scholars toward these accounts. Bauckham makes a strong case that my early reading of the gospels was not off the mark. More than that, it suggests we can approach these accounts with a high degree of confidence that they render accounts of Jesus that may be trusted.

I’m sure that some will continue to quarrel over the question of Johannine authorship. While I incline to the traditional view of John the Apostle, Bauckham’s contention doesn’t trouble me. Either are equally eyewitnesses. We don’t know the authorship of Hebrews and affirm it as scripture. I do suspect that form critics and the questers for the historical Jesus have a problem with Bauckham. I would suggest the real problem is the contention that the gospels are not what they present themselves to be but rather are anonymous community traditions. Wouldn’t it be surprising if what most Christians through history believed the gospels to be and the best gospel scholarship were agreed? Bauckham gives us hope that might be possible.

Review: First Nations Version

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First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament, Terry M. Wildman, Consulting editor, First Nations Version Translation Council. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2022.

Summary: A dynamic equivalent English translation of the New Testament by and for the First Nations people in North America, using the cultural idioms resonating with First Nations people.

“Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who walk a trail of tears, for he will wipe the tears from their eyes and comfort them.”

Matthew 5:4, First Nations Version

I had just begun reading through the First Nations Version of the New Testament when this translation of Matthew 5:4, amid what we call the Beatitudes, stopped me in my tracks. The Trail of Tears is a reference to one of the most tragic episodes of American history, when the administration of Andrew Jackson forcibly removed the “Five Civilized Tribes,” the peoples of the Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw Nations from the southeastern United States to land west of the Mississippi. Over 60,000 were removed and many never made it, dying from exposure, disease, and starvation. If another nation were doing this, we might call it genocide. I was talking with Richard Foster during a recent interview and he observed that there is not a Native Person in this country who has not walked a trail of tears. The actions of Jackson’s administration epitomized what happened throughout this continent.

What a powerful idiom for a First Nations person! I do not think “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Mathew 5:4, NIV) would speak in the same way. It doesn’t for me. I found myself lamenting our terrible history of displacing people from their ancestral lands across this country, certainly in my own state where the name of every river, and even the name of the state, attest to the people whose ancestral home is where I have lived my whole life.

This one verse illustrates the basic approach of the First Nations Version translators. It is a “thought for thought” or dynamic equivalence approach, seeking to use cultural idioms that speak, in English, to the hearts of First Nations people. Terry M. Wildman, the lead translator of a council of twelve all represented the diverse tribal and denominational heritages of North America. Wycliffe Associates of Orlando provided technical support and funding to gather this council. Between the council and reviewers and cultural consultants, thirty-three tribal heritages were represented. They also enjoyed the collaborative support of Rain Ministries, OneBook of Canada, Wycliffe Associates, Native InterVarsity, and Mending Wings.

I was struck that this translation reflects an oral, story-telling culture. This is reflected in this video in which Terry Wildman renders the translation of the Lord’s prayer and teaching on prayer (Luke 11:1-4; 9-10)

One of the other distinctions of this translation is the translation of the meaning of Greek and Hebrew names and titles. Jesus is “Creator Sets Free.” Abraham is “Father of Many Nations.” Jerusalem is “Village of Peace.” Both Jewish and tribal cultures believe names have meaning, and so they chose to translate the meaning of names. Other concepts are idiomatically translated: rabbis are “wisdomkeepers,” temples are “sacred lodges,” angels are “spirit-messengers.” The Gospel of John is “He Shows Goodwill Tells the Good Story.” More information about the translation process may be found at the First Nations Version website.

At times, the text includes insertions of explanatory or transitional material, aiding in the understanding of the story. This is set off with a sidebar and italics. I did not find this to be intrusive. I also felt that the dynamic equivalent, idiomatic rendering brought out meaning in the text but seemed less interpretive to me than Eugene Peterson’s The Message, which is more of a paraphrase. I suspect this reflects the careful control of a translation council and Wycliffe Associates technical assistance. The only challenge is that when you have a number of translated names in a passage, the reading aloud of the passage may be cumbersome, as I found in using this version for a reading that included the names of the twelve apostles.

It is subtle, but I also thought this version captured the context of Jews under Roman Rule–the People of Iron. Reading scripture through indigenous eyes seemed to emphasize the realities of being subject tribes, that we may not so readily see in other dominant Western culture translations. The use of Outside Nations rather than “Gentile” gave much more a sense of the “otherness” of these people, and the remarkable thing that happens when the good story goes to those “outside.”

The primary audience for this translation are the over six million First Nations people of North America. But this is also a translation for those who want to read scripture through indigenous eyes. I want to use this side by side with other translations in study. I’m also heartened to hear that work has begun on a translation of Psalms and Proverbs. Under God’s grace and provision, I hope we will see the remainder of the Old Testament translated someday. There is so much of God’s good story yet to be rendered. But this is a good beginning.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.

Review: The Holy Spirit in the New Testament

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The Holy Spirit in the New Testament, William A. Simmons. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2021.

Summary: A book by book study of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament from a Pentecostal perspective.

Globally, Pentecostalism is the fastest growing movement within Christianity. At the heart of this movement is the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. William A. Simmons argues that the term “Pentecostal” ought not be seen as a label but as a lens colored by the living presence of the Spirit of God. He writes:

“Even so, what lies at the heart of Pentecostal so described? In brief, Pentecostal means the collapse of the transcendent. A Pentecostal lens is framed by this one central premise: God has become immanent among his people by way of the vibrant presence of the Holy Spirit (Rev. 21:3). The power, the presence, and the praxis of the Spirit has invaded the world and established God’s people as a beachhead for the reclamation of all creation (Jas. 1:18). In this sense there is a decidedly incarnational aspect to the Pentecostal interpretive grid. The Spirit inhabits the redeemed, and by way of the preeminent sacraments flowing from Jesus and the Scriptures, the Spirit empowers believers to see things as they really are (1 Cor. 2:11-12).”

