MAKING SENSE OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
Three crucial questions
By Craig L. Blomberg. . IVP. 189 pages. £8.99
ISBN 1 84474 034 X
The author, who teaches at Denver Seminary in the US and is highly respected as a sound and meticulous scholar, examines three highly charged issues. Is the New Testament historically reliable? Was Paul - rather than Jesus - the true founder of Christianity? How should Christians apply the New Testament to life today, in cultures far removed in space and time from the first-century Mediterranean world? Carefully argued and persuasive entry level answers are offered for intelligent readers.
The first essay sees Blomberg on ground familiar from his earlier more technical work. His expertise is deployed most effectively in answering liberal and sceptical arguments against the reliability of the New Testament. He works carefully through a myriad of matters - from textual criticism, authorship and date, the accuracy of the gospels, hard sayings and missing topics, to miracles and resurrection. Familiar arguments are given fresh faces and there are some helpful additions to the standard apologetic.
