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. ( )

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.
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