Simmons proposes that this lens is both holistic and integrated, comprehensive and cosmic and that the global growth of Pentecostalism requires an exegetically sound study of the New Testament through this lens.

What Simmons does in this book is the exegetical work necessary for a New Testament biblical theology of the Spirit. He proceeds book by book identifying a theme verse and introducing that theme, taking a “pause for prayer,” discussing key passages in the book concerning the Holy Spirit, summarizing, and then discussing “what it means for me.”

There were a number of insights that I appreciated:

  • The powers of the day, whether of Empire, religious establishment, or the demons were no match for Jesus Spirit empowered ministry (Mark).
  • The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Joy (Luke).
  • He is the Spirit of Truth who grants us to be born into new Life directing us in the Way of Jesus (John)
  • He is the Spirit of Adoption, enabling us to know God as “Abba” (Romans).
  • He is the indwelling and gift-giving Spirit who testifies to the holiness of our bodies as temples and gives gifts for the wholeness and holiness of Christ’s body, the Church (1 Corinthians)
  • He is the Spirit whose fullness empowers our worship (Ephesians)
  • He is the Spirit who empowers for ministry (1 Timothy)
  • He warns us of the dangers of spiritual drift from the supremacy of Christ (Hebrews)
  • He speaks to us in our suffering with Christ, reminding us of the blessing and glory in which we share (1 Peter)
  • We are to hear what the Spirit says to the churches and discern between the Spirit of Jesus and lying spirits (Revelation).

I have to come back to Matthew though. Simmons asked some questions there I found myself pondering throughout the book: “To what extent am I really open to the leading of the Spirit?” and “When we say that we want all the Spirit has for us, do we really mean all?” A bit of self-disclosure here. After my early Christian experience in the Jesus movement of the early 1970’s, I reacted against some of the Pentecostal aspects of this movement–the insistence on a “second experience” and the speaking in tongues. I found none of that polemic here but simply the encouragement that God would powerfully indwell all of us, making God’s self present to us through the Spirit, and not to close ourselves off from some of the more unusual manifestations of that, whether it be tongues, dreams, miraculous works, or the quieter marks of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

The Holy Spirit is all over the New Testament. And Pentecostalism is all over the world. William A. Simmons asks if perhaps we need a new lens as we read Scripture, and perhaps new wine in our lives. I hope I am not to old for that new wine, nor too deaf and blind and hidebound to heed the Spirit’s leading. Come Holy Spirit!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Review: Torah Old and New

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Torah Old and New, Ben Witherington III. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2018.

Summary: A study of the texts from the Pentateuch quoted or alluded to in the New Testament and how they were understood both in their original context and as used in the New Testament context.

Ben Witherington has previously written Isaiah Old and New and Psalms Old and New. Following this same pattern of studying texts used in the New Testament both as they were understood in their original context and in the New Testament, Witherington takes on the ambitious project of doing the same with Torah, the first five books of scripture, also known as the Pentateuch.

This is an ambitious project as is apparent in Appendix 1, where we find listed all of the passages in Genesis through Deuteronomy cited, alluded to or echoed in the New Testament, and where these occurred. A study of this Appendix explains the layout of the book and demonstrates why the chapters on Genesis, Exodus, and Deuteronomy are so much longer than those on Leviticus and Numbers. The three former books were cited much more. Witherington covers all of these instances in the pages of his text, first consider the passage in the Pentateuch, and then the various New Testament references.

One observation, that Witherington notes, is that much more of the material is “law” material than narrative material. The big exception is some of the the songs, particularly the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32. The narrative is important, however, especially the narratives of Abraham and his faith, who in the new covenant is father by faith for all of humanity, not only the descendants of Jacob, or Israel.

The use of Torah in the New Testament is centered around the significance of Jesus, who extends the application of some parts of Torah while dismissing others such as laws around sabbath and cleanliness. Paul was the first to grasp the significance of this, allowing Jewish believers to remain Torah observant while Gentiles would observe the aspects of the law re-affirmed and deepened by Jesus.

What all this has in common is that the laws of Torah and the new covenant are both framed by the saving work of God. The laws, contrary to later conceptions focus on what it means to “stay in rather than how to get in.” Both assume already being “in.”

The book sparkles with insights throughout whether or not you find yourself in agreement with Witherington at every point. One insight I found helpful is that many commentators debate whether a New Testament citation is drawn from the Greek (Septuagint) or the Hebrew (Masoretic) text. Witherington proposes that in many cases, they may not have had either text at hand and quoted from memory. That seems like just good common sense!

In addition to the Appendix 1 mentioned above, quite useful for study are two others, on a review of Adam and the Genome by Dennis Venema and Scot McKnight and a second discussing the enigmatic references to Enoch in 1 Peter 3:18-22. The review is fascinating, particularly to see Witherington’s defense of a historic Adam, but doesn’t quite seem germane to this work, other than it references material in Genesis.

My experience over the years is that there is far more preaching from the New Testament than Old in most Christian churches. What Witherington shows is that we cannot go far in the New Testament without some Old Testament allusion or outright citation. What Witherington helps us recognize is both what these texts meant in their context and how they are being used in the New Testament, and have been in the life of the church which reads all scripture in light of Jesus. Witherington’s book is a valuable reference for those preachers, written by one whose preacherly background shows through on nearly every page.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.